The USDA is now accepting applications for four key export market development programs for 2025—MAP, FMD, TASC, and EMP—to help U.S. agricultural producers expand international sales. These programs support overseas marketing, address trade barriers, and develop new markets. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins also announced six upcoming international trade missions to promote U.S. ag exports, highlighting a renewed push to reduce the $50 billion trade deficit left by the previous administration. Applications are due by June 6, 2025, with funding designed to foster strong public-private partnerships and boost rural economic growth.

Farmers in the Pacific Northwest are expected to plant slightly more wheat and corn but slightly less barley and hay in 2025, according to the USDA’s prospective plantings report. Idaho’s total wheat acreage will dip 1.7%, with a 3.9% increase in winter wheat offset by an 11% drop in spring wheat. Barley acreage across the region is projected to fall by 2.1%, with Washington seeing the largest decline, while Idaho holds steady. Corn plantings are up 6.1% regionally, led by a 10.5% increase in Idaho. The Idaho Wheat Commission notes these are normal fluctuations due to crop rotations and economics.

Idaho's snowpack is near, at, or above normal in many areas, giving USDA NRCS hydrologists optimism that irrigators will have enough water this season. The only areas of concern with below-normal snowpack are the Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe basin, Big Lost and Little Lost basins, and the Birch-Medicine Lodge/Beaver-Camas basin. NRCS Idaho water supply specialist Erin Whorton highlighted that snowpack conditions, combined with expected reservoir fills, set water users up for success, though spring weather will still influence water availability.

The current administration has indefinitely paused a court-ordered review of 14 Columbia River dams intended to assess their impact on endangered salmon and steelhead. The delay is due to recent changes in how federal agencies implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), following the President’s rollback of longstanding NEPA regulations. The review stems from a 2023 $1 billion settlement—known as the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement—between the federal government, tribal nations, and the states of Oregon and Washington.

Clark Hamilton, a third-generation farmer from Ririe, Idaho, recently concluded his term as chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). Over the past year, he traveled internationally to build relationships with global wheat buyers and promote the quality and reliability of U.S. wheat. With over 15 years of leadership in the wheat industry, Hamilton is recognized for his collaborative, relationship-driven approach. He encourages fellow farmers to value their checkoff investment, highlighting the important work USW and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) do on their behalf.

There is a new nation-wide project called “Probing Our Country’s Soil Health”. It is being funded by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). A major goal of the project is to build a national soil health database and new and improved tools for benchmarking and interpreting soil health metrics. The anonymous data will be used to expand a new and exciting tool called the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (or SHAPE). This tool helps provide better references for farmers seeking to understand and build soil health. Idaho growers are encouraged to join this important initiative to help shape the future of soil health practices across the nation. More information can be found here!

Mexico and Canada have been exempted from President Donald Trump’s new 10% global tariff baseline. Goods compliant with the USMCA trade agreement will largely remain tariff-free, except for auto exports and steel and aluminum, which fall under separate policies. While Trump previously imposed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada over migration and fentanyl concerns, he later allowed exemptions for USMCA-compliant goods. Analysts believe the exemptions helped Mexico and Canada avoid harsher trade measures. Canadian leaders, however, indicated they would respond with countermeasures to protect their economy.