U.S. to Quadruple Beef Imports from Argentina

The U.S. will temporarily expand the amount of beef it can import from Argentina, thanks to an executive order signed by President Trump last week. Fox Business said the move is intended to help lower the price of beef, but the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said that isn’t accurate. The proclamation increases the in-quota tariff-rate quota for lean beef trimmings by 80,000 metric tons for the calendar year 2026. The additional imports will be entirely allocated to imports from Argentina and released into the U.S. market in segments four times through the year, beginning this week on February 13. “The White House said the action is intended to boost supply and make ground beef more affordable for American consumers,” Fox reported. “The proclamation from the White House said the administration is acting in response to historically high beef prices and a prolonged decrease in the U.S. cattle herd.” 

FBA Help On-Track for February Distribution

USDA officials say they remain on schedule to meet the late-February rollout for the Farm Bridge Assistance program. Payments are expected to begin flowing on schedule, and new digital tools are being introduced to streamline the process for producers. Richard Fordyce, USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, speaking with Agriculture of America, said the agency’s timeline “remains solid” as procedural steps near completion. As part of the program’s rollout, USDA plans to administer the program through login.gov, a federal portal already used by multiple government agencies. Fordyce said that will allow producers to access, review, and sign the required FBA forms electronically. He advised farmers to set up accounts at login.gov ahead of time to avoid delays once the forms are released. USDA views the FBA program as an early test case for the broader use of login.gov in future farm programs. 

EPA Announces New Low-Volatility Dicamba Herbicides

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new federal registration for low-volatility Dicamba herbicides in 34 states. This registration will enable U.S. farmers to have access to this important weed control tool in Dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. Bayer is launching the new registration as Stryax Dicamba herbicide, a restricted-use pesticide. “With a federal registration in hand, we’ll begin the process of seeking state approvals,” said Dr. Ty Witten, Bayer’s vice president of commercial stewardship. ”In the weeks ahead, we’ll launch applicator training opportunities and stewardship education to help ensure that growers and applicators have the best experience possible.” The registration will enable the use of approved low-volatility Dicamba herbicides in-crop up to seven days pre-harvest in XtendFlex cotton, and up through R1 in XtendFlex soybeans. Bayer said Stryax is intended to help manage glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weeds, as well as other tough-to-control weeds. 

USDA Accepting Applications for Trade Mission to Türkiye

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting applications for a trade mission to Istanbul, Türkiye (tur-KEE-ya). The trip is May 11–14, and U.S. exporters interested in going to explore trade opportunities in Türkiye and other areas of Central Asia should apply by February 24. “With stable economic growth and proven demand for high-quality U.S. food in Türkiye and the surrounding region, now is the time for agribusinesses and producers to take advantage of that,” said Luke Lindberg, USDA’s Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. The U.S. was the fifth-largest supplier of agricultural products to Türkiye in 2024, while Türkiye ranked as the 16th-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, which is a figure that’s grown by about 45 percent since 2020. Total U.S. agricultural exports to Türkiye exceeded $1.7 billion, including more than $590 million in retail-ready goods like fruits, meats, and dairy products.

Lower Than Normal Missouri River Runoff in 2026

January runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was one million acre-feet, which is 132 percent of the average. Runoff was above average for all the reaches in the upper Missouri River Basin, even though most of the upper Basin had below-normal precipitation. This was due to above average temperatures causing early snowmelt. The updated 2026 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City continues to be below average. “Runoff into the reservoir system was above-average for the month of January despite the dry conditions across the basin,” said John Remus of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “With the below-average plains and mountain snowpack, we are forecasting a below-average runoff year for the Basin, resulting in reduced flows from the reservoirs, particularly in the upper basin.” The 2026 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 23.4 million acre-feet, 91 percent of the average. 

Ag Groups Urge EPA to Uphold Science-Based Review Process

A coalition of leading agricultural organizations sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, urging the agency to uphold its rigorous, science-based pesticide registration process and ensure timely reviews under federal law. The letter expressed support for the goals of the Make America Healthy Again movement and the MAHA Commission’s Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy. They also emphasized that access to safe, effective, and innovative crop protection tools is essential to achieving those goals. The organizations highlighted that science-based pesticide approvals are critical, not only to food security and affordability, but also to the long-term sustainability of U.S. agriculture, enabling growers to protect yields, use inputs efficiently, reduce losses, and continue investing in environmental stewardship and innovation. “For soybean farmers, these tools are critical to protecting yields, managing weed resistance, and continuing to produce safe, affordable food, feed, and fuel,” said Scott Metzger, president of the American Soybean Association.

Tuesday Watch List

Markets

The feature event for Tuesday's session will be the release of USDA's February World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report at 11 a.m. CST, which will update both domestic and foreign commodity balance sheets.

Weather

Isolated rain showers will spread across the Southern Plains Tuesday before expanding north into the Tennessee Valley Tuesday night. Rainfall amounts could approach up to 0.5 inches in portions of Kentucky and Tennessee by early Wednesday morning.