The Trump administration is considering softening its proposed port fees on China-linked ships after receiving widespread backlash from U.S. industries, including agriculture, that warned of severe economic harm. The original plan proposed fees up to $3 million per port call to curb China’s maritime influence and boost U.S. shipbuilding. However, due to concerns that the fees could disrupt commodity shipping and strain businesses reliant on Chinese-built vessels, alternatives under review include delayed implementation, tonnage-based charges, or fees scaled to the proportion of Chinese-built ships in a company’s fleet.

USDA research weed scientist Olivia Landau is asking big questions about the future of weed management in wheat farming. As part of the Pacific Northwest Herbicide Resistance Initiative, Landau focuses on identifying herbicide-resistant weed populations and exploring innovative approaches to manage them. As growers face increasing herbicide resistance, Landau encourages them to reach out and share field observations that might inform her research. She’s committed to making complex scientific information clear and accessible, helping the region’s farmers find sustainable, forward-looking solutions to weed management.

The University of Idaho’s largest grant, nearly $59 million from the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) program, was terminated due to new USDA criteria requiring 65% of funds go directly to producers. The original proposal had over 50% allocated for producer payments, with the remainder for technical and marketing support. The university had already begun enrolling producers and offering support to help them adopt sustainable practices. The USDA is relaunching the program as the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Initiative, and U of I plans to revise and resubmit its proposal.

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.