We partner with Ever.Ag to provide highlights of weekly dairy market activities, along with a summary of key market indicators.
As of April 12, US corn planting was 5% complete, slightly ahead of 4% on the five-year average. Soybeans were 6% in the ground versus 2% on the five-year average. The May corn contract rose to $4.4875 per bushel, up $0.0775 from last Friday. May soybeans closed at $11.6725 per bushel, $0.0850 higher on the week.
The House and Senate return from their two-week recess period with a busy agenda ahead. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown has now hit the two-month mark, a plan is emerging to use reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP and the rest of DHS through a bipartisan funding bill. Senate Republicans will need to move quickly to put forward a FY27 budget resolution as the first step of the reconciliation process.
Another top legislative priority for Republican leadership will be reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expires next week. Members of the House Agriculture Committee had originally targeted next week to bring the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 to the full House floor, though the previously mentioned priorities, potential Congressional expulsions, and foreign affairs matters, may delay the floor proceedings until early May.
FY2027 budgetary hearings are set for this week across House Appropriations Subcommittees, featuring notable cabinet members like USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, to discuss the President’s Budget Request and their goals for the agencies in the new fiscal year. House Appropriations Committee Chairman, Tom Cole, released the Subcommittee and Full Appropriations Committee markup schedule, with the Ag-FDA bill moving next week and the Interior bill moving by mid-May.
In the Senate, Appropriations hearings and markups will likely follow in the coming weeks. Senators on the Senate Agriculture Committee will be watching the House farm bill process for an indicator on how to proceed with their own potential framework.
Johnson says year-round E15 deal ready, but House floor time delays vote
Source: Brownfield Ag News
A U.S. Congressman from South Dakota says the contours of a deal that allow nationwide, year-round sales of E15 has been ready to go for a month, but it’s been a challenge to get floor time to pass it.
Extension, State Fair announce $35 million campaign for 4-H Building
Source: UMN Extension
University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota State Fair have partnered to begin a major renovation of the iconic three-story 4-H Building at the State Fairgrounds and an expansion of the statewide 4-H program. This landmark initiative is the largest project of its kind in history for both the State Fair and Extension.
Dairy in 2026: Stronger than expected, but uncertainty still looms
Source: MN Milk
As we move through the first quarter of 2026, the dairy industry has already seen a wave of major developments, from updates to dietary guidelines and legislative momentum, like the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, to deeper structural shifts in milk pricing and global market dynamics.
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