The October World Ag Supply and Demand report predicts corn and soybean yields will both be lower than previously expected. Corn production is forecast at 14.78 billion bushels, down 49 million bushels due to a reduced yield forecast. Corn supplies going into harvest are forecast to be a record-high number, exports were raised by 75 million bushels, and USDA also forecast reduced feed and residual use. The season-average corn price received by producers is unchanged at $3.50 per bushel. Soybean production is forecast at 4.69 billion bushels, down 3.5 million as higher yields will be offset by lower harvested area. The season-average soybean price is predicted to range from $7.35 to $9.85 per bushel, unchanged from the previous month. The wheat forecast predicts larger supplies, reduced domestic use, unchanged exports, and higher ending stocks. The season-average farm price range is unchanged at the midpoint of $5.10 per bushel and the range is narrowed to $4.80 to $5.40.

The Casey’s General Store chain announced a new partnership with Prime the Pump, a Growth Energy partner and nonprofit organization dedicated to helping give more consumers E15 at their local pumps. Casey’s says it will expand the offering of E15 to potentially more than 500 of its locations over the next few years. E15 is currently approved for nine out of ten cars on the road today and American drivers have surpassed five billion miles on it. Nathaniel Doddridge, Casey’s Director of Fuels, says, “We’re excited to partner with Prime the Pump and Growth Energy to build on the success and accelerate the offering of E15 to more of our customers.” Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says they’re very happy to see the partnership between Prime the Pump and Casey’s, saying they’re taking it to record-breaking heights to give more American drivers access to a clean-burning option at the pump. “Casey’s has seen the value E15 brings to their business and their customers, and will soon become the nation’s largest E15 retailer,” she says. “The announcement underscores the critical need for lawmakers to approve the year-round use of E15.”

Industry experts say the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement could lead to modest export gains for U.S. poultry, pork, and beef. A new report from CoBank says the agreement is expected to keep tariffs on food and agriculture between the three countries at zero. The report says the U.S. chicken sector exports are predicted to rise 47,000 metric tons in Canada during the first year of the USMCA. U.S. turkey shipments are predicted to increase by 1,000 metric tons annually. The CoBank report says the major holdup to increasing growth in other U.S. protein sectors is the pending removal of Canadian tariffs on prepared beef products, as well as Mexican tariffs on pork that were also put in place earlier this year. The report also says that the USMCA seems to be a combination of terms from NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the president dumped just days after taking office. CoBank expects the new USMCA agreement to be ratified by all three countries sometime in 2019.

The European Union is readying to negotiate with the United States to allow the U.S. to increase beef exports to EU countries. The European Commission sought approval from its 28-member states last month to open negotiations with Washington. The approval process is expected to be completed next week to allow negotiations to begin. Beef is separate from an arrangement between President Trump and the EU to consider a free trade agreement. Reuters reports that a negotiated agreement on beef would settle a dispute that dates back to 1981 when the European Union banned the use of growth hormones in meat across the EU, including imports. The EU says it will look to raise the U.S. share of hormone-free beef imports into Europe, but would need to convince other countries considered to be “substantial” suppliers to accept less. In 2009, the EU and the U.S. agreed to a quota system for hormone-free beef imports, but U.S. share of the quota has slipped from 100 percent to 30 percent.

Senator Pat Roberts says lawmakers are making progress on the farm bill. The Senate Ag Committee Chairman told Politico this week “we’re making progress,” adding “I know I keep saying that, but it’s true.” None of the 12 titles of the farm bill are completed, but Roberts says the commodity title is “close” to being finished. However, Ranking Senate Ag member Debbie Stabenow reported that she and House Ag leader Mike Conaway remain at odds over moving funding around in the commodity title. Conaway allegedly wants to move a small amount of funding from Midwest-based crops to cotton. The so-called “Big Four” leaders of the conference committee, Senators Roberts and Stabenow along with Representatives Conaway and Collin Peterson, are waiting for review by the Congressional Budget Office before forging quickly ahead, according to Roberts.

President Donald Trump paved the path for year-round E15 sales this week, but the road ahead is promised to be challenging. The President directed the EPA to move forward with allowing year-round sales, but the National Wildlife Federation says the move is not allowed under the Clean Air Act. Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation says the action “is simply not legal” and would “accelerate the vast damage to our wildlife habitat.” The Federation is a long-time critic of the Renewable Fuel Standard, and pointed to an Environmental Protection Agency report that they say shows the RFS “was responsible for widespread negative natural resource impacts.” The Federation is one of many organizations considering legal challenges. Ranking House Agriculture Committee Democrat Collin Peterson, like several other ag-lawmakers and farm groups, applauded the announcement. Peterson, however, stated the action “will likely get tied up in the courts,” adding that action by Congress to support the move is “the most reliable avenue to finally getting this done.”

Kansas State University is researching how the U.S. can combat African swine fever. The virus threatens to devastate the swine industry and is positioned to spread throughout Asia. The virus has already spread throughout parts of Eastern Europe and was reported in China in August. Kansas State University researchers and the Biosecurity Research Institute have several projects focused on African swine fever. Their research topics vary, but they share the same goal of stopping the spread of African swine fever and preventing it from reaching the United States. If African swine fever enters the U.S., it could cause billions in economic losses to swine and other industries, animal disease experts say. A Kansas State official says the research will “help to improve our understanding and preparedness” of the threat of the virus. The projects are funded in part by the $35 million State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund and also have received support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the pork industry.