A growing number of Republican senators jumped into the fray assailing President Donald Trump’s plan to import beef from Argentina, expressing similar concerns to cattlemen groups that the plan interferes with market dynamics now favoring beef producers.

Starting in late July and throughout August, weekly cattle slaughter slowed seasonally but to levels that were the lowest since 2015. Adjusting for one fewer slaughter days in 2025, August saw a 10% decline in cattle slaughter, the largest year-over-year decline for any month in 2025.

The September Feed Outlook report shows corn area harvested is raised 1.356 million acres and area harvested for sorghum is raised 40,000 acres. Associated yields are lowered 2.1 bushels per acre for corn and raised 1.4 bushels for sorghum. Taken together, these changes result in production gains of 72.7 million bushels for corn and 10.7 million bushels for sorghum.

The September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) showed this month’s 2025-26 U.S. corn outlook is for greater supplies, larger exports and a slight reduction in ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2025-26 are 20 million bushels higher based on a lower use forecast for 2024-25, with reductions in imports and corn used for ethanol partially offset by an increase in exports. 

U.S. beef exports have faced considerable headwinds in 2025, largely in the form of high tariff rates and the ensuing trade policy fallout in key markets for U.S. beef, especially in China.

On July 25, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its biannual Cattle report. The previous July edition of the report was released in 2023, as the July Cattle report was not conducted in 2024. According to the report, on July 1, 2025, all cattle and calves were estimated at 94.2 million head, down 1.2 million head, or 1.3%, from July 1, 2023.

The July Feed Outlook report shows record-high U.S. corn production is projected for the 2025-26 marketing year, based on the season’s first survey-based corn-yield forecast of the year and updated area estimates from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The August World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) showed this month’s 2025-26 U.S. corn outlook is for sharply higher supplies, greater domestic use and exports, and larger ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2025-26 are 35 million bushels lower based on a slightly higher use forecast for 2024-25.

President Donald Trump announced July 24 that U.S. and Japanese trade authorities have reached a trade agreement that lowers tariffs imposed on Japan and brings investment funds in to support U.S. infrastructure.

On June 30, 2025, the USDA announced a plan to implement a phased reopening of the southern border ports for the import of live cattle from Mexico, beginning with the border crossing at Douglas, Arizona, on July 7. However, on July 9, Mexico announced it had detected New World screwworm in Veracruz – 160 miles north of the current sterile fly dispersal grid.