A European Commission proposal to lower maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides not authorised in the EU could restrict market access for African agricultural exporters, including Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Uganda. A Joint Research Centre study published in August examined the potential economic impact across 235 commodities and 86 exporting countries. Kenya has raised the issue at the WTO, warning of shipment rejections and income losses for smallholder farmers. The proposal remains under consideration by the European Parliament and Council.
US weekly export sales for corn, soybeans, and wheat for the week ended September 17 all came in below or at the low end of trade expectations, with Pro Farmer citing a stronger US dollar and elevated prices as potential demand headwinds. Meanwhile, the US-China trade truce was extended by two months, and USDA reported a daily soybean sale to China.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council participated in the APEC High-Level Public-Private Dialogue on Food Security in Dalian, China, alongside nearly 150 representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on U.S. sorghum trade, bilateral agricultural relations, and regional supply chain resilience.
The second day of the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association (CLFMA) of India's 67th National Symposium in Mumbai brought together policymakers, industry leaders, scientists and farmers to address feed security, artificial intelligence, veterinary capacity and government-industry collaboration in India's animal-agriculture sector.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture is reviewing broader use of millet in animal feed rations to reduce the country's dependence on corn as a very strong El Niño, projected to persist into the first half of 2027, raises the risk of drought-related supply shocks. While corn remains the dominant feed grain, any large-scale millet adoption could gradually temper growth in Philippine corn import demand, a development international exporters are beginning to monitor.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on 25 September 2026 that a bilateral Board of Trade agreement with China would protect selected agricultural exports from future tariff retaliation, with full details expected on 28 September. The trade truce has also been extended through January 2027, but an unresolved Section 301 overcapacity investigation could complicate the arrangement.
US on-highway diesel hit an all-time record of $6.53 per gallon in the week of 21 September 2026, coinciding with the harvest season. The Trump administration is weighing a range of targeted measures — including dyed-diesel distribution, state tax relief and voluntary refiner concessions — after setting aside a 90-day export ban that energy officials and industry warned would backfire. USDA projects 2026 farm fuel and oil spending at $21.6 billion, up 28.8% from 2025.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council escorted a 19-member South Korean feed and food corn buyer delegation on a multi-state tour of the U.S. corn export chain in September 2026, covering farms, ethanol facilities, grain handling sites and Pacific Northwest export terminals, as U.S. corn holds more than 80% of South Korea's import market so far this year.
A strengthening El Niño event, combined with fertilizer shortages, geopolitical tensions, and elevated energy costs, could push global food and feed commodity prices up by 14–16%, according to procurement consultancy Beroe. Key feed ingredients including corn, vegetable oils, and sugar face varying levels of supply and price risk, with the full market impact potentially not materialising until 2028.
Grain and oilseed futures closed mostly lower on 22 September 2026, according to ADM Investor Services analyst Mark Soderberg. Corn drifted back toward session lows while managed money extended a long position that ADMIS described as a potential record high. Soybeans finished mixed, soybean meal protein value reached a seven-month high, and wheat futures fell sharply amid ongoing Black Sea conflict and softening global supply signals.
Corn futures pulled back toward technical support on September 23, 2026, erasing Monday's gains, while a USDA daily export sale to Mexico, a high-stakes Xi-Trump summit in Washington, a proposed U.S. diesel export ban, and a projected 70% surge in global biofuel output by 2030 combined to create a complex backdrop for feed-grain and oilseed markets.
A series of typhoons in the Philippines has reduced July–September 2026 corn production by an estimated 14.4%, tightening regional feed grain availability and pushing up input cost risk for Southeast Asian feed manufacturers. CBOT December 2026 corn futures are trading around 529 USc/bu, while buyers consider alternative grains including millet.
