Tractor sales down 25%
May tractor sales across the US were lower in May down nearly 25% from the same time last year. The numbers say clearly that farmers are not really ready to commit to new equipment at this time.
Stone fruit faces challenges
Ag Net West reports that California’s stone fruit season is running three to four weeks ahead of its typical timeline. The early development has altered the normal harvest progression, with multiple varieties reaching maturity at nearly the same time rather than arriving in the staggered sequence growers and packers typically expect.
Also growers are reporting a higher percentage of smaller-sized fruit this season. Industry observers suggest the accelerated development may have contributed to some orchards missing ideal thinning windows, although weather conditions may also be playing a role.
Consolidation in ag
A recent report suggests consolidation in ag:
Carrots: Two companies control 60% of the carrot supply.
Prepared soups: Four companies own 70% of the prepared soups market.
Almond milk: A whopping 81% of almond milk is owned by four companies.
Dips: PepsiCo, with its popular brands like Tostitos, Lay’s, and Fritos, controls 88% of the dip market.
Meatpacking is one of the most consolidated industries in our food system. Of the more than 70 meat brands marketing to consumers and retailers under the guise of individual names and logos, just four corporations—Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef—are behind these brands. These four meatpacking giants control 80-85% of the beef industry
UC study shows how trade policy hurt California Ag
New research published by the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics shows how quickly changes in trade policy can destroy market access critical to the success of some agricultural sectors.
Agricultural economists Colin Carter, Sandro Steinbach and Yasin Yildirim found that in aggregate the top 13 California agricultural commodities exported to China fell from an average total annual value of around $1.55 billion in 2024 to $554 million in 2025 – a 64% decline in a single year.
After joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China became one of California agriculture’s fastest-growing export markets, with exports of key crops (e.g., almonds, pistachios, dairy and cotton) to China expanding over the next two decades. But that trajectory changed in 2018-19 with the first U.S.-China trade war.
Then, in 2025, while California farmers were still recovering from the effects of the 2018-19 dispute, the United States imposed tariffs on Chinese imports under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. China responded with effective retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods — including many California-grown agricultural products.