US officials confirmed New World screwworm in Arizona for the first time on 28 October. [1] Screwworm is a fly whose young, called maggots, eat the living flesh of animals. [1][2] The case was a dog with an infested wound, in Cochise County on the Mexican border. [2] The fly now has confirmed cases in 3 US states: Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. [2]

Officials drew a 20-kilometre infested zone around the Arizona case. [1] Animals moving inside that zone face limits and must pass inspections. [2] Officials are also releasing sterile flies, which cannot produce young. [1][2] Sterile male flies mate with wild females, and no young come from it. [2] The US has released more than 1.6 billion sterile flies, says Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. [2] About 100 million more are released every week, she says. [2] Arizona's state vet said: "We have been preparing for this possibility for a long while." [2]

The USDA counted 71 US cases since June, and 18 were active on 28 October. [2] October had 19 cases by the 28th, against 3 in all of September. [2] The cases include cattle, sheep, pets and wildlife. [2] The first wild case was an elk shot by a hunter in Pecos County, Texas. [3] Douglas, Arizona, had a sterile fly plant from 1963 to 1983. [2] Federal officials have now promised $25 million for new sterile fly work in the area. [2]

The US stopped cattle crossing from Mexico in November 2024, after screwworm was found there. [3] Before that, about 1 million Mexican cattle came into the US each year. [3] Crossings briefly reopened in February 2025, then shut again that May. [3] Douglas reopened on 24 August, Santa Teresa on 24 September and Columbus on 26 October. [3] Cattle now pass vet checks in Mexico, and a tick dip at Columbus, before entering. [3] Nogales, Arizona, is due to reopen to cattle on 30 November. [2] Rollins visited Nogales on 27 October to look at the border checks. [2] The import halt squeezed US cattle supply, one cause of record shop prices for beef. [2]

Why it matters. The Arizona case and rising numbers could complicate the Nogales plan, AgDaily reports. [2] The closures hurt ranchers and feedlots on both sides of the border. [3] The next test is whether Nogales opens to Mexican cattle on 30 November. [2]

The USDA, the US agriculture department, will buy up to $472.5 million of US-grown food. [4] The food goes to food banks and other programmes that feed people in need. [4] It includes milk, cheese, lentils, almonds, rice and catfish, says Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. [4] Dairy gets $165.5 million, pork $41 million, rice $21 million and chicken $20 million. [6] The buying uses Section 32, a power from a US law passed in 1935. [5] The USDA calls it one of its most direct tools when farm markets are tight. [4]

Why it matters. US rice growers asked for the rice purchase, saying prices still fall short of their costs. [6] They blame large stocks of rice and cheaper foreign rice for pulling prices down. [6]

A drought in Papua New Guinea is affecting as many as 8 million people. [27] Papua New Guinea, a Pacific country, is normally one of the world's wettest places. [27] Many people there grow their own food and depend on rain alone, a weather official says. [27] Family food gardens have shrivelled, and many rivers and creeks have dried up. [27] Some highland families eat one meal a day, says the aid group CARE International. [27] A hailstorm in Enga province this month buried sweet potato crops under ice. [27] The weather service blames El Nino, a Pacific swing that has moved the rain away. [27]

Why it matters. The wet season starts in November, but El Nino may cut it short. [27] Two months of rain is not enough to grow crops, a weather official says. [27] Prime Minister James Marape told provinces to prepare for a long dry season. [27]

The Congressional Budget Office, which works out what US laws cost, priced the Senate farm bill. [14] From October 2027, US states must pay part of SNAP, food aid for poorer households. [14] That share will cost states $1.1 billion a year, the office estimates. [14] The US Senate's bill would delay it by one year, to October 2028. [14] The delay and other changes would save states about $5.2 billion, the office says. [14] Jim Costa, a California Democrat, wants to lead his party on the House farm committee. [15] Costa said: "I will keep fighting to reverse the cost shift to states." [15] In his district, more than 3 in 10 households rely on SNAP, he says. [15]

Why it matters. This cost-share fight is the biggest block to a new farm bill, Agri-Pulse reports. [14]

22 House Republicans, led by Texas congressman August Pfluger, wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson. [13] They object to E15 rules in a farm bill now moving through the US Senate. [13] E15 is petrol with more ethanol in it, and US ethanol is made from corn. [13] The ethanol industry's top goal is to sell E15 all year round across the US. [13] The letter says the bill's terms would push refineries to make less fuel. [13]

Why it matters. Lawmakers return on 9 November and want a farm bill before 3 January. [13] A deal on who pays for SNAP would open the door to talks on E15. [13]

US Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month to 17 October, NielsenIQ data show. [7] Hershey, maker of Reese's and Kisses, warned that dearer fuel may make shoppers buy less. [7] In September, candy, gum and mint sales at US convenience stores fell nearly 5%. [8] Hershey expects 35% of its seasonal sales this week, with Halloween on Saturday. [7] "We need consumers to show up," said Hershey chief executive Kirk Tanner. [7] A LendingTree survey found 35% of Halloween shoppers expect to skip candy. [7] Sales of reduced-sugar candies are up 66% on a year ago, Spins data show. [9] Shops now start Halloween displays in July and run them to 2 November. [9]

Why it matters. The season now rests on the last days before Saturday, when shoppers buy big packs. [7]

A chocolate bar costs 397% more than a generation ago, the American Sugar Alliance says. [10] The alliance speaks for US sugar beet and sugar cane growers, processors and refiners. [10] It says the sugar in that bar still costs only a few cents. [10] Its survey does not show how much cocoa, wages or packaging added. [10] The growers blame cheap, subsidised foreign sugar for pulling their own prices down. [10] Hawaii stopped growing sugar cane in 2016, Texas in 2024, and California sugar beet in 2025. [10]

Why it matters. US sugar is already protected by import limits and price-support loans. [10] Critics say those rules keep US sugar dearer than sugar on world markets. [10]

US wheat sold abroad had its biggest week of the marketing year, USDA figures show. [11] The marketing year is wheat's trading year, which began on 1 June. [11] Buyers ordered 849,800 tons in the week to 22 October. [11] The Philippines bought 226,300 tons and South Korea 154,000 tons. [11] Both countries use US wheat for flour and for animal feed. [11] A recent fall in the wheat price helped bring the buyers in. [11] Wheat exports so far this year are 423.2 million bushels, against 598.9 million for 2025/26. [11]

Why it matters. There is talk of China buying US wheat, but such talk has come before. [12] The USDA's next crop estimate comes out on 10 November. [11]

Albertsons is suing Kroger for more than $9 billion over their failed merger. [16] In 2024 Kroger, the biggest US grocery chain, offered $24.6 billion for rival Albertsons. [16] Two courts blocked the deal, agreeing it would cut competition in parts of the US. [16] Kroger had planned to sell 579 stores to C&S, a food distributor. [16] Court papers show Kroger bosses could share $400 million if the deal hit profit goals. [16] Albertsons says that pay plan made Kroger hold on to its more profitable stores. [16]

Why it matters. Kroger says regulators would have blocked the deal anyway. [16] A judge will now decide which account holds. [16]

US bank lending to farms, leaving out land loans, fell 25% in the third quarter. [26] It dropped from $75.33 billion to $56.47 billion. [26] Banks made 11.1% more loans, but each was 32.5% smaller on average. [26] Operating loans, which pay day-to-day farm costs, fell 29.2%. [26] Farm machinery loans now run for 29.3 months on average, down from 53.9. [26] Farmdoc Daily, at the University of Illinois, read the figures from a US Federal Reserve survey. [26]

Why it matters. Interest averaged 6.77%, down from 7.11% a year ago but far above 3.26% in 2020. [26]

31 US states have joined a federal break on farm diesel, says Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. [25] On Thursday she asked the remaining governors to join before the harvest ends. [25] Dyed diesel is fuel meant for off-road use, such as on farms. [25] President Trump's 5 October order lets it be used on roads, without the federal fuel tax. [25] That tax is 24.4 cents a gallon. [25] The USDA expects more than $640 million in federal and state savings. [25]

Why it matters. The break covers farmers, ranchers and truck drivers through the harvest. [25]

Danone, maker of Oikos and Activia yogurts, named Francois Lacombe to run it in the US. [17] Lacombe had turned around Danone's business in Spain. [17] People taking weight-loss drugs have been buying its protein-rich yogurts. [17] Danone could not make enough in the US, so it expanded plants in Texas and Ohio. [17] The new capacity then disrupted its supply chain and hurt customer service, its finance chief said. [17]

Why it matters. Finance chief Juergen Esser said Danone wants 2027 to look very different. [17]

Aon, an insurance broker, and SAGE, an AI farm-risk firm, will offer field-by-field crop insurance. [24] US federal crop insurance prices risk by the average of each county. [24] So some farmers pay premiums that do not fit their own land and soil. [24] SAGE judges each field from satellites, farm machine data and soil data. [24] It will be offered on corn and soybeans in 15 states for the 2027 crop. [24] SAGE co-founder Robert Bonnie was once a senior official at the USDA. [24]

Why it matters. Michigan farmers using cover crops and no-till may pay less in a 2027 pilot. [24]

Planet A Foods, a German food start-up, launched a powder to replace cocoa. [18] It can replace all the cocoa powder in cakes, fillings, drinks and puddings, the firm says. [18] It has 69 grams of fibre per 100 grams, against about 37 in cocoa powder. [18] People on weight-loss drugs eat 15-20% fewer calories, the firm says. [18] Its sunflower-seed chocolate, ChoViva, is already in more than 230 products in 12 countries. [18] Cocoa prices soared in December 2024 and have fallen back only somewhat. [19]

Why it matters. Win-Win, a British rival, expects real chocolate to become a premium treat. [19]

The Bezos Earth Fund gave Aleph Farms and Mottainai Food Tech S$1 million each. [23] Aleph Farms, from Israel, grows beef from animal cells instead of raising whole cattle. [23] It will start with costly cuts like sirloin, where plant-based copies struggle. [23] Aleph is cleared in Singapore and plans restaurant launches in the first half of 2027. [23] Mottainai, from Singapore, ferments okara, the soy pulp left from making tofu. [23] Replacing half the chicken or pork with it cuts the cost by 18%, the firm says. [23]

Why it matters. Both firms now face the same test: making it at a price buyers will pay. [23]

Royal Canin, Mars's pet food maker, and its wheat supplier Roquette will share farm costs. [21] The money helps farmers switch to regenerative farming, which aims to rebuild the soil. [21] The switch needs money up front for new machines and cover crops. [21] Farmers usually pay that themselves, or join one company's scheme. [21] The plan covers more than 60 farms and 4,700 hectares of wheat in France. [21] Soil Capital, a farm data firm, will measure and check the results for both companies. [21] Farmers get 70% of the carbon credits the changes earn. [21]

Why it matters. Both firms want other buyers to copy the model. [21]

Nestle, the world's biggest consumer goods firm, will measure wildlife on farms in Europe. [20] It is working with BirdLife Europe on a project lasting 3.5 years. [20] Europe's farmland birds fell by 58% between 1980 and 2024, a Europe-wide bird count found. [20] Intensive farming is cited as the main cause. [20] Bird numbers are used because they follow changes in insects and the wider land. [20]

Why it matters. The project will test whether regenerative methods actually help wildlife. [20]

The FAO, the UN's food agency, issued new guidelines on how countries plan their land. [22] They were launched at COP17, a UN meeting on protecting nature's variety of life. [22] It is the first major update since 1993. [22] They help weigh farming, cities and roads against nature, food and water. [22] They are voluntary, so no country has to follow them. [22] FAO deputy chief Beth Bechdol said soil data and maps are central. [22]

Why it matters. A practical guide to the nine-step plan is still to come. [22]

Raw sugar rose 0.7% on Thursday, to 19.47 US cents a pound. [28] Brazil, the top sugar grower, is battling too much rain, linked to El Nino. [28] Sugar output in Brazil's main growing region fell 27.1% in early October from a year earlier. [28] Heat hurt Europe's beet crop, and a weak monsoon cut India's cane hopes, a broker says. [28] Arabica coffee fell 0.5% to $2.8545 a pound, its lowest since late September. [28] More than 42,000 bags of coffee are waiting to be graded at exchange warehouses. [28] A weak Brazilian real makes selling coffee in dollars pay more for Brazil's farmers. [28] Robusta coffee hit its lowest price since March 2024 on Monday, as Vietnam's harvest began. [28]

Why it matters. Analysts at Expana cut Ivory Coast's cocoa crop forecast by 40,000 tons, to 1.83 million. [28] Ivory Coast is the top cocoa grower, and dry weather is stressing its cocoa trees. [28]

Pakistan and China agreed a fast lane for farm goods at their Khunjerab border crossing. [29] Khunjerab Pass, at 15,500 feet, is the highest paved international border crossing. [29] It links Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region with China's Xinjiang region. [29] Customs officials from both countries signed the deal online on Thursday. [29] Farm goods on an agreed list will get priority checks at the border. [29] Food that spoils quickly will be handled first, to cut delays. [29] The pass is open for trade from April to November; winter snow gets in the way. [29]

Why it matters. Last year Pakistan collected 15 billion rupees in customs on Chinese imports through the pass. [29] The lane is expected to make farm trade between the two countries faster. [29]