EVENTS
- April Fool’s Day - April 1
- National Soybean Month
- Earth Month
- National Poetry Month
- National Financial Literacy Month
- National Autism Acceptance Month
TODAY’S RURAL RUNDOWN FROM RFD-TV NEWS:
TRUMP’S TRADE TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT
President Donald Trump‘s tariff plan takes effect tomorrow (Wednesday) after several delays,
More than a dozen international trade partners, including Canada, Mexico, and China, which made up nearly 90 percent of U.S. imports last year, are set to be hit with reciprocal tariffs this week.
USDA EARMARKS BACKS BIOFUEL INFASTRUCTURE
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will dedicate $537 million to more than 500 biofuel infrastructure projects in 29 states.
This comes as ethanol groups in states like Nebraska, one of the “Elite Eight” allowed to sell E-15 year-round, push for a “national fix” for biofuel, and actively promote increased ethanol usage outside of the Midwest.
“Ethanol is so important to farmers — corn farmers, but all farmers —because a rising tide lifts all ships,” said Jan Tenbensel with the Nebraska Ethanol Board. “The more corn grind we can do, the better it is for the cotton guys [and] better for the soy guys. We’re all in this boat together.”
HSS TO CUT THOUSANDS MORE CIVIL SERVANTS
The Department of Health and Human Services, which runs agencies like the CDC and FDA, will soon lay off approximately 20,000 additional federal workers as part of the Trump Administration’s DOGE-led restructuring of key federal agencies.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a press release. “This Department will do more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
#PLANT25 UPDATE: FUEL PRICES TICK UPWARD
Planting season has arrived. Each day in April, we will spotlight the most crucial information for farmers and ranchers as they plant crops to feed the world.
Fuel could cost a little more this week as planters get rolling. Diesel has gained a cent since last week, holding around $3.55 nationwide. Gasoline prices are at $3.11 per gallon. GasBuddy says the gains are due to refinery issues, which could continue and send gas prices up another $0.10-$0.35 over the next few months.
