October 9, 2026
BY Erin Krueger
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The USDA maintained its forecast for soybean oil use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released Oct. 9. The outlook for soybean oil prices was also unchanged.
The USDA on Oct. 6 announced a $180 million investment to launch the USDA’s Seed Sovereignty Initiative, a major effort to both strengthen U.S. agricultural security by protecting the plant genetic resources and enabling ag innovation.
New Zealand’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority on Oct. 1 announced it is investing in five new wood energy aggregation facilities and four projects that aim to produce torrefied biomass and wood pellets.
For qualified biomass facilities, properly processed railroad ties can provide a reliable supplemental fuel stream with useful heating value, established regulatory pathways and the potential to diversify supply.
According to the USDA, President Trump’s executive order that lifts taxes on dyed-diesel is expected to represent approximately $640 million in combined federal and state savings across about 224.6 million harvested acres.