California Winegrape Acres Removed and Endangered Species Act Changes
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**California winegrape growers have removed nearly 40,000 acres of vineyards, roughly 7% of the state’s winegrape acreage, between October 2024 and August of this year.
The California Association of Winegrape Growers’ 2025
Standing Winegrape Acreage report, conducted by Land IQ, and released earlier this month, provided the most detailed view yet on the location and amount of acreage growers have pulled out in response to a global downturn in wine sales.
##Building on record-breaking grower participation last year, the American Peanut Council’s Sustainable U.S. Peanuts announced the start of its 2025 crop enrollment.
Now in its fifth year, www.morningagclips.com reports SUSP achieved its highest level of participation last year with 326 peanut growers, representing over 166,000 acres across 12 states.
Enrollment runs through next April.
To learn more about Sustainable U.S. Peanuts and enroll, visit: SustainableUSPeanuts.org.
www.morningagclips.com/sustainable-u-s-peanuts-kicks-off-2025-crop-enrollment/
**The Trump administration has proposed sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act, setting up a fight with conservation groups.
The draft rules would allow economic considerations to factor into decisions and eliminate automatic protections for newly listed threatened species, requiring case-by-case regulations.
Environmental groups warn the administration is trying to narrow what qualifies as “harm” by excluding many forms of habitat modification.
Officials say the changes are aimed at improving efficiency and transparency.
**U.S. wheat farmers are welcoming the Trump administration’s efforts to expand agricultural trade in Latin America, with four new trade frameworks expected to be signed soon.
Dalton Henry of U.S. Wheat Associates told RFD-TV the agreements could boost demand in key markets such as Ecuador, where trade barriers are easing and purchasing opportunities growing.
Frameworks with El Salvador and Guatemala are also under development, offering expanded access for U.S. wheat.
