President Donald Trump's import ban on Canadian whey, alcohol and motorcycles took effect Monday, with no resolution to the U.S.-Canada trade war in sight and Canada actively courting new trading partners to reduce its reliance on U.S. commerce.

The administration framed the escalation around dairy access. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement established tariff-rate quotas intended to open Canada's market to American dairy, but Canada has largely allocated those TRQs to its own domestic producers, walling off U.S. imports despite the trilateral deal.

"They have to treat our country with respect," Trump said, according to a White House pool report, adding that Canadians have "been very, very bad" to American farmers. The administration targeted Canadian alcohol after Canada pulled U.S. alcohol from its store shelves at the start of the trade war. Trump predicted Canada would return to the negotiating table over "the next three or four weeks" to strike a tariff deal.

Soybeans left out of '30-for-30' framework

The American Soybean Association said Monday it is disappointed that soybeans were excluded from the U.S.-China "30-for-30" framework, under which the two nations agreed during President Xi Jinping's state visit last week to reduce tariffs on $30 billion in goods for each country.

"China's remaining 10% retaliatory duty limits access for private Chinese importers, meaning soybean trade will continue to be handled primarily by China's state-owned enterprises," ASA said in a news release. "Removing the tariff would improve the competitiveness of U.S. soybeans and provide greater opportunity for private Chinese buyers."

The deal was not a total loss for the sector. The "30-for-30" package covers soybean seeds, soybean flour, soybean oil and its separated products, soybean cake and soybean residues — leaving whole beans as the notable exclusion.

Craig endorses Brown for top Ag Committee Democrat

House Agriculture Committee ranking member Angie Craig, D-Minn., endorsed vice ranking member Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, to become the panel's top Democrat. Craig is leaving Congress after conceding the primary for Sen. Tina Smith's seat to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

"As vice ranking member of the Agriculture Committee, Congresswoman Shontel Brown has been in every senior staff meeting and had a voice in every major decision we've made during the 119th Congress," Craig said in a statement. "She shows up, puts in the work, is a strategic thinker and knows how to lead."

Brown sits on the general farm commodities, risk management and credit subcommittee and the nutrition, foreign agriculture and horticulture subcommittee. During the farm bill markup, she offered amendments to repeal new SNAP work rules and delay state cost-share requirements.

Ibach tapped as USDA trade negotiator

Trump has chosen Nebraskan Gregory Ibach to serve as USDA's top trade negotiator. If confirmed, Ibach would replace Luke Lindberg, who was appointed director of the UN World Food Programme earlier this month. Ibach served as USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs during Trump's first term and led Nebraska's agriculture department from 2005 to 2017. The White House also sent the Senate nominations for three Farm Credit Administration board seats: Carl Bednarski of Michigan, John Grunewald II of Oklahoma and James Russell Middleton of Virginia.

$15 billion steel mill bound for Iowa

Trump announced Monday that Mesabi Metallics, a Minnesota-based steel company owned by India's Essar Group, will build a $15 billion steel plant in Iowa — one of the largest steel mills in U.S. history, according to the White House. The project is projected to add 1,750 permanent jobs and an estimated $95 billion to the U.S. economy over the next decade. The mill will produce 7.5 million tons of steel annually in its first phase, scaling to roughly 10 million tons, using ore from a newly opened Minnesota mine — the first new U.S. iron ore mine in 50 years.

Texas waives dyed diesel restrictions

Texas on Monday became the latest state to temporarily waive restrictions on road use of dyed diesel, the untaxed red fuel common on farms. Gov. Greg Abbott cited a "shortage of diesel fuel," joining Louisiana, Nebraska and Alabama. State waivers may not shield drivers from federal penalties, though reports suggest the Trump administration is weighing looser federal rules amid fuel availability concerns tied to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Governors fight Missouri River provision

Six governors — Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Jared Polis of Colorado, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Larry Rhoden of South Dakota, Spencer Cox of Utah and Mark Gordon of Wyoming — told House lawmakers Monday that Water Resources Development Act language barring Missouri River diversions without approval from governors of 10 states would violate constitutional principles and invite "protracted litigation." Armstrong wrote on X that his state's water rights are "clearly established in both state and federal law."

In other developments, the Renewable Fuels Association launches a Premier Associate membership tier Oct. 1, with Marathon Petroleum, Fluid Quip and Pilot Co. already signed on. And Corteva agreed to dismantle its pesticides loyalty program in an FTC settlement that the agency's David Shaw said will "give farmers better pesticide options at lower prices." Whether Canada returns to the tariff table within Trump's three-to-four-week window will set the next marker for dairy and whey markets.