Rural Matters: Expansion of the Clean Fuel Regulation Initaive

Expansion of the Clean Fuel Regulation and Passing of the Big Beautiful Bill

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Landus pleased to share that we are expanding our Clean Fuel Regulation (CFR) initiative, made possible by recent policy changes expected to increase Canada’s demand for liquid biofuels.   

As of 2025, soy oil processed at the Ralston Landus soy processing plant qualifies for this premium market with chain of custody documentation that begins with the farmer. Landus is uniquely qualified to offer this premium market with the cooperative’s ownership of the processing plant that keeps the chain of custody from the farm through the processing and shipping to the biofuel refinery. 

Beginning in August, Landus will distribute electronic enrollment forms. Those forms take just minutes and can be completed on a computer or smartphone. Signed chain-of-custody documentation must be submitted by early October and prior to delivery. There is no limit to how many bushels can be enrolled, but retroactive enrollment is not allowed.

The Big Beautiful Bill was passed and signed by President Trump. The bill includes significant updates for U.S. agriculture, with new funding for commodity support programs, permanent tax provisions and expanded disaster relief.   

Highlights of the bill include: 

• The USDA estimates $54 billion in additional PLC/A payments over 10 years. 

• The bill unlocks up to 30 million new base acres for eligibility based on planting history from 2019-2023. 

• The bill set aside more than $6 billion in crop insurance subsidies – that are expected to lower premiums and improve coverage. 

• The bill permanently extends Section 179 Expensing. This allows farmers to deduct the full cost of eligible equipment and infrastructure – both new and used assets. 

• The bill doubles the estate tax exemption – enabling intergenerational planning. 

• The bill makes the Section 199A pass-through deduction permanent. 

• The bill increased funding to trade promotion budget and research funding programs. 

• The 45Z Clean Fuels Production tax credit was extended by 2 years through the end of 2029, and importantly restricts to only feedstocks grown in U.S., Canada and Mexico. This signals the Trump administration’s support for renewable fuels role in our nation’s energy independence goals. 

President Trump has set August 1 as the date when trade agreements must be made, or additional tariffs may go into effect. Both tariff uncertainties and world conflicts will continue to impact agricultural markets, specifically grain price volatility and input costs and supply chain for next year’s crop production. 

As of the week of July 14, there is news of bipartisan support for quick action by the U.S. in “sledgehammer” like tariffs (500%) against Russia and any countries that purchase uranium, gas and oil from Russia. These potential tariffs bring even more instability to the market. 

If you have any questions, reach out to me at sue.tronchetti@landus.ag or at 515-370-0232.

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