THU AM News: Tariffs, rising costs push ag industry to find new trade partners, markets; Gail’s Law author pushes back against concerns over increased insurance costs

October 16, 2025

— Tariffs and rising input costs for farmers are pushing Wisconsin’s ag industry to find new trade partners and new ways to use crops, farmers say.

China this year placed no orders for soybeans from the U.S. amid the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with the nation, which previously imported roughly two-thirds of the state’s crop.

The state produced just over $1.02 billion in soybeans last year, just under the $1.04 billion in hay and haylage. Corn led the state with $2.27 billion in production.

Sara Stelter, the former president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association, during a Farmers for Free Trade listening session in Westby said the ag industry is doing everything it can to find new opportunities for the market, and the soybean market decline is also impacting the prices of other crops.

“What people don’t understand … is when the markets crash for corn and soybeans, it crashes all our markets for everything,” Stelter said. “Because our contracts for vegetables are based off the grain markets. It doesn’t make sense, but they’re in competition with acres for grain, so that’s why they always follow the grain markets.”

Some new markets soybean farmers are looking at include sustainable aviation fuel, biodiesel for trains, wood glue and other industrial products, firefighting foam and replacing petroleum-based oil with soybean oil in more models of Goodyear tires.

“So we’re doing everything we can to look at our markets on a domestic level,” she said.

The United Soybean Board, which Stelter is a director on, is doing research to combat anti-seed oil rhetoric coming from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again effort, she said.

Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, said he’s backing a bill that would incentivize farmers to help build out the soybean-based aviation fuel industry.

“If you’ll remember in Wisconsin in the early 2000s, we really went gung-ho when it came to corn-based ethanol,” he said. “You, as farmers, helped build out that industry. The same idea [is] here as it comes to building out sustainable airplane fuel.”

But the Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee member also noted the aviation fuel market alone is not going to replace the lost revenue from international exports.

Farmers for Free Trade Executive Director Brian Kuehl also noted the rising costs of steel, aluminum, fertilizer, chemicals, tractor parts and other farm inputs only adds to the difficult time Wisconsin farmers are having right now.

“You can’t keep doing that,” he said. “That’s a recipe for losing farms, and that’s what we’re starting to see.”

One way to help turn the situation around is to hold onto current major export partners, such as Mexico and Canada, and work on gaining new partners.

“That’s got to be the game plan,” Kuehl said. “Take the markets we have, open new markets. That’s how we get stronger. And this trade war, we need to bring it to a rapid end, because right now farmers are getting squeezed, and we’re hearing that all across the United States.”

See a recording of the event here.

— Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara is pushing back against concerns of government overreach during a public hearing on a bill that would require insurers to cover additional breast cancer screenings.

SB 264 would require insurers and the Medical Assistance program to cover additional screenings such as 3D mammograms, ultrasounds and MRI scans for women with dense breast tissue because normal mammograms often don’t catch breast cancer.

Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, was the sole “no” vote as the legislation cleared the Senate 32-1 earlier this week .

Kapenga told WisPolitics he understands the “financial pain” patients face when forced to pay out of pocket for treatments, such as additional breast cancer screenings.

But he said he voted against the measure because government mandates are “a major driver behind the skyrocketing health care costs that are hurting nearly all families across Wisconsin.”

“The insurance company should ultimately make the decision on which screenings to cover,” he added. “If there is a market demand, they will do it. But using the power of government to override free market forces—or interfere in the doctor/patient health discussion—not only contributes to a higher cost of living for everyone, it also violates the principles of limited government and Constitutional restraint.”

Bill author Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, during today’s Assembly Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee hearing pushed back on that concern. She said she also generally doesn’t support government mandates on businesses.

“The reason I say this is important, and the reason why I push for this, is because if we are going to say we are offering a service, it can’t be for 60%, only, of the women,” she said, referring to the fact that roughly 40% of women in Wisconsin have dense breast tissue.

She also argued covering late stage cancer treatment is likely more expensive for insurance companies than the cost of covering additional breast cancer screenings.

The American Cancer Society also visited the Capitol this week to bring light to the issue and work to convince lawmakers to pass Gail’s Law, named after Gail Zeamer, who died of breast cancer after several mammograms gave her a clean bill of health.

Tammy Brown, of Janesville, was part of the group of volunteers with ACS. She told WisPolitics she was fortunate enough to be able to pay $1,000 out of pocket in 2023 for an additional screening after a mammogram identified an area of concern, which turned out to be breast cancer.

“Putting off the health care that would enable early cancer intervention, when it can cost less for treatment and be less disruptive to a woman’s life is not a choice that any woman should have to make…ever,” she wrote. “This bill will save lives and ensure cost is not a barrier to early detection. My lawmakers were supportive today, but we need all lawmakers to turn this bill into law.”

Watch the hearing here.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— Gov. Tony Evers is urging the Trump administration to reconsider eliminating more than $1.5 billion in U.S. Department of Energy funding for clean energy in Wisconsin.

“Terminating these funding awards at a time of record-high energy demand and rising costs would be counterintuitive, reckless, and ill-advised,” the guv wrote in a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Evers highlighted the potential impact in Wisconsin, including the elimination of funding through the Grid Resilience Innovation Partnerships program. Evers said the program supports grid flexibility and improving the resilience of power systems against extreme weather. He said cutting off the funding “will harm Wisconsinites and leave communities more susceptible to power outages and more costly repairs from future extreme weather events.”

The cuts put the Universities of Wisconsin at risk of losing more than $12 million, according to the guv’s office.

“Our state university system has long been a hub for advanced energy research, and federal funds support cutting-edge work in fields like battery storage, carbon capture, grid modernization, and biofuels,” Evers wrote. “These are areas that are critical for the future of U.S. energy independence, and losing this support will slow technological progress and hamper critical research into new and emerging technologies.”

A spokesperson for the state GOP did not return a request for comment.

— The Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce has named Lara Fritts its next president and CEO.

Fritts, who currently serves as director of the Frederick County Division of Economic Opportunity in Frederick, Maryland, starts in December and will be the second woman serving in the role. She takes the place of Laurie Radke, who stepped down at the end of August after 14 years in the role.

Fritts started her career in Wisconsin leading community development programs, such as being the first leader of On Broadway in Green Bay. She said she’s “honored to be selected to help lead the region’s next chapter of business and economic growth.”

“I’m excited to return home to partner with our public and private partners as well as the exceptional team at the Greater Green Bay Chamber to champion bold initiatives, strengthen our business community, and drive growth that delivers lasting value across the region,” she added.

See the release here.

— Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson appointed Benjamin Timm as the next Milwaukee Municipal Port director.

Timm has worked for the city government for 24 years and Johnson praised his record as notable, managing successful projects during his time at the Department of City Development. His budget management, lease negotiation and economic development skills make him a good fit, Johnson said.

“Benji Timm is a highly respected colleague who has taken on challenging projects such as Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern cleanup, Northridge redevelopment and Century City reimagining,” Johnson said. “His professional strengths are a great complement to the talented Port staff he will lead.”

The job opening came after the port director of eight years, Jackie Q. Carter, took a promotion to lead the city’s Department of Employee Relations.

See the release here.

C-Suite Stars: Here are the Milwaukee Business Journal’s top finance and investing executives for 2025

Soy sauce submerges yacht for spot in Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin 2025 finals

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Hands-On Training for Dairy Producers in Wisconsin

– Boost Dairy Business Skills with PDP Workshop

ECONOMY

– gener8tor Milwaukee invests $500,000 in latest cohort of startups

EDUCATION

– Wisconsin ranks among the worst for college affordability in new report