The Trump administration hosted a meeting of agricultural stakeholders — including John Deere, AGCO, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), and others — to share several policy changes and advocate for additional support for farmers and the passage of the Farm Bill.
At the Great American Agriculture Celebration, President Trump outlined several initiatives to lower costs for farmers, including removing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) sensors in equipment, and increasing ethanol blending nationwide this summer.
EPA removes sensor requirement for diesel exhaust fluid system
DEF systems can fail due to faulty sensors, resulting in machine shutdowns, speed losses, expensive repairs, and lost productivity, EPA shared in a statement. Removing the sensor requirement is projected to save farmers $4.4 billion and $13.79 billion for Americans a year, according to U.S. Small Business Administration estimates.
“Americans are justified in being fed up with failing DEF system issues. EPA understands this is a massive issue and has been doing everything in our statutory power to address this. Today, we take another step in furthering our work by removing DEF sensors. Farmers and truckers should not be losing billions of dollars because of repair costs or days lost on the job,” said Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator, in a press release.
Agricultural machinery giant John Deere was represented at the event, including a display of its 8R 540 high-horsepower tractor, which was revealed at this year’s Commodity Classic event. John Deere welcomed the changes to the DEF sensor requirements, as false DEF-quality sensor issues could result in machine downtime, the company shared in a press release.
“John Deere applauds the EPA’s leadership to provide as much flexibility through agency guidance as possible to limit the frequency of false DEF-quality inducements. Today’s announcement builds upon EPA guidance from February 2026, requested by John Deere, to provide farmers additional tools to complete emissions-related repairs. These announcements are a win for farmers and their ability to keep modern equipment operating in the field,” said Kyle Gilley, VP for global government affairs at John Deere, in a press release.
Fuel waiver allows E15 nationwide this summer
Through an emergency fuel waiver, the EPA is allowing the nationwide sale of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol (E15) this summer and removing restrictions on selling E10. Also, the EPA finalised its Renewable Fuel Standard “Set 2” final rule, which will raise the renewable fuel volume requirements for 2026 and 2027 to the highest level in the program’s history, the agency shared in a press release.
The U.S. war with Iran is raising concerns about the availability of fuel and fertiliser, as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Middle East tensions spiked Brent crude prices, trading around $114.81 a barrel late on March 27.
The E15 change comes two days after AFBF President, Zippy Duvall, released a statement in support of higher ethanol blending levels.
“Biofuels play an important role in meeting America’s energy needs and are a win-win for farmers and drivers. E15 gasoline saves consumers 10 to 30 cents per gallon at the pump and creates markets for American-grown crops. Permanent sales of E15 blends would increase demand for corn by roughly 2.4 billion bushels a year,” Duvall elaborated.
John Deere echoed the sentiment, with Gilley stating in a press release, “Today’s [renewable volume obligations] announcement sets renewable fuel blending volumes at record levels—providing farmers with stronger, more reliable demand for the crops they grow. This action supports rural economies, enhances fuel choice, and promotes American energy independence.”
