Simon Duke opens with a brief news round-up: USMCA non-renewal in favour of bilateral US trade deals with Canada and Mexico, EU Deforestation Regulation expansion to include coffee and palm oil derivatives, and Fourth of July grilling demand dynamics. The episode's focus, however, is on current grain and oilseed market dynamics.

Murphy Campbell (Grains and Oilseeds Reporter, Expana) covers the USDA's June Acreage Report — wheat planted acres at a 149-year low, corn surprising to the upside despite Iran-driven fertilizer cost spikes — before examining the EPA's record 2026–27 renewable fuel mandate, which is doubling soybean oil demand and acting as a domestic price floor amid global trade uncertainty.

Andrew Kanyemba (Senior Grains Analyst, Expana) provides a firsthand crop tour account from France. French wheat yields have been revised down to 6.9 t/ha and corn harvest cut from 12 to 9.2 million tonnes — the country's smallest in decades. He outlines cascading EU supply implications: rising imports, declining feed demand, and a critical July flowering window that could deepen the crisis further.

Lisa Guiraud (Commercial Manager, Events at Expana) closes the episode with an update on Expana's brand-new Chicago event.