Arizona Sues Fondomonte Over Water Use and Wheat Exports Forecast Jumps

**With agricultural overuse and drought draining aquifers in Arizona, the state is suing Saudi Arabia-based Fondomonte.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a nuisance lawsuit against the industrial farming operation alleging its groundwater pumping is threatening the infrastructure of the surrounding community.

Fondomonte has been the center of controversy with its massive farms as they grow alfalfa on state and private land with no limits on the amount of water being pumped.

**A federal court blocked a rule strengthening legal protections for temporary farmworkers from going into effect nationwide.

The regulation, which grants organizing and safety protections to H-2A visa holders, had already been overturned in several states.

The American Farm Bureau Federation agrees that workers should be treated fairly and respectfully but stressed fairness to farmers is important and the DOL rule was overly broad to the point of being unlawful.

**The USDA’s monthly wheat outlook shows a jump in export forecasts thanks to weaker exports from Russia and the EU.

Wheat shipments will total 850 million bushels in the 2024-25 marketing year that ends on May 31st.

That’s up from the prior outlook of 825 million and well ahead of last year’s 707 million bushels.

From June through October, wheat exports were at 366 million bushels, up 35% from last year.