Palantir signed a $300 million contract with the USDA to deploy software for farmland management and food supply security, responding to geopolitical pressures from the Iran war and ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions that have squeezed farmers with rising fertilizer and energy costs. The deal reflects growing concern about foreign acquisition of U.S. farmland and Palantir's expanding role beyond defense into domestic agricultural policy. The story is well-sourced and current, though the article frames this primarily as a Palantir business win rather than examining what specific farmland data the USDA will now control or how farmers themselves view this surveillance infrastructure.