Despite a 25% decline in production over the past decade, Germany remains a global leader in pork exports, particularly to the rest of the European Union. However, a recent detection of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in a water buffalo herd at a small exotic farm near...
USDA released its latest publication for beef production year over year and the report provides indications regarding steer price projections for 2025. That is World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski who says the lack of cattle being imported from...
Last week, 427 national and state agricultural groups and agribusinesses sent a letter to leaders of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee supporting Brooke Rollins' nomination as Agriculture Secretary and calling on the committee and entire Senate to "promptly...
The USDA issued a final poultry tournament rule under the Packers & Stockyards Act this week. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls this new rule a step in the right direction. Sam Kieffer, vice president of public policy with AFBF, said the rule includes...
With cattle markets at historically high levels, producers have a unique opportunity to fine-tune their herd's nutrition and health programs without worrying about it negatively impacting their bottom line. Now is the perfect time to reassess and update plans for the...
The recent USDA guidelines on climate-smart ag practices for biofuel feedstocks has been generally received positively, but there are still some areas that need clarification. Fortunately, there is now a 60-day window for farmers to speak up about what they would like...
The North American beef cattle herd size is at a 40-year low, after several years of drought and feed shortages in primary cattle regions have taken a heavy toll on cow and heifer numbers. While cattle producers are seeing record-high prices, the beef processing...
Former Congressman Lee Zeldin was recently questioned at his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of EPA Administrator. At the hearing Zeldin vowed to provide more clarity on WOTUS rules, timeliness on renewable volume targets, and cooperation with USDA. Zeldin...
In 2023, roughly 86 percent of all farms were small family farms. A USDA report says these farms have a gross cash income below $350,000 and operate on 41 percent of all U.S. agricultural land. The family farms produced 17 percent of the total value of U.S....
After a double-dip La Niña in 2022 and 2023, we were relieved to see El Niño return to start 2024, bringing us back a mild winter and more moisture. After a few years of heavy drought, farmers breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was soon announced that we were...
