Top Stories
Signs and myths regarding mental health in U.S. agriculture
Mental health in the farming and ranching community has never been more important than it is now, given the challenges facing U.S. agriculture. Linda Emmanuel, a farmer and the agricultural health liaison for the AgriSafe Network, highlighted some misconceptions about mental health in the farming community. Emmanuel dove into another myth regarding suicide and mental health. According to her, having a conversation about suicide with someone won’t plant the idea in their brain. She continued by...
Next Senate Majority Leader vows to upend slow Senate pace
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune vows to kick-start legislative action on farm and other legislation in 2025 when the GOP takes over leadership of the new Congress. Thune says that the Senate has not done enough during this Congress, beginning with the farm...
Soybean meal exports set a new record
U.S. soy remains America’s number one agricultural export, adding $31.2 billion to the U.S. economy in marketing year 2023-2024. Total soy export volumes were down from the prior year at 60.8 million metric tons, partly due to fewer carry-in stocks and the expansion...
EPA working on outreach with Farmers
Frequently, we find ourselves scratching our heads about AG’s relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). More often than not, regulations and interpretations of their authority have ended up in the country's courtrooms. It’s been a strained...
A surprisingly active December WASDE report to end the calendar year
The December WASDE report, which is normally rather tame, was surprisingly active this time around. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the numbers were almost definitively bullish for this month’s report. When you consider the fantastic demand for U.S....
Extension professionals getting their boots dirty to support farmers
The National Pork Board’s Swine Extension and Outreach Professionals Group is made up of university professors and-or extension professionals at U.S. colleges and universities. Sarah Schieck-Boelke, swine extension educator at the University of Minnesota, says this...
Grassley sees improved farm bill chances in next Congress
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says that a new Congress and unified party control should improve the chances of a new five-year farm bill in 2025. Grassley says that hardline GOP budget hawks in the House had an excuse this year not to give the Speaker...
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More Ag News
Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs on trading partners
President Trump recently announced reciprocal tariffs on a sweeping list of U.S. trading partners. Dave Salmonsen, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said there are two sets of tariffs to keep in mind. Salmonsen said tariffs...
U.S. Export Sales Report (4-3-25)
Since this week’s U.S. Export Sales Report looks at the prior week for export numbers, we haven’t seen the impact of the renewed tariffs yet. However, the current market prices are absolutely reacting to that news. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an...
Reinventing pork for the future
Taste What Pork Can Do™ is the new tagline set to launch with consumers in May digitally. Gordon Spronk, a National Pork Board member from Minnesota, says pork promotion started in 1985, but the focus of the new campaign is to reach consumers by concentrating on...
Oil and biofuel coalition meets with EPA
A coalition of U.S. oil and biofuel groups met with the Environmental Protection Agency this week to push for higher federal mandates for biomass diesel blending. Three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters that the EPA meeting may signal that the agency is...
Secretary Rollins pushes for USDA focus and reform
The nation is sharply divided over the role of the newly empowered Department of Government Efficiency, with fierce party-line battles over its true purpose. Critics argue that it has become a political weapon, wielded to justify what they see as the systematic...
