Top Agriculture News

Columbia, South Carolina, June 21, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden announced today that USDA is making available $25 million through the Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) Program to help local organizations, cooperatives and Tribes expand affordable, high-speed internet projects in rural communities. The Department will begin accepting […]

This is the Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Corn and oilseed markets got a bump on Tuesday from the condition ratings that came out Monday after the close. The corn crop is still the highest rated in 6 years and the beans the highest in 4 […]

Dry, dry, dry. And on top of that, heat now, oppressive heat moving in today, into the Carolinas. Corey Davis is the Assistant State Climatologist for North Carolina. He knows all about this. Let’s start out with the dry conditions. First of all Corey, what are you seeing? “Mike, summer has really slapped us in […]

If you haven’t been living through this summer’s heat wave, you for sure have heard about it. Local TV and radio stations always issue those warnings to people about the dangers of the heat and talking about how we can protect ourselves by limiting outdoor activities, staying hydrated, wearing the right clothing or just staying […]

The clock is running on getting a 2024 Farm Bill in place. Democrats and Republicans have offered competing frameworks with some similarities and many differences. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) talks about the Democratic framework. “I don’t think that they adequately address crop insurance. I don’t think that they adequately addressed the Title One funding, and […]

South America’s harvest results are a mixed bag this year. Dr. Michael Cordonnier, an agronomist at Soybean and Corn Advisor, says Brazil’s second corn crop turned out well. “Conab came out yesterday, and they increased the corn estimate in Brazil by two-and-a-half million tons to 114 (million). Now, the big increase was for the Safrinha […]

Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as its new president, and many ag leaders are hopeful that she and her administration will make decisions that benefit their ag trade relationship with the U.S. “I know I’m optimistic, but I hope one way or the other that corn decree and some other things might see a change.” That’s […]

This week is National Pollinator Week. The USDA is recognizing and celebrating the event as pollinator species like bees and other insects, birds, and bats all play a critical role in producing more than 100 U.S. crops. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said the nation’s farmers depend on a vibrant ecosystem to feed and fuel communities, […]

There’s been recent progress toward a 2024 Farm Bill, but is it fast enough? Farm Policy News reports lawmakers have hinted that passage of a full farm bill this year is growing more unlikely. Another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill remains the most likely outcome before the end of the current extension in September. […]

A Texas federal judge has temporarily blocked a USDA disaster relief program from giving preferential funding to women and minority farmers. The judge sided with a group of plaintiffs who claimed the program illegally discriminates against white male farmers. The judge’s order ruled the program likely violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights to equal protection under […]