Top Agriculture News

Eighteen special Pesticide Disposal Collection Days are planned across the state to help farmers and homeowners properly dispose of unwanted pesticides. The special collection days are a partnership between the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program and the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

A record high number of cattle were placed into feedlots in February. The USDA reporting placements at about 1.9 million head up 10% From February a year ago. USDA livestock analyst Mike McConnell says most folks who are not expecting that large of an increase, but consider this. “In January, we actually had a relatively […]

The Prospective Plantings Report shows farmers will increase their soybean acres this year. Betty Resnick, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the report should be bullish for the price of corn. “Corn is going to see a reduction of 4.9 percent of acres compared to last year down to 90 million acres […]

Farmer Grade is a new business idea birthed out of the rise of social media. Sawyer Whisler, a farmer from southeast Iowa, wanted to do something different while selling meat directly from the farm to consumers. He wanted to build his business based on earning the trust of consumers. “Okay, well, what if I started […]

The USDA’s Prospective Report was not without some surprises.  As compared to last spring, it looks like the nation’s farmers will be cutting back on acres devoted to corn and wheat, but increasing plantings for soybeans and cotton. This from a USDA survey of 70,000 producers across the country. They say they intend to cut […]

This is the Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Words cannot express how glad I am to have the USDA Prospective Planting and Quarterly Stocks Report behind us. To not get kicked in the shins by it is a really nice added bonus. This is one of […]

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to Great River Organic Milling in Fountain City, Wisconsin for a big announcement. He introduced long grain rice as the first commercially available product to come to market as a result of USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities. “This is the first commercially-produced, climate-smart product, this long grain rice. It’s a […]

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans; a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life; and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

RALEIGH – The weather is warming up and gardening and lawn activities will soon be in full swing, which may include taking soil samples to be tested for agronomic recommendations for many growers and homeowners. It is a good idea to test the soil if it has not been tested in the last 2-3 years. Also […]

The USDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in cattle. The agencies say the disease seems to be affecting primarily older cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico. This is the first time that HPAI has been identified as affecting […]