Top Agriculture News

Iowa remains the top producer of hogs in the United States, with about $10.9 billion in cash receipts in 2022, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. Following Iowa are Minnesota, North Carolina, and Illinois, with cash receipts of $3.6 billion, $3.1 billion, and $2.1 billion, respectively. Iowa accounted for about 35.5 percent of the $30.6 […]

The federal appropriations process could pave the way for other pieces of legislation of important, like the farm bill. Representative Frank Lucas, an Oklahoma Republican, and former House Ag Chairman, explains. “There are so many things like the Farm Bill, reauthorizing the Weather Act, NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), there are so many pieces of legislation […]

USDA’s final ‘Product of the USA’ rule will allow farmers to label meat, poultry and egg products when they are born, raised and processed in the United States. RJ Layher, American Farm Bureau Federation Government Affairs Director, explains. “USDA on March 11 released a final rule on voluntary labeling for ‘Product of the USA’ or […]

Parasites will be close by when cattle are out on pasture. Good pasture management and a strategic deworming protocol can limit the chances of parasites affecting the efficiency and performance of your beef herd. Dr. D.L Step, a professional services veterinarian with Boehringer-Ingelheim, talks about protocols that will help control parasite problems during grazing season. […]

In the latest USDA Ag Export forecast, a stronger dollar and competition are the two primary reasons for U.S. ag export expectations declining to 170.5 billion dollars. Well below the 2022 amount of more than 196 billion. Meanwhile, ag imports are set in 2024 to increase by about five and a half billion dollars, to […]

Rabobank released its first-quarter dairy report for 2024. Lucas Fuess, a senior dairy analyst for Rabo AgriFinance, says he’s cautiously optimistic when describing the U.S. dairy industry. “We’ve seen seven consecutive months of lower milk production, so we’re a little bit tighter from the supply side of things. The issue we’re seeing is that this […]

Mendelssohn’s classic spring song, reminding us that spring planting time is rapidly approaching. Of course in ag circles, you don’t need music to tell you the spring is approaching. Just listen to all the analysts and traders and others speculating about how much of what crops farmers are going to plant this spring. “There’s always […]

Radio Frequencies may be a better way to make eggs safer. Salmonella bacteria is a concern for the food industry, the Center for Disease Control reports an annual 1.3 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States. Eggs are often a repeat offender but egg pasteurization has a time and labor intensive […]

Farming is a risky business, which is why every farmer should speak with a crop insurance agent before the March 15 crop insurance sales closing deadline. Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services, encourages all farmers – whether new to crop insurance or returning policyholders – to meet with their crop insurance agent as […]

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the finalization of a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. Vilsack made the announcement during a speech to attendees of the National Farmers Union Annual Convention in Scottdale, Arizona. USDA’s final rule allows the voluntary “Product of USA” […]