Top Agriculture News

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Rains in the Midwest have shrunk the area of drought in the US. Only 20% of US corn production area is currently experiencing drought conditions. That is dramatically lower than the 60% of corn production areas in […]

Summertime warmth is prevailing, and we’re not even there yet, at least on the calendar, but it sure feels like it. Corey Davis from the State Climate Office of North Carolina joins me now, and sure, we feel like we have flipped the calendar to summer, don’t we? “That’s right, Mike, I’ll save you my […]

USDA reports the nation’s farmers are off to a fast start this planting season. Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University, says that could impact the supply-side factors in the May reports, but it seems unlikely. “One of the things I’ll be watching for here is, given that we’re getting more corn area […]

(College Station, T.X., April 29, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a second round of payments coming this week for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, providing up to $1.3 billion in additional program assistance. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) already delivered […]

This weekend is the start of the Ag and Art Tour in South Carolina. Tell us a bit about it, Commissioner. The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of farms and markets with local artists and artisans at every stop. Each county that participates has a committee that organizes its own […]

Farm activity is picking up as farmers are busy preparing and planting for the upcoming season. That means drivers may come across farm equipment and tractors on the road. Slow down, be patient and share the road with farm equipment to be sure everyone stays safe.    

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Yesterday afternoon we got USDA’s Weekly Crop Progress Report. Market had expected big progress to be made planting with the weather window open. As of Sunday, USDA estimated corn planting at 24% complete which advanced 12% from […]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — U.S. health officials are pushing to get artificial colors out of the nation’s food supply. Sensient Technologies Corp. is one of the world’s largest dyemakers. The company has seen a surge in businesses rushing to covert their products from synthetic to natural colors. The process to change from petroleum-based dyes to colors made from vegetables, fruits, flowers and even insects won’t be cheap or easy. Health advocates have long called for the removal of the dyes. They cite mixed evidence that the colors are linked to behavior problems and obesity in kids.

RALEIGH -North Carolina poultry has been designated High Path Avian Influenza-free by the World Organization for Animal Health. This designation means that the state can resume exports and international trade for poultry products.  Broilers, or chicken raised for meat, are the top agricultural commodity for North Carolina, representing more than $5.6 billion in cash receipts […]

Chemical giant Bayer, which is facing hundreds of thousands of lawsuits, says it will make a decision on whether to continue producing the herbicide Roundup within months. Bayer has continued to produce the glyphosate spray in spite of pouring billions of dollars into litigation. Jess Christiansen is Bayer’s head of crop science and sustainability communications. […]