Top Agriculture News

The focus today is on artificial intelligence applied to agriculture, things like developing computer vision and AI platforms for researchers, breeders and farmers. USDA researcher Steven Mirsky with us. All right, you people ready to have some fun now? Don’t mind that other guy, he’s arrogant, unaware and fictional. You, however, Steven Mirsky, deal with […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and even higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. It threatens to upend much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump is declaring a national economic emergency to launch the tariffs, which are expected to produce hundreds of billions in annual revenues. He has promised that factory jobs will return back to the United States as a result of the taxes, but his policies risk a sudden economic slowdown as consumers and businesses could face sharp price hikes on autos, clothes and other goods.

The American Sheep Industry Association is requesting that the White House include Australian and New Zealand lamb in its food and agriculture tariff plans. Peter Orwick, executive director of ASI, talked about why the group is making the request. “For us, it’s very timely that the administration plans to announce their tariff regimen, whether you […]

One way to maximize sales for U.S. dairy farmers is to give the end user some tasty variety. Marshall Reese, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Associated Milk Producers, Incorporated, says it starts with getting creative in making cheese, including using some Carolina pepper favorites. “What we are starting to see is that […]

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks swerved through another shaky day of trading, with uncertainty still high about just what President Donald Trump will announce about tariffs on his “Liberation Day.” The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Tuesday after roaring back from an early drop of 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by less than 0.1% after likewise pinging between gains and losses, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.9%. Treasury yields dropped in the bond market after a report said U.S. manufacturing contracted last month. Markets have been shaky in the run-up to Wednesday, when Trump will announce a sweeping set of tariffs.

Applications are now being accepted for the Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program that designates $200 million for farmers in Western NC and over $110 million for farmers in other areas of the state. The deadline to apply is May 4 and the program is open to farmers in all 100 counties.  

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. After all the hype and buildup, the USDA quarterly stocks report and prospective planting report were both very boring. But you will not hear one complaint from me. The corn bulls have been worried about this report […]

South Carolina Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers, one of the things that I heard you say today, you were talking about the uncertainty that we’re in right now. As much as possible, I get the impression that we’re trying through the events that have taken place yesterday today, to provide a little bit of certainty moving […]

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — The University of Mount Olive was buzzing with energy as more than 2,000 high school students, advisors, exhibitors, and volunteers from across North Carolina and parts of South Carolina recently gathered for the University’s 2025 AgFest event. The annual event, hosted by UMO’s Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center, spotlighted the diversity […]

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Around the world, plastics are finding their way into farm fields. Some farmers say agricultural plastic, already a necessity for many crops, is becoming even more necessary as climate change fuels extreme weather. And plastics from other industries end up in fields, too, and eventually the food grown there as well as waterways. Scientists, farmers and consumers all worry about how the plastics that enter the food supply affect health, and research is continuing to show that it’s ending up in human bodies. Researchers are looking for solutions, but industry experts say despite attempts to tackle the plastic problem, it’s difficult to know where plastic ends up or get rid of it completely, even with the best intentions of improving reuse and recycling programs.