Top Agriculture News

An indicator of farm financial health across the country, Chapter 12 bankruptcy provides farmers and ranchers with increased flexibility for paying off debt, and is used when all other options have been exhausted. AFBF Market Intel reports have long followed annual filings of Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies, through good and bad years for the farm economy. Unfortunately, as we […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration believes a renewed emphasis on biosecurity can help in the battle against bird flu and ease egg prices, but the Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices are going to get much worse this year. It’s also not clear how much more farmers can do to keep the virus out. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins offered the first new details about her bird flu plan Wednesday. But USDA predicted this week that egg prices will soar more than 41 percent this year on top of the record average price of $4.95 per dozen.

Farm incomes decreased broadly across the Ninth District and likewise, across all of America, that according to lenders responding to the fourth quarter ag credit survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Joe Mahon is a regional outreach director with the Federal Reserve Bank for Minneapolis’ Ninth District. “Those have been trending down for […]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Another $500 million would be spent toward Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in North Carolina in legislation approved unanimously by the state House. The measure would add to the funds the Republican-controlled General Assembly already approved in late 2024 and help with home and road repairs. The $500 million is less than half the amount that Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has requested. The bill next goes to the Senate, where GOP members have their own spending ideas. House Republicans offered a successful amendment Tuesday to address some Democratic concerns. State officials say Helene caused a record nearly $60 billion in damages and recovery needs.

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Corn and beans continued the slide lower Monday after a disappointing close on Friday’s session. Corn gave up all of its gains for the week on Friday March corn approached a very important support level of $4.81 […]

Applications are now open for the 2025 South Carolina Commissioner’s School for Agriculture.  Commissioner Weathers joins me to talk about why it’s so important.

Tobacco farmers are busy preparing for the 2025 season and as they begin readying transplants for production, it is also a good time to test the float bed water.  

Better connecting rural regions. Patrick Woodie is President and CEO of the North Carolina Rural Center. He says progress is being made, but still more needs to be done. “Making sure every home, every business in the state of North Carolina, regardless of where it’s located, has access to high speed, affordable broadband. We’re not […]

“America’s farmers and ranchers are no strangers to uncertainty, but the challenges they face today call for immediate attention and decisive leadership. “With the confirmation of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, USDA has the opportunity to continue its long history of working with farmers and ranchers to prioritize security and sustainability. “We are at […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal scholarship aimed at boosting students from underserved and rural areas attending historically Black colleges and universities has been put on hold. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provided recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. It’s not clear exactly when the program was suspended, but some members of Congress first issued statements criticizing the suspension of the program on Thursday. A message seeking more detail was left Saturday with the Department of Agriculture.