Top Agriculture News

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials charged with leading recovery efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene have told state lawmakers that they need more money. And they need it soon. Officials leading the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina called on the federal government Wednesday to provide more funds to the state’s recovery in a future funding bill meant to address wildfires in southern California. Funds from the state legislature were also requested. Another recovery official asked for millions of dollars from the state legislature Thursday to complete construction on houses in parts of eastern North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.

RALEIGH – A commercial turkey operation in Sampson County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza. The positive sample was first identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh and confirmed by the USDA APHIS National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa.  This is the second case […]

The U.S. Senate today confirmed the nomination of Lee Zeldin to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. In response to this development, Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Kenneth Hartman Jr. released the following statement: “We want to congratulate Administrator Zeldin for being confirmed by the Senate to lead EPA. We look forward […]

Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s convention considered many important topics before setting the highest priority ones for this year. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says delegates discussed a variety of issues. “Our delegates, they reaffirmed our support to utilize domestic feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and expanding the potential […]

Cotton producers weren’t allowed to use Dicamba in 2024 for over-the-top applications due to a federal court ruling. However, the Environmental Protection Agency did allow growers to use existing stocks of Dicamba. Oklahoma State University Extension Cotton Specialist Jenny Dudek says it is a concern. “You know, the loss of Dicamba would be devastating, I […]

A continued tightening of the US cattle inventory to start the year. USDA livestock analyst Mike McConnell says, for the January cattle on feed report… “I think a major story that continues when it comes to cattle on feed is that placement still remains strong, relatively speaking, even though they’re down slightly from a year […]

The United States reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry on a duck farm in California. Reuters said that authorities also detected the more common H5N1 strain on the same farm in Merced County, California. Almost 119,000 birds on the farm had been killed by December 2. A recent outbreak of bird […]

The World Food Prize Foundation says former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack will serve as the new CEO of the organization beginning on March 1, 2025. As the CEO, the Foundation says Vilsack will leverage his extensive leadership and diplomatic experience to enhance the Foundation’s global impact in food security and sustainable agriculture. “The World Food […]

As immigration takes center stage with the Trump Administration, farm leaders are keeping a close eye on the issue, especially as it relates to their guest workers. North Carolina Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding says foreign workers are critical on the farm. “When you start thinking about sweet potatoes, very labor-intensive vegetable crop, blueberries, very […]

Mike Steenhoek is Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition I have been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from farmers, media, and others related to the Panama Canal.  While I absolutely should not be regarded as a notable expert on the topic, I have been to Panama many times and have done considerable research […]