Top Agriculture News

School will be in session soon across the country, if it is not already in some places. Along with the school supplies and clothes, food safety should also be a consideration for parents as they pack school lunches for their children. USDA food safety expert Meredith Carruthers says most important to remember from a food […]

Every regular co-host on the WPTF Weekend Gardener has discussed with delight, at one time or another, the attributes of the “naked lady” spider lily or Lycoris radiate. I have read that the name “Lycorus” refers to the mistress of the Roman leader Mark Anthony. Of course, there are other names for this popular bulb: “Cluster amaryllis”, “Equinox flower”, “Hurricane lilies”, “Magic lily”, “Resurrection lily”, and “Surprise lily”. Yes, this extraordinary perennial bulb is in the amaryllis family and is a native of China, Korea and Japan, but there are varieties that are native to the southeastern U.S. including North Carolina.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Forecasters say Erin has exploded into a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center says Erin reached Category 5 strength before weakening somewhat and becoming a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The hurricane center said that while Erin was “undergoing structural changes,” it remained “formidable.” The storm’s center was north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Saturday night. And its rains and winds were buffeting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Forecasters warned that flooding and slides were possible. Powerful rip currents could affect the U.S. East Coast next week.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Friday a sweeping new initiative to combat the New World screwworm, a deadly livestock pest threatening American agriculture, during a press conference at the Texas State Capitol alongside Governor Greg Abbott and national stakeholders. The plan is the largest effort yet by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke Energy Corp. has requested approval to merge its electric utility subsidiaries in North and South Carolina. The company says this move could save customers over $1 billion over a decade. The Charlotte-based utility asked federal and state regulators on Thursday for permission to combine Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress. The merger aims to streamline operations and spread infrastructure expenses. Duke Energy says the change would simplify rate structures and reduce the need for resources. The subsidiaries combined produce electricity for 4.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy wants the change made effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Well, if there’s one thing that’s really been in the forecast, it really has been on everyone’s mind lately, is rain — and a lot of it. We have North Carolina State Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis here. Corey, what’s been going on with all this heavy rain? What are the wettest spots around the […]

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. USDA’s report on Tuesday gave us one of the biggest surprises of the year. Not only was USDA corn yield above even the very highest yield guesses, they also added 2.5 million acres of corn to the […]

Running a farm, regardless of commodity, can be very expensive. Starting a farm from scratch is even more expensive. To help, the USDA offers farm loans for beginning farmers and ranchers via the Farm Service Agency. Jason Quintana, a Farm Loan Officer with the Farm Service Agency, says these loans are geared for those who […]

What do you do with the birthday falls on a weekend? You wouldn’t necessarily think celebrating it on a weekday. Yet, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, US Forest Service personnel and the audience at the Great American farmers market on the National Mall in Washington DC, took opportunity mid-week to wish happy birthday to the symbol […]

The progress continues for this year’s corn crop, even with a mix of weather trends across the Corn Belt this past week. “We’ve had a lot of rain in the western part of the Corn Belt, been trending drier further east,” USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says. For the period ending August 10, Rippey reports: “Corn […]