Social Media Gives Farmers a Platform to Tell Their Story
So many of the problems facing farmers today come from a lack of understanding among the public about where their food comes from and what it takes to produce it. Speaking with growers at December's Washington State Tree Fruit Association's annual meeting, Washington Post Columnist Megan McCardle said it's not easy, bu...
Will D.C. Make Farmers A Priority In 2026?
This year is going to be a busy year in D.C., with a variety of issues impacting farm country. Val Dolcini (doll-SEE-nee), Head of Public Affairs at Syngenta North America, says tariffs are one of the top issues he'd like to see addressed in the coming months. He added that farmers can't afford to wait forever for thin...
Warm, Dry Winter Worsens Drought Across Carolinas
Well, after the last few weeks of dealing with rain, sleet, snow and wintry mixes - all the winter precipitation - this weekend, not so much. And this past week has been very calm in the temperature department. In fact, reaching as high as the 70s in several parts of the Carolinas. But is this here to stay? We got stat...
Brooks Schaffer Market Report for Friday, Feb. 13th
This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at brooks@palmettograin.com or 843-540-4540. USDA's February Supply and Demand report that came out on Tuesday was very uneventful, as expected. USDA increased corn exports by 100 million bushels since corn exports are going out the door li...
Rural Development Commercial Loan Portfolio Offers a New View
When it comes to USDA Rural Development's line of guaranteed loans, grants and other resources for rural infrastructure projects, well, RD's Acting Chief Information Officer Jim Barham says there are questions from consumers such as, "What have you done for me lately? What is already doing in my community?" a...
China's Lockout of U.S. Beef a Burning Issue at CattleCon in Nashville
Cattle industry leaders and producers gathered in Nashville for the recent 2026 Cattle Industry Convention. While attendees talked through many issues, a top-of-mind challenge for the industry is the continued lockout of U.S. beef from the Chinese market. Erin Borror, vice president of economic analysis for the U.S. Me...
Researchers Studying the Causes of Crown Root Rot
Researchers at the University of Nebraska have been doing extensive studies on crown root rot in the Corn Belt. Dylan Magel, an assistant professor of plant pathology, said crown root rot is a confusing disease. "They're basically looking at crown rot, trying to figure out what the real cause of this disease is, a...
Pork Producers Looking for a Profitable 2026
Pork producers are continuing to bounce back from one of their toughest years ever in 2023, and are hopeful this year will continue to see profitable returns. Roy Lee Lindsey, CEO of the North Carolina Pork Council, says producers lost more per head in '23 than the previous record low in 1998, but they've turned the co...
Brooks Schaffer Market Report for Tuesday, Feb. 10th
This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at brooks@palmettograin.com or 843-540-4540. The soybean market had some very big volumes last week after Trump's tweet. He said that the Chinese were considering buying another 8 mmt of old crop U.S. soybeans. I think the Chinese did not k...
On-Target Pork Export Growth Strategy
The U.S. Meat Export Federation reported USDA numbers indicating that exports to Mexico grew 11 percent year-over-year to 111,207 metric tons. Export value increased nine percent to $246.9 million, the sixth-highest on record. Through the first 11 months of 2025, exports to Mexico were seven percent above the record pa...