USDA is forecasting a rise in U.S. consumption of beef, pork and chicken in 2026 — all staples for summertime cookouts, says Jim Henry.

Expanding access to American-grown fuels is one more way agriculture can help keep our country moving.

If we want this way of life to be here for the next generation, we must be willing to speak up for it by showing up in conversations where decisions are made and making sure rural voices are heard.

Honda racked up a $2.7 billion loss, the first-ever full year loss for the Japanese automaker, acknowledging heavy costs for its electric-vehicle plans, stemming from President Donald Trump’s pro-U.S. policies.

Japanese automaker Nissan said it reduced losses for the fiscal year through March, but remained in the red, battered by U.S. tariffs, inflation and intensifying competition.

Toyota’s profit fell 19% in the last fiscal year from a year earlier, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bit into earnings at Japan’s top automaker.

With corn and soybean planting finished, Chad Bell is focusing on evaluating the stands and completing tissue sampling and soil testing.

Stark and Tazewell counties had the state’s top average corn and soybean yields, respectively, in 2025.

Benton and Warren counties were Indiana’s top soybean and corn yield producers, respectively, in 2025.

It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle — and that’s not an easy ask.

Americans paid more for their groceries last month, but high gasoline prices resulting from the Iran war were only one of the reasons why.

Red meat consumption in Argentina — historically one of the world’s biggest consumers of beef — has fallen to its lowest level in two decades amid economic austerity measures imposed by libertarian President Javier Milei.

Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.

The Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers’ comprehensive annual farmland values report also includes various tidbits of interest.

The 7th Federal Reserve District’s “good” farmland values increased 3% year over year, but dipped 1% over the last two quarters on average.

Stress experienced by farmers, their families and others that work in the agricultural industry is oftentimes the result of the uniqueness of this life that people in other professions don’t experience.

We know that retail beef prices have been increasing for more than a decade, so let’s determine how much of that increased beef price is attributable to higher input costs versus the concentrated retail sector’s leverage over beef pricing.

Two weeks after the U.S. House passed its “skinny” farm bill — the law’s usual lard had been cut into last July’s reconciliation bill — applause is still yet to be heard in either Washington, D.C., or rural America.

Bunge hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at its fully integrated soy protein concentrate and textured soy protein concentrate facility in Morristown in central Indiana.

In response to The Mosaic Company’s plans to scale back domestic production, state and national soybean leaders called on the Trump administration to take action.

An overwhelming majority of America’s farmers who responded to a nationwide survey say they cannot afford to purchase enough fertilizer to get them through the year.

The U.S. House passed legislation allowing for year-round, nationwide sale of E15 fuel May 13 and the bill advances to the Senate.

The U.S. House’s passage of legislation allowing nationwide, year-round use of E15 drew mixed reactions from farm and biofuel groups.

China will purchase at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products such as beef and poultry per year through 2028, reports Jim Henry.

Farming is more than a livelihood. It’s a way of life, and sometimes, it’s a heavy load to carry.

Pesticides are an important tool for farmers, protecting billions of dollars in damages each year from weeds, insects and other pests.

“Shocking” wheat was taken into a different context in the U.S. Department of Agriculture crop production estimates.

U.S. winter wheat production is projected 25% lower than last year, and record low harvested acreage is projected in Indiana.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture will distribute more than $796,000 over the next three years to expand access to fresh, locally grown produce and boost the competitiveness of the state’s specialty crop industry.

I expect next fall the replacement ewe lambs to be setting price records with the great demand we’ve encountered.

The initial crop balance sheet forecasts for the 2026-2027 marketing year were unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farming is a gamble every year when challenged by the weather and the cost of crop inputs, so there is no thought of gambling the future of the farm away at the casino.

After years of economic pressure, farm families need the stability and certainty that comes with a new, modernized farm bill.

You’d think that the three extra years Congress has taken to update the 2018 farm bill might mean it stumbled upon solutions to today’s falling farm income, sagging ag exports, the need for more federal bailouts and the White House’s bubble-gum-and-baling-wire trade policy.

Mark Read has been involved in his community in a variety of roles over the years, and after retiring from farming, he was able to expand his volunteer work to well beyond north-central Illinois.

Farmland sales in Illinois are continuing their recent pattern of being unpredictable. Low farmer profits are the main driver of this volatility, but other factors also weigh on the marketplace.

Poverty is deepening and hunger is increasing across Cuba, a country of nearly 10 million people.

Union Pacific delivered 5% higher earnings in the first quarter as the railroad worked to prepare its case to convince regulators that its $85 billion acquisition of eastern rival Norfolk Southern is a good idea.

Farmers are entering the critical spring planting season under a cloud of uncertainty as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts global trade, causing fertilizer and diesel costs to spike.

Fertilizer shipment disruptions in the Persian Gulf due to the Iran conflict pushed prices to levels not seen since another war began four years ago.

These super-high prices we are experiencing all across the beef industry leave one unanswered question on every producer’s mind: When will it all end?

As we continue the great ride with cattle prices we still must do some things well to be as profitable as possible.

With farm financial conditions deteriorating and fertilizer and fuel prices rising, farmers will continue to face losses, underscoring the need for additional support, reports Jim Henry.

Local livestock auction yards have been around since about the time cattle were first introduced as a commercialized American food source and they are the epitome of a robustly competitive market.

Lease agreements shifted toward more traditional crop-share agreements in 2026.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Legislative Conference is where grassroots policy meets action.

Global disruptions have tightened fertilizer supplies and driven up costs. At the same time, fuel prices continue to rise, further tightening balance sheets.

For decades, farmers and ranchers have been begging antitrust officials for probes into concentrated industries like meatpacking, seed, fertilizer, machinery and grain merchandising.

Southern Illinois planters began rolling in the latter half of March after an extended stretch of warm, dry conditions.

Farmers and ranchers can capture more of the food dollar through value-added production, direct marketing and partnerships that move them deeper into supply chain activities.