USDA

Longer, more diverse rotations of crops fertilized with livestock manure have many environmental benefits, but carbon sequestration isn’t one of them, according to a new study led by Iowa State University researchers.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and partners in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan are seeking licensed and experienced grain and fiber hemp growers to conduct on-farm variety trials.

The trade’s focus continues to be on U.S. exports and South American weather as the market continues to wade through winter.

Other than a minor tweak in the wheat balance sheet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s domestic supply and demand estimates for the major crops were unchanged, but there were downward movements globally in the report.

Just weeks into the Republican takeover of Congress and the White House, Project 2025 is the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s governing plans.

Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu that’s different from the version that has spread in U.S. herds since last year, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Jay, Allen, Adams, Jackson, Shelby and Randolph counties, with emerging cases in other counties, affecting more than 400,000 birds so far.

The Waffle House restaurant chain is putting a 50-cent per egg surcharge in place because of the biggest bird flu outbreak in a decade.

With U.S. and Illinois pork producers being some of the first to be impacted directly by news coming out of Washington, D.C., Jennifer Tirey is ready to arm producers and allied industry with timely information.

Bird flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. And it appears there may be no relief in sight, given the surge in demand as Easter approaches.

Illinois agricultural and forestry producers who want to address or improve natural resources are encouraged to sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

On rural Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of solar panels, a troop of stocky sheep rummage through pasture, casually bumping into one another as they remain committed to a single task: chewing grass.

The Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, platform is generating a lot of interest in how our food is produced. Farmers and ranchers welcome a healthy discussion — we always have.

Indiana and Illinois winter wheat acreage increased slightly from last year.

My father began retiring long before the sale of our farm’s dairy cows in 1989. Began is the appropriate word because his exit from dairy farming was “slower than molasses in January,” as he liked to say. Years slow, in fact.

Sylvester and Sabrina Friend of Prairie Hills Farm in Selma were honored as a finalist of the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

Think water is not an issue in Indiana or the Midwest, like it is in Arizona or California? Think again, cautioned Brianna Schroeder, a partner at Janzen Schroeder Ag Law, during an educational seminar at the Fort Wayne Farm Show.

Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning, federal records show.

There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and not all of it is good. We need to be aware of what’s going on around us, especially with the important things like our food.

Dairy producers may see differences in their milk checks from changes that are included in the Federal Milk Marketing Orders referendum.

The Farm Service Agency reminds producers, including dairy producers impacted by H5N1, the deadline to apply for financial assistance is Jan. 30 for losses due to specific adverse conditions that occurred in 2024.

While the 2018 farm bill might be on its second extension, the subsidy for one crop insurance product will increase without the benefit of new legislation, benefiting farmers.

The new year always feels like a fresh start, a time to plan for the months ahead and think about what needs to get done.

llinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a funding opportunity for Environmental Quality Incentives Program Landscape Conservation Initiatives and Urban Ag using Act Now authority.

Scott Halpin’s term as Illinois Farm Service Agency executive director concluded with the change of federal administrations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety-net programs — Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, as well as Dairy Margin Coverage.

Lower than expected corn and soybean production pushed ending stocks downward in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Jan. 10 supply and demand report estimates.

The quarterly survey of on-farm and off-farm storage found corn stocks lower and soybean and wheat stocks higher compared to 12 months ago.

The annual Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry will be held Feb. 1 at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds with a theme of “People of Purdue Agriculture.”

The 2024 crop production summary turned the corn and soybean price trade screens green, including larger boosts for old crop.

Corn and soybean yield records were not as widespread in the “I” states as was previously projected in late fall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds specialty crop producers to apply for assistance for food safety certification expenses.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show, to be presented Jan. 14-16 by Tradexpos at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, will feature daily educational seminars provided by Northeastern Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Purdue Extension.

Congress approved a one-year extension to the 2018 farm bill late on Dec. 20 that included nearly $31 billion in disaster and economic assistance for farmers and ranchers.

Agriculture groups are grateful that Congress extended the 2018 farm bill for another year, but urge lawmakers to stay focused on new, modernized legislation that recognizes the many changes and challenges of the past six years.

Family farms accounted for 96% of total U.S. farms and 83% of the total value of production, according to the Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the final approximately $300 million in assistance to distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks input on the assessment of environmental impacts on two programs — the Tree Assistance Program and Farm Storage Facility Loan program.

Why the results surprised anyone is itself a surprise. After the state of California began testing dairy herds for highly pathogenic avian influenza, known also as bird flu or H5N1, in August, it found the pathogen on 645 dairy farms.

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the United States.

It Takes a Village is a nearly three-acre, urban nonprofit farm in Sauk Village, a suburb of Chicago, that opened in response to the last grocery store closing in the community in 2019.

The Indiana Ag Law Foundation hosted a new workshop focused on helping families work together to begin the farm transition process.

Global soybean supplies that are already at high levels are expected to grow in the first months of 2025.

Bolstered by surprises in the December supply and demand estimates report, corn enters 2025 with strengths in exports and ethanol demand.

Before 2024 slides into history, some noteworthy farm and food updates, please, to ensure these stories go with it.

Dairy replacement heifer numbers have fallen almost 15% over the last six years, reaching a 20-year low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two Indiana dairies, Risin’ Creek Creamery and JB’s Barnyard, received funding from the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance for value-added facilities on their farms.

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

Year-over-year winter wheat production declined, while oats were up in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual production summary for 2024.

Low-moisture foods such as dried fruits, seeds, tree nuts and wheat flour were once considered to carry minimal microbial risks.