Author: staff

The latest Milk Production report from the USDA was released Friday afternoon. In addition to the first look at production numbers for 2025, the report also included the annual milk production data for 2024. 2024 in Review: U.S. Production, Milk Cows Lower Than in 2023 U.S. milk production totaled 226 billion pounds in 2024, down 0.2% compared with 2023’s total. It was the second consecutive year that total annual milk production was down year-over-year. Although the country’s total milk production has increased 8.3% over the last decade, production has essentially held steady or decreased within the last few years. As…

The National FFA Organization has raised over $1.4 million during the 2025 Give FFA Day campaign, surpassing 2,200 total donations. The funds will support agricultural education and leadership development for more than one million FFA members across the country. This year’s campaign aimed to raise $1.5 million to provide opportunities for young agriculturists to grow in leadership, personal development, and career success. Donations will be used to address the organization’s greatest needs, ensuring the expansion of programs that equip students to sustain the global food, fuel, and fiber industries. Contributions will also help provide FFA jackets to members in need,…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released approximately $20 million in funding for previously approved contracts that had been frozen under the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul federal programs. While this represents only a small portion of the program funding suspended after the White House’s broader freeze on federal loans and grants last month, it marks a shift in the USDA’s approach under new Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins. Rollins emphasized the importance of American farmers and ranchers, acknowledging their role in feeding, fueling, and clothing the nation and millions worldwide. However, she criticized the Biden administration’s policies, attributing recent struggles…

Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 13, after a Senate vote of 72 to 28. Rollins didn’t stay in her new office in the Jamie L. Whitten Building long before heading out to visit farmers and ranchers across the country. In her first seven days in the role, Rollins made stops in Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas and traveled more than 3,000 miles. Thursday, Feb. 13 USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins poses with her husband Mark Rollins and their four children in her Washington D.C. office shortly after being confirmed by the Senate on…

For the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in rats, raising fresh concerns about the virus’s ability to spread among mammals. The infected black rats were found in Riverside County, California, near recent poultry outbreaks. This discovery comes amid broader concerns about avian flu transmission, with additional detections in a harbor seal, a fox, a bobcat, and a domestic cat. In response to the ongoing threat, the Public Health Agency of Canada has secured 500,000 doses of GSK’s human vaccine against avian influenza to protect those at the highest risk of…

The Dutch see investing in farm workers’ rights as a strategy that empowers the agricultural sector domestically and throughout Europe. AALSMEER, Netherlands — Driving past Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, you will see a flat, almost submerged region of Holland. The Aalsmeer area, known for its canals and below-sea-level elevation, is also a global greenhouse hub — home to high-value crops like floriculture, fruits, and vegetables. Within minutes, rows of greenhouses appear along highways, near the airport, and even next to pastures with dairy cattle. Their strategic location — close to the world’s largest horticultural export hub and the Port of…

Just before 9:00 a.m. CT, May corn was down 3¼¢ at $5.09½ per bushel. May soybeans were 5¾¢ weaker at $10.57¼ per bushel. “We had the [USDA] export sales report, that was decent. I think we’re just taking a little money off of the table ahead of the weekend,” Lead Analyst at Brugler Marketing and Management Austin Schroeder said, adding the markets were a little weaker starting off the trading day, “On the wheat side, we’re struggling over there. Exports were struggling over there.” May wheat contracts saw some upward movement. CBOT wheat was 2¾¢ higher at $6.03 per bushel. KC wheat…

These ideas from farmers include a way to check and balance pressure on all four semi truck tires at a time, a trick for removing a stuck wheel, and a hub removal tool. These hacks were first featured in All Around the Farm. 1. Quad Tire Pressure System  I wanted a way to check and balance the pressure on all four semi tires at the same time. I built a controller bar that has an air chuck nipple, allowing me to hook up the pressure hose from the shop, a pressure regulator, and four seated hoses, each using quick-connect sleeve…

Five years ago, Bruce Stripling sat in FMC’s booth at the Commodity Classic trade show, viewing companies pitching the latest agricultural technology. “All this technology, and here we are, still pulling pigweeds,” says the regional technical service manager for FMC. Stripling hails from Georgia, where Palmer amaranth started to devastate soybean and cotton fields in the mid-2000s. At that time, glyphosate-tolerant Roundup Ready technology still worked well in the Midwest. Before Roundup Ready, Georgia farmers managed weeds in cotton and soybeans with a mix of tillage and overlapping residual herbicides. “Roundup Ready was one of the biggest technologies since the…

Once your heifers and cows have reached about six months gestation, it’s time to take stock of your calving supplies. Preparing for the season well ahead of your expected calving window will help you be equipped for any early babies, adverse weather, or difficult births. Particularly during difficult or obstructed labor, called dystocia, being prepared to work quickly and safely will increase your odds of a better outcome. Adapting to Your Calving Set Up Each farm handles their calving season differently, but everyone can benefit from planning ahead.  No matter where your herd calves, organizing your supplies in a handy…