Author: staff

The active precipitation pattern should slow down in the next week to 10 days, after what AccuWeather labeled a “1-in-1,000 year” rain event inundated areas across the Midwest to the Mid-South. The Climate Prediction Center shows near normal to above normal chances for precipitation in its 6- to 10-day outlook, as some areas look to recover from historic flooding.  Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist, said the severity of flooding will vary by field.  “It really does depend on a field-by-field basis, given the amount of flooding that has taken place,” Ford said. “There may be some parts of Southern Illinois,…

AGDAILY Reporters · April 9, 2025 Famer Derek is back with another farm-themed spoof, this time targeting the Generation Xers and Millennials among us with a Friends parody. With his record of unconventional and creative videos, Derek takes his cows to center stage once more, mixing up humor and country life to a new set of lyrics. For decades, Farmer Derek has used his Kansas farm as the backdrop for his popular YouTube channel, where he has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of creativity. From cows showing up on Shark Week to scribbling notes that get picked up by satellites, his…

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Peter Welch, D-Vt., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced bipartisan legislation to curb anti-competitive practices in the meatpacking industry and reduce rising grocery prices, particularly for meat and eggs. The Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act would establish a U.S. Department of Agriculture office dedicated to enforcing antitrust laws and investigating potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act. The new office would work in coordination with the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to hold the nation’s four dominant meatpackers accountable. Today, just four companies control 85 percent of the beef market…

The newest title from Feeding Minds Press, I Love Blueberries, is bursting with farm fresh facts, bringing the joy of farming to readers of all ages. I Love Blueberries, written by Shannon Anderson and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, is the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning I Love Strawberries. The story follows Jolie and her new friend, Margot, as they work together with their classmates and their community to set up a hydroponics growing station in their classroom to grow their own blueberries. Through Jolie’s comical scrapbook-style journal entries and Margot’s creative sketchbook, readers will learn about the joys and challenges…

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, April 9 (Reuters) – The European Union will launch its first countermeasures against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs next week, the bloc’s members agreed on Wednesday, joining China and Canada in retaliating and escalating a global trade conflict. The approval came on the day that Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs on the EU and dozens of countries took effect, including massive 104% duties on China, extending his tariff onslaught and spurring more widespread selling across financial markets. The 27-nation bloc faces 25% import tariffs on steel and aluminium and cars as well as the new broader tariffs of 20% for almost all other goods under Trump’s policy to hit countries he…

The National Sorghum Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2025-26 academic scholarships for college students studying agriculture. “The future of agriculture depends on strong, passionate leaders,” said Foundation Chair Jeff Dahlberg. “These scholarships are one way we can invest in the next generation and support students who are committed to advancing sorghum and agricultural innovation.” The National Sorghum Foundation awarded $4,500 in scholarships to last year’s recipients: Charles Colvin of Penn State, Andrew Marchetti of Texas A&M, and Allie Herring of Texas Tech. Each received $1,500 for their academic excellence in agricultural studies. Herring, the Bill Kubecka Memorial Scholarship…

By Leah Douglas April 9 (Reuters) – Several U.S. Department of Agriculture employees who worked on the agency’s bird flu response will leave at the end of April, straining the federal capacity to monitor the spread of the virus, according to a source familiar with the situation. The USDA on April 1 gave employees seven days to decide whether to take financial incentives to quit, part of the effort by President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the federal workforce. Three out of 13 employees in the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network took the offer and will leave on April 30,…

By Ryan Hanrahan Fortune’s Stuart Dyos reported on Sunday that “Trump administration officials and lawmakers have begun exploring a relief package for U.S. farmers as agricultural trade groups warn of economic repercussions from tariffs. That’s as retaliation against President Donald Trump’s sweeping import taxes could harm U.S. exports of farm products.” “‘We are setting up the infrastructure that if, in fact, we have some economic consequences in the short term to our farmers and perhaps our ranchers, that we will have programs in place to solve for that,’ Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters last week,” according to Dyos’ reporting.…

1. Grains, Soybeans Higher in Overnight Trading Grain and soybean futures were higher in overnight trading amid unfavorable weather in some growing areas.  Dry conditions continue in parts of the U.S. southern Plains where hard red winter wheat is growing.  About 59% of Kansas, the biggest producer of winter wheat in the U.S., is suffering from drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.  That’s up from 57% a week earlier and 29% three months ago, the monitor said.  Forty-eight percent of Oklahoma, the second-largest grower of winter varieties, was seeing drought conditions. While that’s unchanged week to week it’s…

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday issued Texas’ first permit to allow drilling to inject and store carbon dioxide to oil company Occidental OXY.N. The company’s Oxy Low Carbon Ventures received a so-called Class VI permit to drill three CO2 wells in Ector County in the Permian Basin for its Stratos direct air capture joint venture with asset manager BlackRock BLK.N, to inject 8.5 million metric tons of CO2. “EPA is committed to approving permits as quickly as possible and ensuring they meet requirements to protect drinking water sources,” said EPA Regional Administrator Scott Mason. Carbon sequestration had…