Author: staff

The country’s winter wheat harvest is well underway, according to the most recent USDA Crop Progress report. As of June 15, nine of the top 18 winter wheat-growing states had begun to harvest the crop.  Overall, 10% of the nation’s crop has been harvested, behind the average of 16%. All but two states were behind their respective five-year averages — anywhere from 1 percentage point to 16 percentage points behind. Here’s a closer look at winter wheat progress and conditions across the country. Arkansas Although half the nation’s top winter wheat-growing states haven’t even begun harvest, Arkansas farmers have harvested…

By Cami Koons Iowa crops continue to rate well, though average rainfall across Iowa last week was less than seven-tenths of an inch and some regions suffered from damaging hail storms. While the average soil moisture conditions rate 70% adequate for topsoil and 60% adequate for subsoil conditions, some regions of the state have much drier conditions, according the crop progress and condition report prepared by the USDA. In southeast Iowa, topsoil moisture rated 34% short and 10% very short, and subsoil moisture rated 48% short. Southwest Iowa had similar figures, topsoil moisture rated 33% short and 10% very short and subsoil…

By Galen Bacharier Democrats in the North Carolina Senate want to force a vote on a $464 million hurricane aid bill, aiming to un-tether the relief from ongoing state budget negotiations. The House unanimously passed House Bill 1012 in late May, approving another round of aid for the western mountains. It includes long-requested grants for small businesses and money for local governments to rebuild infrastructure. But the bill has been frozen in the Senate, as Republican leaders from both chambers negotiate a compromise on the state budget. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, has signaled he would prefer that the Helene aid be part…

By Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal KANANASKIS, Alberta, June 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an agreement on Monday formally lowering some tariffs on imports from Britain as the countries continue working toward a formal trade deal. The deal, announced by Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the U.K. aerospace sector, but the issue of steel and aluminum remains unresolved. Other critical industries, such as pharmaceuticals, were not mentioned. Trump said the relationship with Britain was “fantastic,” as he waved, and then briefly…

What Happened Since the third week of May, weather conditions for most farmers in the Midwest have taken a turn for the better. Those struggling with hot and dry conditions or those who received too much rain experienced positive changes. The western Midwest received much-needed rain and lower temperatures, while the eastern and southern Midwest dried out. Farmers made rapid progress, with corn plantings at 97% complete as of June 8 in the top 18 growing states, the same as the five-year average. Early ratings for corn conditions were 71% good-to-excellent, 2 percentage points better than the previous week. Soybean…

AGDAILY Reporters · June 17, 2025 Closing the Mental Health Gap Among Rural Youth in the US, which won three Telly Awards for outstanding branded content highlighting rural youth’s critical mental health concerns. Produced by Rural Minds in collaboration with Pfizer, National Grange, and USA TODAY, the video touches on issues of stigma, isolation, and shortages of providers. It features the story of Asheton Medlin, whose own personal experience of a peer suicide as a small-town college student underscores the unique stresses rural youth face in adjusting to new circumstances. Rural youths between the ages of 15 and 19 have…

Thousands of ice cream enthusiasts — including members of Congress, federal officials, and Capitol Hill staff — came together last week at the International Dairy Foods Association’s 41st Annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party. Held at Union Square Park on Capitol Hill, the popular summertime celebration provided attendees with America’s favorite and newest ice cream flavors, floats, and novelties. Over the course of the two-hour celebration, guests enjoyed: 3,900 cups of ice cream 1,100 root beer floats 350 slices of ice cream cake 660 ice cream sandwiches 180 additional ice cream novelties “This event has become an annual tradition that…

Corn and soybean planting and emergence are lagging behind historical trends in Indiana, and the same goes for winter wheat progress. The delay can be chalked up to weather conditions described as “cooler and wetter than they have been in a long time.” Here’s a closer look at the numbers from USDA’s latest Crop Progress report, along with some expert perspectives. Corn As of June 15, Indiana farmers had planted 96% of the state’s corn crop, according to USDA. The five-year planting average is 99%. The crop was 89% emerged the week that ended June 15, USDA said, which is…

Hundreds of leading agricultural organizations are demanding a greater voice in federal health policy following the release of the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s controversial report. In a letter addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, farm groups criticized the report’s lack of transparency, scientific rigor, and public input. The groups argue that the report misrepresents U.S. agriculture and could lead to policy decisions that harm American farmers, drive up food prices, and increase dependence on foreign imports. The letter, signed by national and state organizations representing millions…

Certain bacteria isolated from soil could knock out “eternal pollutants”, substances that, once dispersed in the environment, do not degrade and threaten human and planetary health: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), present in a wide range of products, from cosmetics to food packaging, from kitchen utensils to detergents. In fact, a research group from the Catholic University, Piacenza, has isolated about 20 species of bacteria from PFAS-contaminated soil in Veneto that are capable of degrading them, i.e., using them as a source of energy (as their sole source of carbon). The increasing soil and groundwater contamination by PFAS represents a…