Author: staff

Cambodia’s Ministry of Health has confirmed its fourth human fatality from H5N1 avian influenza in 2025, marking another alarming development in the country’s ongoing battle with the virus. The latest case involves an 11-year-old boy from Kampong Speu province in south-central Cambodia who died Tuesday after being hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms. According to a ministry statement translated by infectious disease blog Avian Flu Diary, the child had a high fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing upon arrival at the hospital. Despite emergency care, he succumbed to the illness the same day. Testing conducted by the Pasteur Institute…

A virus responsible for damaging cotton crops across the southern United States has been lurking in U.S. fields for nearly 20 years — undetected. According to new research, cotton leafroll dwarf virus , long believed to be a recent arrival, was infecting plants in cotton-growing states as early as 2006. The findings, published in Plant Disease by the U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Service researchers and cooperators at Cornell University, challenge long-standing assumptions about when and how the virus emerged in U.S. cotton. They also demonstrate how modern data-mining tools can uncover hidden threats in samples collected well before the…

In Tuesday’s Crop Progress report, USDA included the first round of corn condition ratings for the nation’s top 18 corn-growing states. For five of them, more than 75% of the corn crop was rated good/excellent as of the week ending May 25.  Here’s a closer look at which states made the list.  North Carolina The corn in North Carolina is the best in the country, according to USDA’s latest Crop Progress report. As of the week that ended May 25, 85% of the state’s corn crop was rated good/excellent. Looking a bit closer at the numbers, North Carolina had the…

In the last week, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has silently updated the lease terminations listed on its Wall of Receipts, and USDA offices have been majorly impacted. In March, the Wall of Receipts listed nearly 750 government office lease terminations, planned as part of the DOGE agenda to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Now, the listed offices number less than 500, and a large chunk of the offices no longer listed are those of USDA agencies. One of the USDA offices no longer listed is the Hendersonville Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in North Carolina. Two sources familiar…

As of 8:50 a.m. CT, July corn was down 5¾¢ at $4.45¼ per bushel. July soybeans were down 6¢ at $10.42½ per bushel. July wheat contracts were mixed. CBOT wheat was down less than a penny at $5.29¾ per bushel. KC wheat was up 2¢ at $5.27¼. Minneapolis wheat was up a penny at $6.04¼. “The slow planting pace in areas of the eastern Corn Belt is catching the attention of traders,” said Bob Linneman, commodities broker with Kluis Commodity Advisors. “In particular, Ohio is reported to be 54% planted, compared to the five-year average of 73%. Traders may add…

When Jim Huffer died unexpectedly at 64, the farm he shared with his brother was thrown into uncertainty. CARROL COUNTY, Indiana — Raymond Huffer never wanted his sons, Jim and Marion, to go into the family business of farming. But the brothers did it anyway. Likewise, Jim did not want any of his three kids to go into agriculture — “I don’t care what you do with your lives, as long as it isn’t farming,” they recalled him saying. Yet soon after his passing in 2010, Andy Huffer, the eldest son, who had recently relocated from Chicago with his wife…

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, May 28 (Reuters) – Dry and cold weather conditions expected in the coming days will help dry out Argentina’s agricultural fields, allowing producers to intensify their delayed soybean harvest following repeated rains, the Buenos Aires and Rosario stock exchanges said on Wednesday. Argentina is the world’s largest exporter of soybean oil and meal, but heavy rainfall in key farming regions has stalled the oilseed harvest, raising concerns about potential yield losses. The government estimates the 2024/25 soybean crop at 49 million metric tons. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange (BdeC) said there will be an influx of cold air that will…

By Cami Koons Iowa’s statewide temperatures were nearly 10° Fahrenheit below normal last week, and the state had almost double the normal amount of precipitation, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan. The rain came at a good time following corn and soybean planting, which is more than 90% complete across the state, and helped to replenish soil moisture conditions.  The latest crop progress and condition report from the USDA rated corn and soybeans for the first time this season. Corn measured 83% good or excellent, and soybeans at 80% good or excellent.  Most of the crops have emerged as of the May 19—May…

By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Kansas farmers and ranchers are paying close attention to tariffs and whether other countries will show up for negotiations, and they need a farm bill to pass in Washington, two agricultural experts said.  Alan Featherstone, head of the Agricultural Economics department at Kansas State University, and Hal Luthi, president of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association and a third-generation rancher in Madison, both spend part of their days studying what’s happening in Washington.  Everything there has an effect on Kansas agriculture, Featherstone said, rattling off a quick list: trade policy, energy policy, interest rates, passage of a…

As part of National Nurses Month, AgriSafe is recognizing the essential role rural nurses play in agricultural communities by offering full scholarships for its Nurse Scholar program — a $500 value. The program is designed to support nurses who are committed to improving health outcomes in America’s rural and farming regions. The AgriSafe Nurse Scholar program is a distance learning course developed specifically for rural nurses. It provides 23 ANCC contact hours of continuing education, focusing on the prevention, identification, and assessment of health conditions related to agricultural work exposures. The program is asynchronous and accessible online, allowing participants to…