Author: staff

Safety regulators have repeatedly told one of the world’s largest companies, Archer Daniels Midland, to implement prevention measures. It has not — with grave consequences. Around 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve in 2022, flames ripped through the bowels of an industrial facility in Fremont, Nebraska. Elevators were scorched. Conveyor belts collapsed. Metal doors melted. As smoke filled the sky, employees scrambled to escape. One dialed 911.“The plant’s on fire,” he hurriedly breathed. “Is everybody out of there?” The dispatcher asked. “Working on it.” Local fire crews extinguished the blaze at the Archer Daniels Midland plant about three hours later. Equipment…

On August 24th, 2025, a moment of both symbolism and substance quietly unfolded in South Carolina. Ten-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson, the youngest USDA-certified farmer in the nation, was awarded an $83,800 full-ride scholarship to South Carolina State University. Through the 1890 Agriculture Innovation Scholarship, Johnson, a girl who started farming collard greens at just 3 years old, was not only recognized for her precocious skill but also planted firmly into the future of agriculture. This moment in Johnson’s life and the bead of hope it has created in our history raises important questions about who is invited to the table…

This past spring, Dr. Shawn Frehner, a respected Las Vegas-area veterinarian, vanished after becoming the target of a vicious online campaign. Now, after months of unanswered questions, reporting from NewsNation’s affiliate 8 News Now Investigators has offered more insight into the veterinarian’s death. In May, the Clark County coroner’s office had officially ruled Frehner’s death a suicide. His body, found April 18 in Lake Mead near the Boulder Islands, was confirmed through dental records. The coroner’s office determined his cause of death was drowning, with the powerful sedative pentobarbital — a drug commonly used in animal euthanasia — also present…

Ahead of 9:30 a.m. CT, December corn was down 1¾¢ at $4.04¼ per bushel. November soybeans were down a penny at $10.46½ per bushel. December CBOT wheat was down 3¾¢ at $5.20½ per bushel. December KC wheat was down 5¼¢ at $5.07¾ per bushel. December Minneapolis wheat was up less than a penny at $5.77. Source: The Brock Report. This morning USDA released the weekly U.S. Export Sales. Concerning the report, The Brock Report said: “Net U.S. corn export sales for the week ended Aug. 21 came in at 81.6 million bushels, including net cancellations of 700,000 bushels for 2024/2025…

By Roberto Samora SAO PAULO, Aug. 27 (Reuters) – Mexico has overtaken the U.S. as the second largest importer of Brazil’s beef after the imposition of tariffs by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 affected shipments from the world’s largest exporter, Brazilian beef lobby Abiec said on Wednesday. Brazilian beef, which was already subject to a U.S. import tax of 26.4% outside of an exempt quota, now faces an additional 50% levy. Between Aug. 1–25, Brazil exported 10,200 metric tons of beef to Mexico worth $58.8 million, according to Abiec data. Shipments from Brazil to the U.S. totaled 7,800 tons, worth $43.6…

On average, U.S. soybeans are progressing right on schedule. For the top 18 soybean-growing states, 89% of the crop reached the setting pods stage by Aug. 24, while 4% had reached the dropping leaves stage, USDA reported Monday. For both stages, that’s level with respective five-year averages. But as soybeans progress, diseases are as well. Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is one of them. SDS is caused by a fungus and is “one of the most recognizable diseases in the North Central soybean-producing areas of the United States,” according to the Crop Protection Network (CPN). “Cool, wet field conditions shortly after…

Thirty-seven FFA members have been chosen to compete for national office at the 98th National FFA Convention and Expo this October, marking a significant milestone in their leadership journeys and showcasing their commitment to FFA and agriculture. The process to become a national officer is arduous, with the candidates — each state FFA association can submit one individual member annually — taking part in an extensive interview process with the National FFA Officer Nominating Committee. The committee is comprised of students who interview and select the national officers. Image courtesy of the National FFA Organization It takes a highly motivated…

By Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas DECATUR, Illinois, Aug. 26 (Reuters) – The human case of screwworm reported this week by U.S. health officials is the country’s only one so far this year and poses no risk to the farm sector, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said on Tuesday. Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that eats its hosts alive, has moved northward through Central America and southern Mexico, putting the U.S. cattle industryon high alert. A screwworm infestation can be fatal to livestock if untreated. An outbreak could cost the economy of Texas, the top cattle-producing state, nearly $2 billion, according to U.S.…

By Carl Zulauf, Joana Colussi, Gary Schnitkey, and Nick Paulson Since 1980, U.S. exports of grains and oilseeds have grown, but at a slower rate than U.S. domestic consumption, resulting in a declining relative role of exports in the U.S. grain-oilseed sector. The decline reflects many factors, including higher per capita income, which has increased consumption of animal protein, and the longstanding U.S. goal of energy self-sufficiency. It is also consistent with U.S. domestic demand being a more certain demand expansion path than exports for U.S. farm policy advocates given that the U.S. has taken a variety of international trade actions over time…

Empire State Development and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement today announced the 20 finalist startups selected for the seventh round of Grow-NY, an internationally recognized food and agriculture business competition that awards $3 million annually. Funded through New York State’s Upstate Revitalization Initiatives — Finger Lakes Forward, CNY Rising, and Southern Tier Soaring — and administered by the ESD’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, Grow-NY was created to drive economic growth in Upstate New York. As part of the program, finalist startups must commit to creating jobs, building partnerships, or establishing operations across the 22-county region. “Each…