Author: staff

By Leah Douglas and P.J. Huffstutter WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (Reuters) – U.S. states this week warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week. Warnings issued on at least two dozen state websites flag the potential for an unprecedented benefit gap for more than 41 million people who get aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and the nearly 7 million who receive aid from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. Such a gap threatens to…

By Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Reuters) – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued its campaign to cut the cost of beef, with Trump urging cattle ranchers to lower prices while several agencies announced an effort to rebuild the country’s decimated cattle herd. Earlier this week, Trump said the administration was considering importing Argentine beef as a means of lowering record-high consumer beef prices. The suggestion angered U.S. ranchers. U.S. farmers also recently lost out to Argentina on soybean sales to China. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday that cattle ranchers were benefiting from…

At the Thursday market close, December corn was up 5¢ at $4.28 per bushel. January soybeans were up 12¢ at $10.62 per bushel. “Corn, soybeans, and wheat were higher on the open [Thursday] morning as even without active buying activity, sellers were absent,” said Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting. December CBOT wheat was up 9¼¢ at $5.13 per bushel. December KC wheat were 11½¢ higher at $5.00 per bushel. December Minneapolis wheat rose 8¾¢ at $5.40¾ per bushel. December live cattle were up $1.35 at $241.17 per hundredweight (cwt). January feeder cattle were down $3.60 at $357.42 per…

Michigan FFA has announced a record-breaking surge in student membership for the 2024-25 academic year, growing from 8,800 members to 10,047 — an increase of over 14 percent, the largest percentage growth of any state FFA association in the country. This milestone reflects the expanding reach and relevance of agricultural education across Michigan. With 135 agriscience programs now active statewide and 162 dedicated agricultural educators leading the charge, Michigan FFA continues to cultivate the next generation of leaders in agriculture, food and natural resources. Six new programs launched this year, further strengthening Michigan’s commitment to hands-on, career-focused learning. These include:…

Marking the midpoint of a contentious week for the beef industry, President Trump and industry leaders on Wednesday continued their back-and-forth debate via social media posts and public statements. After the beef industry pushed back on his proposal to purchase Argentine beef over the weekend, the president took to Truth Social on Wednesday just after noon ET to voice his thoughts. “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says roughly 2,100 Farm Service Agency offices will partially reopen today so producers can access about $3 billion in assistance from existing programs, even as the federal government remains shut down. The USDA says each county office will operate with two employees on site, five days a week. Offices will resume core functions such as farm loan processing, Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage payments, disaster relief payments, and accepting applications tied to programs funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation, however some services not CCC-funded will remain limited. According to The Associated Press, a USDA spokesperson…

By Jeff Mason, Tom Polansek, and Leah Douglas WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Oct. 23 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is quadrupling the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef to 80,000 metric tons in a bid to reduce prices, a White House official said on Thursday. The move lets Argentina ship more beef to the U.S. at a lower rate of duty at a time when U.S. beef prices have set records due to tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand. The plan to import more beef from Argentina has angered U.S. ranchers, who largely supported Trump in his campaigns for president. They said the government should support domestic…

On July 10, 2025, a quiet but seismic shift occurred deep within the corridors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one with ripple effects for farmers of color, women producers, and the broader drive for inclusion in American agriculture. The agency issued a final rule stating it will no longer use race- or sex-based “socially disadvantaged” classifications in many of its grant, loan, conservation, and rural development programs, citing constitutional concerns. That phrase, “socially disadvantaged,” has long been more than bureaucratic shorthand. For decades, it represented a pathway, however imperfect, into federal supports for farmers who were systematically excluded: Black,…

By Daniel Becerril METAPA, Mexico, Oct. 23 (Reuters) – Deep in the humid lowlands of southern Mexico, engineers, veterinarians and entomologists are racing to repurpose a plant that will play a pivotal role in trying to eradicate the flesh-eating screwworm parasite threatening the country’s cattle industry and raising tensions with the United States. Inside what was once a facility used to help control Mediterranean fruit flies, workers are dismantling old infrastructure and rebuilding specialized laboratories designed to mimic the conditions of an animal wound, which screwworm flies seek in order to lay their eggs. The transformation is part of Mexico’s urgent bid to start domestic production…

In 1912, John Deere faced a huge challenge. While the company was highly successful producing implements and resided as the number one manufacturer of plows in the world, it lacked a tractor to complete its product lineup. The pressure from dealers to include a tractor to that equipment line was considerable. The demand for horsepower in the marketplace was strong, and all of Deere’s major competitors offered tractors. The need for a tractor, dealers felt, was essential for Deere to hold on to its plow business. This was due to the fact that a tractor and plow were typically sold…