Author: staff

By Christine Zhu Leaders of the nonprofit advocacy group Toxic Free North Carolina held a virtual press conference along with community advocates on Wednesday to warn lawmakers against what they said are the dangers of Section 19 in the 2025 North Carolina Farm Act. The provision, part of Senate Bill 639, would remove responsibility from pesticide manufacturers and sellers to disclose a product’s risks as long as the pesticide container bears a label indicating that it has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The bill’s language would also remove the ability of individuals…

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday released the first report from his Make America Healthy Again Commission, delivering on his promise to take a hard line against crop protection products. The agriculture industry responded by saying that the consequences of limiting access to scientifically supported ag products would be “severe” for farmers. Kennedy’s 68-page document, subtitled Making Our Children Healthy Again, points to environmental chemicals — including pesticides widely used on farms and in residential settings — as potential contributors to chronic disease in children. While the commission insists the report is about promoting public…

Ongoing uncertainty about the direction of international trade policy is clouding the outlook for U.S. grain elevators and merchandisers. The lack of clarity surrounding tariffs with key U.S. trading partners like China has pulled new-crop sales well below historical averages. Many foreign buyers have reduced forward coverage and are buying in the spot market, complicating the picture for elevators and merchandisers that are heavily reliant on export demand. According to a new research brief from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the longer the uncertainty continues to drag on sales of new-crop exports, export-dependent grain elevators and merchandisers risk entering the 2025/26 marketing…

Early on May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a major budget package — the vote was 215-214. Bill H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will now move onto the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the most consequential legislation that any, any party has passed, certainly under a majority this thin,” according to a report by CBS News. The bill is being praised for farm bill program updates and tax provisions beneficial for the farming and ethanol industries, but condemned for cuts to food assistance and healthcare. Agriculture industry leaders and politicians have been weighing…

The Farm Credit Foundation for Agricultural Advancement is supporting 65 students with $445,000 in scholarships as they take the next step toward careers in agriculture. Valued at up to $10,000 each, these scholarships were awarded to students showing dedication to both their education and the future of the industry, helping them pursue their goals and make a lasting impact in the agricultural community. “Each year, we continue to be inspired by the passion, drive, and commitment these exceptional students show toward shaping the future of agriculture,” said Julie Bolyard, Chair of the Farm Credit Foundation for Agricultural Advancement. “By supporting…

Syngenta celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art high-capacity biologicals production facility Wednesday in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The facility is set up to support the production of 16,000 tons of plant biostimulants each year. Officials say that the facility will introduce cutting-edge technologies to produce plant biostimulants, meeting current and future demand for innovative sustainable agriculture solutions in the United States. As detailed in the text of the 2018 farm bill, plant biostimulants are “a substance or microorganism that, when applied to seeds, plants, or the rhizosphere, stimulates natural processes to enhance or benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to…

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission published its highly anticipated “Making Our Children Healthy Again” report Thursday morning. Here’s a timeline leading up to the release of this controversial report and a summary of reactions from across the agriculture industry. Timeline February 13, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the Make American Healthy Again Commission to investigate chronic illness and deliver an action plan to fight childhood diseases. Heath and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. serves as the chair of the commission. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other cabinet members sit on the commission.…

Image by Wirestock Creators, Shutterstock National FFA Organization has announced the new cohort of National Teacher Ambassadors for the upcoming school year. There will be 65 National Teacher Ambassadors representing 28 states. The National Teacher Ambassadors serve as positive and professional examples to more than 13,000 FFA advisors in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands during their year of service. The teacher ambassadors serve as a resource for teachers nationwide by leading, mentoring and training them through formal and informal programs such as webinars and workshops. They also provide feedback to National FFA leadership about the…

Changing economics can surface the fear that haunts many farmers: losing the farm that has been in the family for generations. Chapter 12 bankruptcies saw a significant rise in filings from farms in 2024. The American Farm Bureau Federation reported 216 farm bankruptcies were filed last year, 55 percent more than 2023. Increasingly, agricultural families and communities are struggling, contributing to higher rates of suicide among farmers. It’s not a surprise that studies have shown that farmer stress increases when animals or crops are diseased. Couple mechanical problems, crazy weather, and no farm bill with the market fluctuations — you…

By Ahmed Aboulenein, Leah Douglas, and Michael Erman WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – A commission led by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday issued a report that said processed food, chemicals, stress, and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children. Kennedy said the commission’s report was a “clarion call to do something with utmost urgency to end this crisis” of increasing rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, mental health disorders, allergies and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. The report did not call for specific regulatory changes or restrictions on pesticides used in farming,…