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Merck Animal Health announced it will donate $50,000 to the National Professional Agricultural Student Organization to support its newly established Educational Advancement Program. This contribution marks Merck Animal Health as the inaugural donor for this initiative, which aims to enhance agricultural education, particularly at two-year and community-based college programs that offer educational opportunities in agriculture. These institutions are pivotal in providing practical, hands-on training to equip future agricultural talent with the necessary skills to excel in the industry. “At Merck Animal Health, we recognize the importance of educating the next generation of agricultural leaders and supporting the institutions that helped…

Image by Nokwan007, Shutterstock Top Third Ag Marketing helps farmers become better agricultural marketers with the goal of marketing crops and livestock in the top third of prices. Mark Gold and his team provide AGDAILY.com with the latest information and a look ahead in their audio commentary. Listen here! https://www.agdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ag-daily-2025-03-24.mp3

Before earning graduate degrees in agronomy, working for University of Minnesota Extension, and landing his current role of agronomy manager for Wyffels Hybrids, Jared Goplen was, like many of the growers he supports, born and raised on a Midwest family farm – the same one he farms now when not working for Wyffels. As an agronomy manager, Goplen supports growers in northwest Iowa, southern Minnesota, and eastern South Dakota. Come early April, he will be offering his expertise to support Successful Farming’s coverage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Crop Progress report.  In our latest agronomist Q&A, we spoke with…

Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in northern England, the first known case of its kind in the world, according to the United Kingdon’s government. The infected ewe was identified through routine surveillance at a farm in Yorkshire where highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) had already been confirmed in captive birds. “The ewe tested positive for H5 antibodies in the blood, and her milk was positive for H5 RNA by polymerase chain reaction. The ewe had been showing clinical signs of mastitis,” the government reported. To prevent further spread, “all affected birds and the infected ewe were humanely…

The National FFA Organization announced that its more than one million members, alumni, and supporters raised more than $1.6 million as part of the 10th Annual Give FFA Day during National FFA Week in February. This funds raised will directly support FFA and agricultural education for local FFA chapters, state FFA associations, and the National FFA as a whole. This is the most money raised for FFA in a single day, following more than $1.4 million being donated during last year’s Give FFA Day event. Give FFA Day was created as a way to make a difference in the lives…

Think a hog can’t change the world? Think again. Across Wyoming, young agriculturalists are making a difference in the fight against food insecurity through the Fair to Fork program. Launched in 2023 by First Lady Jennie Gordon as part of the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, the program partners with Wyoming 4-H and FFA to provide high-quality protein to local food pantries while giving youth firsthand experience in the ranch-to-table process. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” said First Lady Gordon, highlighting the importance of youth involvement. “We love seeing young people join the fight against food…

For much of the north central region of the United States, the winter months were colder than normal. Despite those temperatures, precipitation was also below normal, resulting in widespread drought conditions across the region. Snow Deficit Impacts Minnesota and Other States Matthew Sittel, the assistant state climatologist for Kansas, said there’s been a snow deficit of anywhere from 20 to 40 inches below normal for Minnesota, the Dakotas, and parts of Iowa this winter.  In Pennington County, Minnesota, only an average of 0.01 inches of rain fell throughout the month of February, Sittel said. Red Lake County, Minnesota, also saw…

It was standing room only in the Sales Pavilion in NRG Arena for the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Junior Market Steer Auction on Saturday. The Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Jr. Market Steers sold for more than $600,000. 2025 Jr. Market Steer Champions: Grand Champion: Jacob Schickedanz, Ochiltree County 4-H, $675,000 Reserve Grand Champion: Jett Hale, Miami FFA, $690,000 Jacob Schickedanz, a 16-year-old sophomore from Perryton, Texas, exhibited the Grand Champion black crossbred steer. His steer was purchased with support from Sally Flores, Belinda Flores Young, and Chay Flores Taylor, who donated in memory of Rigo Flores,…

The Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) are partnering to improve grain bin safety by donating two grain rescue tubes and two training sessions to fire and rescue departments in Nebraska. In collaboration with Nationwide and the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), the initiative aims to equip rural fire and rescue teams with the knowledge and tools to respond to grain bin entrapments effectively. Grain bin accidents are still common, with suffocation from engulfment being the leading cause of death in grain bins. Between 2007 and 2023, there were 573 documented grain entrapments, and nearly…

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced that the implementation of the final rule under the Horse Protection Act will be further delayed until February 1, 2026. Originally set to take effect on February 1, 2025, and later postponed until April 2, 2025, the rule has been delayed again in response to a legal challenge and the need for APHIS to reassess its implementation strategy. A federal court ruling found that portions of the 2024 Horse Protection final rule exceeded APHIS’s authority and failed to provide due process, vacating specific provisions related to the use of action…