Author: staff

The National FFA Organization launched its new Chapter Connect pilot program this year. It facilitated the first in-person connections during the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo, with interactive activities expected to continue throughout the school year. This nationwide initiative was built around intentional engagement before, during and after the conference, and is designed to foster deeper, more meaningful relationships among FFA members. As part of this program, selected chapters from different regions and backgrounds were paired up and participated in workshops, sessions and planned convention activities together. These relationships built leading up to the National FFA Convention will continue…

What Happened As 2025 winds down, 2026 marketing decisions begin to loom larger on the horizon. Many decisions will need to be made as marketing opportunities unfold. Creating a balanced approach in front of the upcoming season will take time, energy, and concentrated effort. Yet, it can be kept somewhat simple with strategic planning and discipline. Make it your goal to market a portion of the crop prior to summer with forward sales and use options to cover both downside risk and upside opportunities.  Why This Is Important Assuming normal crop production, it is not unusual for the market to…

As U.S. poultry producers face a sharp resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a bipartisan coalition in Congress is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately restore full surveillance, reporting, and coordination efforts. The push comes amid more than 90 new detections in the last 30 days and over 1.6 million birds infected, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.  The letter, is led by Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Sarah McBride (D-Del.) and warns that weakened federal monitoring, coupled with the recent government shutdown and staffing reductions, has left farmers without the timely information they need as the…

March corn ended the day up 1½¢ at $4.38¼ per bushel. January soybeans closed up 1½¢ at $11.24¾ per bushel. March CBOT wheat closed up 4½¢ at $5.39¼ per bushel. March KC wheat was up 5¾¢ at $5.28¼ per bushel. March Minneapolis wheat was up 4¾¢ at $5.80¾. “Grains spent early trade on the plus side this morning while the soy complex was mostly lower,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “Short covering ahead of first notice day on December futures gave the grains support as did several overnight sales, especially on corn. While none of these were…

Gracyn Stevens of Kirklin, Indiana, is the winner of the 13th annual NCBA National Anthem Contest. Stevens will sing the Star-Spangled Banner at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville from Feb. 3 to 5.  “Cattle have nutritional and economic value, but to me their value is immeasurable; it is an honor to win this contest to represent an industry I love,” Stevens said. “I will strive to make a meaningful impact for years to come.” Stevens appreciates the lessons she learned growing up showing cattle in 4-H. The cattle industry taught her that success is not about the banners, but the effort…

By Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (Reuters) – Chinese purchases of American soybeans are “right on schedule”, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday, citing an agreement for Beijing to buy 87.5 million metric tons of the U.S. product over the next three and a half years. The U.S. and China will always be natural rivals, Bessent said in an interview with CNBC, but the two countries’ relationship is in a good place. On Monday, President Donald Trump touted relations with China as “extremely strong” after a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The call came weeks after the two leaders met in South Korea, where they agreed to a…

The internet is filled with influencers all vying for your views. Who you choose to watch can have a surprisingly impact on how these content creators continue to reach people and on what kind of content the algorithms serve you moving forward. One super popular area for creators today is food. Who hasn’t gotten some great recipes, saw a restaurant you really want to try, or enjoyed watching someone else do all the work of cooking? As we all know, there are a lot of people who bash agriculture, instead favoring misleading labeling claims or talking about how bad a…

In its final Crop Progress report of the growing season, the USDA on Monday detailed the progress and condition of the nation’s growing winter wheat crop. Only a small percentage of the crop is not yet planted, and 87% of it is out of the ground. Plus, overall crop conditions improved compared to a week ago. Here’s a final state-by-state look at the condition and progress of the country’s winter wheat crop. Condition Across the top 18 winter wheat-growing states, 48% of the crop was rated good/excellent as of Nov. 23. That’s an improvement compared to last week, when the…

Dairy’s latest disruption isn’t coming from almonds, oats, or soy, but from a stainless-steel tank. Fermentation-derived and cell-cultured “unreal” milk proteins are starting to show up in U.S. retail channels, and one company, Brown Foods, maker of UnReal Milk, is promising what amounts to making “cow’s milk without the cow.” According to Daily Mail, which included the term “Franken-milk” in its headline, Brown Foods is gearing up for a U.S. retail launch in 2026. Public taste-testing events are already underway, and the company has secured a regulatory green light using the industry-standard GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) self-affirmation route, bypassing…

By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — The head of the USDA said the agency would roll out a relief plan for the country’s agriculture sector in December, offering potential good news in a year of uncertainty for Kansans. Secretary Brooke Rollins did not give details about the plan but indicated the USDA has been analyzing and building a “formula” around the current situation, Bloomberg News reported.  That situation includes the effects of tariffs and trade policy, the lack of a farm bill and the high cost of inputs, factors that are making it difficult for Kansas farmers and ranchers to plan for…