Author: staff

By Ryan Hanrahan Bloomberg’s Hallie Gu and Salma El Wardany reported that “global prices of key fertilizer ingredient urea have surged alongside escalating violence in the Middle East, which threatens to choke supplies of the crop nutrient from a significant producing and exporting region.” “Nearly half of world’s urea exports are sourced from manufacturing facilities on the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, with recent strikes putting those supplies at risk,” Gu and El Wardany reported. “Egypt and Iran have already curtailed production, which alone were responsible for almost 20% of global urea trade last year, according to Chris Lawson,…

September corn ended the day down a penny at $4.04 per bushel. November soybeans closed down 2¢ at $10.16½ per bushel. September wheat contracts also ended the day lower. CBOT wheat was down 7¾¢ at $5.36¾ per bushel. KC wheat was down 5½¢ at $5.33¾. Minneapolis wheat was down 2½¢ at $6.25½. “Traders continued to shore up positions and move to the sidelines until we get past next Monday’s expected volatility,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. Next Monday, USDA is expected to release the annual Acreage report as well as the June Grain Stocks report. “History shows…

By John Cole As U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) conducts raids on farms at the direction of the Trump administration, some lawmakers and agricultural organizations in Pennsylvania are criticizing the effort. “This move could have devastating consequences for our nation’s food security,” Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Chris Hoffman said in a statement. “Without a stable, dependable workforce, our fields will go unplanted, our crops unharvested, and our livestock uncared for. The dedicated men and women who work on our farms alongside our farmers are not just employees; they are the bedrock of our food supply chain. “Any disruption to their ability…

Bish Enterprises has announced pre-orders for the SuperCrop Header, built for sorghum, sunflowers, popcorn, dryland corn, and industrial hemp. The header is designed for versatility, reducing the need for frequent changeovers.  “We designed the SuperCrop Header using common, off-the-shelf parts because we understand that equipment downtime is costly,” said Andrew Bish, CEO of Bish Enterprises. “By making repairs easier, whether farmers fix it themselves or work through local dealers, we help keep farmers moving and losses to a minimum. We’re especially proud of the hydraulic row-unit angle adjustment — no other header offers this. It’s a game-changer for tough harvests,…

A Chadron, Nebraska, rancher is facing a staggering list of felony charges after authorities discovered 56 dead cows and a deceased puppy on his property. The investigation, led by the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, has drawn attention in rural Nebraska and beyond.  According to multiple news sources, including News Channel Nebraska, Dillon McGannon, 29, was first arrested on May 28 after being accused of shooting a woman’s red heeler puppy and sending her a photo of the animal along with threatening messages. He was charged with intentionally and knowingly torturing an animal resulting in death, disturbing the peace, and intimidation…

This week in Washington, D.C., Senate Republicans have been working round the clock to produce their “one big, beautiful” bill and deliver a final product to President Donald Trump before Independence Day. But they’ve run into a handful of objections from the Senate parliamentarian and the workaround could have a big impact on rural hospitals.  Meanwhile, Trump pulled the plug on trade negotiations with Canada and his team pledged to unveil new trade deals with several other countries next week. As the U.S. Supreme Court wraps up its terms for the year, justices delivered a key decision to support rural…

It goes without saying that farmers care about what happens in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Brooke Rollins had no problem getting the votes necessary to confirm her nomination as USDA secretary back in February. Since then, she’s worked to change the agency and align it with President Donald Trump’s vision. So what is she doing, and is it serving our family farms? Let’s discuss. Who is Brooke Rollins? “Wait, who?” was the general question raised when Rollins’ name was announced for the top spot at the USDA. Rollins was virtually unknown nationally before her nomination, though she does have…

Demanding higher wages and improved benefits, an overwhelming majority of unionized workers at Tyson Foods of Amarillo, Texas — the largest beef processing plant in the United States — have voted to go on strike.  Teamsters Local 577 has filed a number of unfair labor practice charges against Tyson, alleging violations of labor law. In the past month alone, the union says management has harassed union stewards, coerced injured employees into dropping claims, illegally interrogated union members, and falsely told workers at the facility that if they engaged in an unfair labor practice strike, they would lose their jobs. The…

This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor shows a sharply divided drought picture, with rainfall improving conditions across parts of the Midwest, while the Northwest continues to deteriorate under rapid drying. Side-by-side maps of the U.S. showing drought conditions for June 17 and June 24, 2025. Midwest Heavy rains brought improvement to drought or dryness conditions in areas of Iowa, northern Missouri, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northeast Minnesota. Rainfall totals locally exceeded 5 inches from northwest Missouri to southern Wisconsin. In Kansas City, Missouri, and Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, areas, abnormal dryness grew in coverage as soil moisture and streamflow dropped amid growing…

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt in Oklahoma City on Thursday to officially launch the Make Oklahoma Healthy Again campaign. The initiative is a state-level extension of the national Make America Healthy Again movement, championed by Kennedy and President Donald Trump. “For far too long, we have settled for food that has made us sicker as a nation,” said Stitt. “In Oklahoma, we’re choosing common sense, medical freedom, and personal responsibility. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have led the charge nationally, I’m grateful for their support as we Make Oklahoma Healthy…