Author: staff

By Valerie Volcovici and Lisa Baertlein WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) – Fossil fuel and agriculture industry representatives are expected to criticize the Trump administration’s plan to impose big fees on China-linked ships entering U.S. ports during a hearing in Washington on Wednesday, arguing the move would hobble their ability to export everything from coal to soybeans. At issue are proposed fees on China-built vessels that could top $3 million per U.S. port call. The Trump administration says the fees would curb China’s commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote a revival in U.S. shipbuilding, but numerous other U.S. industries, from miners to farmers, worry the fees will…

Less than a week before USDA is set to release its latest projections, the 2025 Kluis/Successful Farming Planting Intentions survey revealed American farmers plan to seed more corn acres this year, even more than USDA predicted last month. Corn According to the Kluis/SF survey, farmers anticipate planting 95.9 million corn acres for the 2025/2026 crop year, up from 90.6 million in 2024/2025. Last month USDA released the Grains and Oilseeds Outlook for 2025, which pegged 2025/2026 corn acres at 94 million. USDA’s February projections were based on analysis of historical data. Next Monday, March 31, USDA will release the Prospective…

By Cami Koons A St. Louis-based company with an Iowa grain dealer license has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Iowa farmers with unpaid grain sold to Benson Hill Holdings, Inc. prior to March 20, can file a claim for indemnity, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS).  Don McDowell, communications director for IDALS, said the department is not “immediately aware” of any affected farmers.  The grain indemnity fund will pay farmers 90% of their loss, up to $300,000, though claims related to Benson Hill must be mailed or personally delivered to IDALS’s Grain Warehouse Bureau by July 18. …

Authorities in Grainger County, Tennessee, are investigating the theft of 80,000 pounds of beef worth $350,000 from Southeastern Provision LLC, after an allegedly fraudulent trucking company, “List Trucking Sales,” picked up the shipments and disappeared. The theft occurred from a meat processing facility near Bean Station and was discovered when two shipments bound for Kentucky and Michigan never arrived at their destinations. According to the Grainger County Sheriff’s Office, Southeastern Provision had contracted with a logistics provider that subcontracted the deliveries to List Trucking Sales. However, investigators found that all information associated with List Trucking Sales was false and unverifiable.…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has warned California that it could lose federal funding for research and education programs due to a state law that limits parental access to student records related to gender identity. The USDA news release specifically referred to it as “Programs to Implement Radical Transgender Ideology, Violating Parental Rights.” In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a formal review of California’s compliance with federal law, citing potential violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. At the center of the controversy is California Assembly Bill 1955, which took effect on…

1. Grains, Soybeans Lower in Overnight Trading Grain and soybean futures were all lower in overnight trading amid disappointing export sales and calls for favorable weather in U.S. wheat growing areas.  Export sales of wheat fell to 100,300 metric tons in the week that ended on March 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report late yesterday. That’s down 65% from the prior four-week average.  Japan bought 72,000 metric tons from U.S. inventories, Nigeria purchased 53,400 tons, and the Philippines bought 29,800 tons, the agency said.  Corn sales dropped 31% week over week to 1.04 million metric tons. …

A new study identifying genetic factors contributing to bovine tuberculosis susceptibility could represent an important step in the fight against the disease in cattle, and the zoonotic threat it poses to humans. Researchers at University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh, and ETH Zurich have identified several key genes and pathways involved in the bovine response to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle. Bovine TB remains a serious issue in many countries around the world, including in Ireland, and surveillance and control programmes impose a significant financial burden on national exchequers. Human TB is the world’s…

According to data compiled by the Successful Farming team, more than 1,400 acres of Illinois farmland are set to be auctioned in April 2025. Listings range from single tracts of 25.5 acres to a multi-parcel auction of 200 acres. Here’s a closer look at the farmland expected to change hands across 13 Illinois counties. Pike County Peoples Company The largest Illinois farmland auction of the month is set to take place in Pike County where three tracts of land totalling 200 acres will be available for sale in-person or online on April 8, 2025. Adam Crist, a land broker and…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a significant shift in its Rural Development programs, marking a departure from previous practices. In a move that is generating considerable attention, the USDA has decided to remove Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) factors from its grant application and evaluation process. This change will directly impact key rural funding programs, such as the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant and the Community Connect Grants, which provide crucial support to underserved rural communities across the country. This major policy change was outlined by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, signaling a fundamental pivot away from the…

For the past three years, rainfall has been lacking across the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, leaving the area drought-stricken and prone to wildfire. Warren Cude, a third generation commercial cow/calf and commercial sheep operator in Fort Stockton, Texas, said rainfall has been sparse across the region throughout the last three years. The most recent rain on his operation fell during the first weekend of September 2024.  Wildfires a Big Concern “Our biggest scare right now is wildfires,” Cude said. Although the dry weather has limited the amount of grass that could burn, Cude said there are cedar trees that could…