Author: staff

The Agriculture Future of America Ambassador Program equips students to shape the future of the agriculture industry. This year, 41 student leaders representing campuses nationwide were selected to serve as a bridge between AFA and the next generation of agricultural professionals. “I am looking forward to connecting with students from all backgrounds and helping them feel welcomed and confident as they explore agriculture and the opportunities within AFA,” said Isla Gooch, Agriculture Technology Management and Education student at The University of Arizona and returning AFA Ambassador. “Serving as an ambassador has deepened my engagement on campus, strengthened my leadership skills,…

National Ag Day will be celebrated March 24, 2026, with a series of events in Washington, D.C., and online highlighting the role of agriculture in everyday life and marking 250 years of agricultural progress in the United States. The Agriculture Council of America announced the theme for 2026 as “Agriculture: Together We Grow: Celebrating 250 Years of Progress in Agriculture,” emphasizing collaboration across the agricultural value chain, from farmers and ranchers to agribusinesses, educators, and consumers. National Ag Day, observed annually for more than 40 years, is designed to raise public awareness about the importance of agriculture in providing safe,…

House Republican leaders struck a deal this week to establish a new rural energy council focused on E15 biofuel, a move intended to resolve internal GOP disagreements but one that has sparked strong backlash from corn growers. According to Bloomberg Government, the agreement would create an E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council through the House rule governing debate on a government funding package expected to advance Thursday. The council would be tasked with submitting legislative proposals related to E15 by Feb. 15, with the goal of considering legislation by Feb. 25. The move follows disputes between House Republican leadership and Midwestern…

Recent legislative action is putting farmers’ access to ag markets at risk, not to mention drinking water supplies and energy production. Appropriations bill HR 6939, recently passed by Congress, includes a measure that provides $50 million dollars to the state of North Dakota to complete a project that will move water out of the Missouri River basin. The bill is now sitting on President Donald Trump’s desk waiting for his signature. We can’t control rain, but we can control how we manage what has been given to us. As the drought-stricken Missouri River Reservoir System places increasing strain on its…

This week, the USDA’s Economic Research Service released its annual Rural America at a Glance report, which provides a high-level look at social and economic conditions in nonmetropolitan (rural) areas of the United States. Specifically, the 20-page report compiles data for things like population change, employment, prominent industry sectors, cost of living, debt, and poverty rates in areas of fewer than 10,000 people. In a broad sense, the latest report found that economic indicators suggest that nonmetro areas have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic economy, which spanned 2020 to 2023. Poverty rates and employment rates both have reached pre-pandemic levels…

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is rolling out a new funding push aimed at keeping New World screwworm from moving north toward the U.S. livestock sector. This week, Rollins announced the launch of the New World Screwworm Grand Challenge, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-led effort designed to accelerate tools and strategies to fight the pest — particularly by strengthening detection, response, and sterile-fly capabilities in Mexico and Central America. “This is a strategic investment in America’s farmers and ranchers and is an important action to ensure the safety and future success of our food supply, which is essential to our…

The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is pushing back forcefully after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit challenging Texas’ ban on cell-cultured protein to move forward, keeping the issue squarely in the spotlight for cattle producers and policymakers. On Jan. 20, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright denied the State of Texas’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was brought by cultivated meat companies Wildtype and UPSIDE Foods. While the judge also denied the companies’ request for a preliminary injunction (the ban stays in effect), the ruling allows constitutional claims against the law to proceed. In response, TSCRA President Carl…

The Institute of Food Technologists is now accepting applications for more than 100 undergraduate and graduate scholarships totaling over $260,000, funded through IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund. The nonprofit organization supports students pursuing careers in food science across the global food system. One of the top opportunities is the Elwood F. Caldwell Graduate Fellowship, which provides a $25,000 stipend to students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in food science. The fellowship was established through an endowment from longtime IFT member and Fellow Elwood Caldwell, PhD, known for his work in cereal science and his role as director of research…

When is farmer support not exactly what it seems? Since California’s passage of Prop 12, numerous legal and policy challenges have been initiated, with Congress considering several acts that would directly challenge the future of this measure. Yet in a letter circulating on Capitol Hill, much has been made about the farmers and interest groups that actually support Prop 12 — even though the measure has impacted farmers’ costs, food prices, interstate commerce, and, according to California officials, is “not based in specific peer-reviewed published scientific literature or accepted as standards within the scientific community to reduce human food-borne illness,…

A Maryland farmer has set a new world record for non-irrigated soybean yield, harvesting 154.98 bushels per acre in a no-till, non-irrigated system. Chris Weaver of Hickory Hollow Farms in Finksburg, Maryland, achieved the documented yield through a season-long agronomy plan developed in collaboration with Locus Agriculture (Locus AG), Concept AgriTek, and AgroTech USA, according to an announcement. “We didn’t chase a record with gimmicks. We did it with a real-world setup that other growers can relate to,” Weaver said. “What made the difference was having a trusted team around the farm.” Image courtesy of Locus FS The program combined…