Author: staff

I keenly remember learning the about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid — which was released here in the early ’90s — during my elementary and middle school years. Even as a child, it was easy to comprehend the widest part of the food pyramid contained the foods I should eat the most of, followed by smaller amounts of the upper levels. As you can see from the 1992 diagram below, fats and oils were the smallest level and therefore, meant to be consumed the least. This was in the days of ostracizing all fat, including the cholesterol in…

The winner of the 2026 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is Max, a 4-year-old Border Collie owned by Oklahoma Farm Bureau members John, Charla and Brynley Enns. AFBF, with support from Nestlé Purina PetCare, recognized Max as the winner, from among nearly 100 contenders. Max was selected by a team of judges. Members of the public voted online to select the People’s Choice Pup. Goose, owned by Kentucky Farm Bureau member Lindie Huffman, was named People’s Choice Pup. Two other dogs were finalists for People’s Choice Pup: Ruby Hope, owned by Indiana member Travis Burkhart; and Bubbles,…

Farmland values are still high historically, but according to a newly released 2026 land values report, current signs indicate a more complex situation driven by local and regional factors rather than nationwide trends. “After years of steady growth, we’re seeing the farmland market stabilize,” said Colton Lacina, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company, the company that created the report. “This isn’t a sign of collapse but a recalibration that reflects current commodity prices, input costs and regional production conditions.” Farmland demand now varies widely by location. Areas with high crop yields, diversified farms, and dependable…

Kansas is currently experiencing the most severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States, with nearly 414,000 birds affected, according to recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The majority of losses stem from a single commercial poultry operation in Pottawatomie County, where approximately 380,000 birds were impacted. However, cases have been confirmed in other regions, bringing USDA reports to four infected commercial flocks and six backyard flocks across the state. HPAI is a broad classification of avian influenza viruses that includes highly contagious strains such as H5 and H7. The disease is considered nearly 100…

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to extend federal support for broadband infrastructure aimed at improving internet access in rural America. U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., introduced the Middle Mile for Rural America Act, legislation that would reauthorize a U.S. Department of Agriculture program supporting middle-mile broadband projects for another five years. The bill proposes a reauthorization covering fiscal years 2026 through 2031, extending authority under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to fund middle-mile broadband infrastructure that connects rural communities to high-speed internet networks. “If we’re going to ensure reliable, high-speed broadband service to…

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law, restoring whole and reduced-fat milk options to school lunch programs nationwide for the first time in more than a decade. The bipartisan legislation gives schools greater flexibility to offer a wider range of fluid milk choices, including whole, 2%, 1%, skim, flavored, unflavored, and lactose-free milk. Supporters of the bill say the change will improve student nutrition while better aligning school meals with what families consume at home. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ar.) called the signing “a milestone for the health and well-being…

Winners of the Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award, Discussion Meet and Excellence in Agriculture competitive events were announced at the American Farm Bureau’s 107th Convention. Young farmers and ranchers from across the country competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge, achievement and commitment to promoting agriculture. First-place award winners in each of the three competitive events receive $35,000 in credit toward a new Ford vehicle, as well as paid registration to the AFBF YF&R Conference, which will be held March 13 to 16 in Portland, Oregon. Both prizes are provided by Ford Motor Company. Runners-up who finish in second…

Ranchers say the real conflict is with the rules and whether agencies can keep up. Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series exploring the impact that wolf reintroduction in the U.S. has had on livestock operations. Caution: This article includes graphic images of livestock carcasses. Wolves are no longer a hypothetical part of the Western United States. For ranchers that are operating in recovery, reintroduction, and even zones where wolves are crossing state lines, they’re a daily management reality. As apex predators, wolves bring a new layer of risk to operations that are often already stretched thin by drought,…

A Louisiana-based ag-tech startup focused on artificial intelligence took top honors this year at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Ag Innovation Challenge, earning $100,000 to expand its platform designed to help farmers manage operations more efficiently. FarmMind was named the winner of the 12th annual Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge during the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. The competition, hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation in partnership with Farm Credit, highlights Farm Bureau member-led startups developing new tools and technologies for agriculture. FarmMind brings multiple agricultural workflows into a single platform, including field notes, GIS management, regulatory compliance, financial…

“This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” Nearly 20 years ago, a Brazilian lobbying group for soy trading and processing companies signed onto a historic conservation deal known as the Amazon soy moratorium. The voluntary agreement prohibits members from buying soybeans grown on lands deforested after July 2008. Proponents of the deal say that it has been highly effective at protecting forest land without impeding soy production over the last two decades. Under the moratorium, growing soy on other lands — like those cleared before 2008, or pasture or savannah lands — is…