Author: staff

DAILY Bites The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is shifting its sterile fly releases (about 100 million per week) to stop New World screwworm from moving north. Aircraft and sterile insects will be reallocated to concentrate coverage along the United States–Mexico border, including a new dispersal area that extends about 50 miles into Texas near Tamaulipas, Mexico. The strategy pairs sterile fly releases with import requirements and ongoing surveillance and trapping, including dye-marking sterile flies to distinguish them from wild flies and continued monitoring that has found no New World screwworm detections in the…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined Archer Daniels Midland $40 million after the agency found former high-ranking executives artificially inflated the value of one of its businesses. The fine, handed down on Jan. 27 as part of a settlement with the company, relates to ADM’s Nutrition business, which the company had touted as a significant moneymaker to investors. However, as the business failed to meet profit projections, ADM’s chief financial officer shifted funds from other company ventures into Nutrition so it “would appear to be … performing better than it was,” according to the SEC. ADM did not admit…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has delayed implementation of its Horse Protection Amendments final rule, pushing the effective date for the remaining provisions to December 31, 2026. The rule had been slated to begin February 1, 2026, but APHIS says ongoing court action and Congressional direction have made moving forward now impractical. First published in May 2024, the USDA says that the final rule was designed to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act — a federal law aimed at stopping soring, the practice of intentionally causing pain (often through chemicals or mechanical devices)…

DENVER — On a cold, wintry day, over a hundred attendees gathered at the Colorado State University’s SPUR campus to ask, “What is a Future Cowboy?” Ranchers, cattle companies, university students, and staff, as well as those from the general public, all congregated to learn more about the cattle industry and what its future might look like. The Future Cowboy event, hosted by the university’s Ag Innovation Center, was held on the last day of the 2026 National Western Stock Show. With a kickoff speech by Jordan Kraft Lambert, the Director of the Ag Innovation Center at CSU, the event…

On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration to better equip the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team to prevent the potential spread of the New World screwworm into Texas and to better protect livestock and wildlife. “Although the New World screwworm fly is not yet present in Texas or the U.S., its northward spread from Mexico toward the U.S. southern border poses a serious threat to Texas’ livestock industry and wildlife,” Abbott said. “State law authorizes me to act to prevent a threat of infestation that could cause severe damage to Texas property, and I will…

While New England is known for its chowder and Seattle its salmon tossing, when it comes to Super Bowl menus, nothing is hotter than wings. The National Chicken Council today released its annual Chicken Wing Report, projecting Americans to eat 1.48 billion chicken wings watching the Patriots and Seahawks battle for the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 8. This figure represents an increase of about 10 million more wings than last year’s game. “I think Bradley Cooper is wrong: Football is for food,” said NCC spokesperson Tom Super, referencing an Uber Eats ad campaign starring Cooper. “Especially when it comes to…

Undergraduate college students pursuing agricultural communications careers should apply now for up to $3,000 in scholarships from the Agricultural Communicators Network. Three scholarships will be awarded in 2026 to members of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow who have demonstrated commitment to their education and career goals. Three finalists will be selected to participate in an in-person interview for the top scholarship: The Dr. James Evans Scholarship, which is offered in the amount of $3,000. Two runner-ups will receive the Past Presidents’ Scholarship of $2,000. The Dr. James Evans Scholarship is made possible through an endowment from ACN member Lyle Orwig, and…

Earlier this week, Purdue University announced that due to persistently low enrollment, the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication will shutter programs in June 2026. The undergraduate Agricultural Education major will continue within the College of Agriculture.  According to the school’s news release, this action aligns with Indiana Code 21-18-9-10.5, amended in the 2025-27 state budget, which requires Indiana public institutions to review programs with low enrollment and graduation numbers and either eliminate or restructure them. Agricultural Education will remain an undergraduate major in the College of Agriculture and the only agricultural education program at a public university in…

Agricultural waste that is usually burned or left to rot could play a far bigger role in tackling climate change if it were instead used in long-lasting building materials, according to new research from the University of East London. The study shows that fibrous residues from crops such as wheat, rice and maize — produced in billions of tonnes every year worldwide — could act as a powerful carbon sink when diverted into construction products like insulation, boards and panels. Rather than releasing carbon back into the atmosphere within months, these materials can store it for decades. Led by Dr.…

“This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” In his 15 years of farming full time, Quentin Connealy has weathered his share of storms — literally. The first major flood hit in 2011. Three more came in 2019. The waters rose again in 2024 and ruined about 20 percent of his crops. This past summer, he dealt with at least three hail and wind events that damaged his corn and soybeans. To Connealy, whose family has been farming in Nebraska for 131 years, the weather has grown more extreme, posing a greater threat to…