Author: staff

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…

Smart sprayers powered by artificial intelligence could help Midwest corn and soybean growers cut foliar herbicide use — and trim input bills — without sacrificing weed control, according to new research published in Weed Science, a journal of the Weed Science Society of America. The study evaluated field trials run in 2022 and 2023 near Manhattan, Kansas, and in 2023 near Seymour, Illinois. Researchers compared targeted “spot spray” applications using AI-enabled technology with traditional broadcast spraying. “This research demonstrated that significant herbicide use reductions are possible with smart sprayers compared with broadcast applications,” said Anita Dille, a Kansas State University…

CORTLAND, New York — The current layout of Fouts Farm is a vision from her father, written on a napkin when he first became a partner almost 30 years ago and fully realized only recently. It was a vision for a farm that sits in one of the most productive dairying regions in New York. Nestled 30 minutes from Cayuga Lake and Cornell University, Cortland County offers rolling hills for pasture and fertile ground for silage. It’s an ideal location for Fouts Farm — painted yellow in its early years so businesses could find them easily, a barn and house…

Image by Shyntartanya, Shutterstock The National Dairy Herd Information Association has awarded $1,000 scholarships to 12 high school seniors and college students pursuing careers connected to the dairy industry. Recipients were selected by the National DHIA Scholarship Committee based on academic achievement, leadership in school and community activities, and responses to questions focused on Dairy Herd Improvement programs and career goals. To be eligible, applicants must be a family member or employee of a herd on DHI test, a family member of a DHI employee, or an employee of a DHI affiliate that is a member of National DHIA. This…

DAILY Bites A new German study using shipment-level import data finds roughly 96% of the 2025 U.S. tariff burden was paid by U.S. buyers, with foreign exporters absorbing about 4%. The study reports little evidence that exporters cut prices to offset tariffs; instead, higher duties were associated with sharp drops in trade volumes (including “shock” tariff hikes on Brazil and India in August 2025). China plans tariff reductions on Canadian canola starting March 1, 2026. DAILY Discussion Tariffs have a cornerstone to Trump-era trade strategies, and a major topic among farmers. A new German study has explored the past year’s…