Author: staff

By Joe Janzen, Scott Irwin, and Yu-Chi Wang In the past five years, the renewable diesel boom has spurred new demand for soybean oil as a feedstock in production of biofuels. Soybean processors can respond to higher demand like this in multiple ways. Most obviously, they can crush more soybeans to produce more soybean oil. The downside to more crushing activity is more soybean meal, the other main product of the soybean crushing process. A lack of demand for this additional soybean meal may hurt soybean processing margins and keep soybean prices lower than they otherwise would be. Irwin and…

The Farmers’ Almanac — not to be confused with the similarly titled Old Farmer’s Almanac — has released its long-range forecast for the winter of 2025-26. According to the folks there, the theme for the season is clear: “Chill, Snow, Repeat.” For farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across the country, that means it’s time to prepare for a winter marked by dramatic swings and widespread wintry weather. Although the season officially begins with the winter solstice on December 21, 2025, the almanac warns that cold and snow could arrive much earlier in certain regions, with some areas expected to feel…

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled her policy aimed at addressing rural veterinarian shortages this week. “In many rural areas, there simply aren’t enough food animal veterinarians, leaving livestock without timely access to preventive care and vulnerable to dangerous diseases that can wipe out herds and flocks,” wrote David Schmitt, former Iowa state veterinarian, in an Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine blog post. Rollins’ op-ed column published below highlights the challenges faced by food animal veterinarians, particularly in rural areas, and briefly describes solutions that USDA will pursue. The department shared a more detailed policy plan to help fill…

The MAHA Commission has publicly released its long-awaited Strategy Report, aimed at tackling the “crisis” of chronic illnesses facing our children. It compliments the MAHA Assessment published in May 2025, which identified four major causes of the crisis: poor diet, chemical exposures, lack of physical activity and stress, and overmedicalization. (You’ll recall that that report contained several fake citations written with the help of a generative AI platform like ChatGPT.) The main strategies discussed in this newly released followup document by the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led commission align around four areas that sound pretty reasonable: advance research, realign incentives and…

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Sept. 11, 2001, Linda Keller was living with her husband at a B-1 bomber base in South Dakota, where he was serving in the Air Force. She watched on television, stunned, as planes struck the World Trade Center towers. Moments later, her husband’s phone rang. He was ordered to report to the command center immediately. School was canceled. The base went into lockdown. “When we heard about Flight 93 going down in western Pennsylvania — which is home for me and my husband — chills and panic went through me,” Keller said. “The phone system…

By Ella Cao, Naveen Thukral, and Karl Plume BEIJING/SINGAPORE/CHICAGO, Sept. 10 (Reuters) – U.S. farmers are missing out on billions of dollars of soybean sales to China halfway through their prime marketing season, as stalled trade talks halt exports and rival South American suppliers step in to fill the gap, traders and analysts said. Chinese importers have booked around 7.4 million metric tons of mainly South American soybeans for October shipment, covering 95% of China’s projected demand for the month and 1 million tons for November, or about 15% of expected imports, according to two Asia-based traders. By this time last year, Chinese buyers had booked around…

The National Pork Producers Council is accepting applications for the 2026 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship. Each year, 10 $2,500 scholarships are awarded to college students preparing for careers in the pork industry and aspiring to become future industry leaders. The program is made possible through support from CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation. “The future of our industry depends on the passion and commitment of the next generation,” said Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “This scholarship is about more than financial support. It is about encouraging young people to pursue their…

By Ryan Hanrahan Politico’s Marcia Brown, Grace Yarrow, Carmen Paun, and Annie Snider reported that “the Trump administration’s highly anticipated policy strategy to improve children’s health outcomes targets ultra-processed food, vaccine use and exposure to chemicals but doesn’t go as far as some industry groups feared in proposing new regulations.” “The Make America Healthy Again Commission report, released Tuesday, largely mirrors the draft plan officials shared with industry representatives last month,” Brown, Yarrow, Paun, and Snider reported. “It stops short of restrictions on pesticide use, focusing instead on changes like reforming FDA regulatory pathways, investigating food ingredients, modernizing American vaccines…

1. Grains, Soybeans Little Changed Overnight Grain and soybean futures were little change overnight, propped up by declining crop conditions but pressured as the U.S. harvest begins.  About 68% of U.S. corn was in good or excellent condition as of Sunday, the Department of Agriculture said in a report. That’s down a percentage point week to week.  Four percent of the crop was harvested at the start of the week, just ahead of the prior five-year average of 3%, the agency said.  Texas led the way with 69% of its crop in the bin, followed by North Carolina at 44%. …

The Make America Healthy Again Commission recommends continued research on the role pesticides and plastics play in development of chronic disease in children and also suggests easing some regulations on farms.  The final report released Tuesday appears to be almost indistinguishable from the draft that was leaked last month, avoiding any mention of specific pesticides. The first MAHA report, billed as an assessment of the health threats facing children, highlighted the potential health impacts of glyphosate and atrazine. That angered the ag community, which is worried about the loss of crop protection tools, and caused Health and Human Services Secretary…