Author: staff

By Ella Cao, Lewis Jackson and Chandni Shah Aug 10 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday urged China to quadruple its soybean purchases ahead of a key tariff truce deadline, sending Chicago soybean prices higher, though analysts were quick to question the feasibility of any such deal. In a late night post on Truth Social, Trump said China was worried about a shortage of soybeans and he hoped it would quickly quadruple its soybean orders from the U.S. “Rapid service will be provided. Thank you President XI,” Trump said in his post. The most active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Sv1 jumped 2.38% to $10.11 a bushel…

The National FFA Organization membership has reached a new milestone with Texas and California leading the nation. Membership continues to swell beyond the historic 1 million-student milestone. According to the organization, total student membership now stands at 1,042,245, marking a 1.5 percent increase from last year. These members are part of 9,407 local chapters across the nation for the 2024-2025 school year. The growth is believed to reflect the continued interest in agricultural education and leadership opportunities for youth, as well as the expanding diversity of careers available in agriculture. “It’s exciting to watch the interest in agricultural education and…

Top Third Ag Marketing helps farmers become better agricultural marketers with the goal of marketing crops and livestock in the top third of prices. Mark Gold and his team provide AGDAILY.com with the latest information and a look ahead in their audio commentary. Listen here! https://www.agdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/top-third-agdaily-2025-08-11.mp3 The post Markets in Minutes: Top Third looks ahead for week of Aug. 11, 2025 appeared first on AGDAILY.

In the world of raising junior livestock, the projects often have a way of testing you. Sometimes it’s the hours spent walking a stubborn lamb. Other times, it’s the late-night feedings in the heat or the cold. And sometimes, it’s a pig that decides at the most inopportune moment that the show ring is the last place on Earth it wants to be. That was the scene for 10-year-old Flint Van Buren of Grace, Idaho, at this year’s Caribou County Fair. His barrow, Stitch, had been a handful from the start. “He was pretty stout,” Flint’s mom, Nicky Van Buren,…

By Tom Polansek August 7 (Reuters) – Nebraska cattle rancher Craig Uden bought 200 extra mother cows and their babies over a few weeks in May to expand his herd as dry weather gave way to rain that rejuvenated land used for grazing. In South Dakota, Troy Hadrick kept 16 more young female cows, known as heifers, on his farm than he did last year to be used for breeding, rather than sending them to be slaughtered for beef. More than 1,400 miles south in Texas, the biggest cattle-producing state, Fausto Salinas was also preserving heifers to increase his herd. In major…

Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois State Fair officials unveiled the 2025 Butter Cow in the Dairy Building today. Inspired by this year’s fair theme of “Adventure Awaits,” sculptor Sarah Pratt’s creation captures the spirit of the fair through the eyes of an adventurer. While the Butter Cow is the undisputed star of the show, the cow has a delightful companion – an adventurer seeking hidden treasures across the fairgrounds. As in years past, 13 hearts have been hidden between the two displays to signify the 13 essential nutrients found naturally in milk. Pratt was joined this year by her husband…

Ten innovation-driven enterprises will go head-to-head for the top prize of $100,000 in the 2026 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, continues to encourage agricultural innovation through the challenge. The challenge is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to present to a panel of judges their emerging ideas and businesses in the agricultural industry, with a chance to earn $100,000 in startup funds. Farm Bureau is offering a total of $145,000 in funding throughout the course of the competition. “With the world around us changing at a rapid pace, there’s a near-constant need…

A 6-year-old boy was killed recently after he was struck in the head by farm machinery while helping clean a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, barn. Pennsylvania State Police said authorities were dispatched around 3:32 p.m. Thursday to Paradise Township following reports of a farm accident involving a child. Investigators determined that the victim and a 14-year-old boy were operating a skid steer inside a barn during cleaning operations. According to the news release sent out by state police, as the 14-year-old was operating the vehicle and going down with the machine’s arms, the younger child attempted to exit the skid steer. He…

Today, the USDA published the 19th Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. Corn As of Aug. 10, 94% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had reached the silking stage. Progress is just shy of the five-year average of 95%. The USDA said 58% of the nation’s corn crop had reached the dough stage, on track with the five-year average. Fourteen percent of the crop across 15 states had reached the dent stage by Aug. 10, which is one percentage point ahead of the five-year average.…

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Discover Dairy are inviting educators to register for the popular Adopt a Cow program, now open for the 2025-26 school year. This udderly delightful, and completely free, experience connects students with a real Wisconsin calf and her farm family, turning agriculture education into an unforgettable adventure. “Adopt-A-Cow provides an engaging way to connect elementary school students to agriculture and learn about their farmer next door,” said Erika Schade, DFW’s School & Community Programs Manager. “Last year, we reached 55,000 students in over 1,500 classrooms, helping them gain a better understanding of how dairy products reach…