Author: staff

According to USDA’s most recent Crop Progress report, the oat crop across the country’s top oat-growing states was rated 47% good-to-excellent the week ending May 11. A year ago, that percentage was 63%. The nine leading oat-producing states are experiencing varied conditions, with positive ratings in some areas being offset by lower ratings in others. For five states, at least 79% of the respective oat crop was rated good-to-excellent. For the remaining four, that percentage ranges from just 13% to 41%.  Here’s a closer look at the numbers. Pennsylvania The state with the highest rated oat crop is Pennsylvania. As…

By Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek May 12 (Reuters) – Hundreds of veterinarians, support staff, and lab workers at the animal health arm of the USDA have left under the Trump administration’s push for resignations, according to three sources familiar with the situation, leaving fewer specialists to respond to animal disease outbreaks. The departures come as the country battles its longest-ever outbreak of bird flu and faces the encroachment of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating pest detected among cattle in Mexico. “With the decrease in USDA veterinary positions, there is concern that fewer veterinarians will be able to perform ongoing regulatory requirements, disease investigations, and response planning…

Have you ever reached into the silverware drawer, grabbed a fork instead of a spoon, and tried to eat your soup anyway? I have. You poke around for a bit trying to make it work, but eventually, you give up and go get the right tool. Same thing with a toolbox. I needed a Phillips-head screwdriver once, didn’t have one. So I grabbed a flathead, tilted it at an angle, and tried to get some bite. Sometimes it works. Sometimes you strip the screw. Either way, wrong tool for the job. And that’s exactly what’s happening in how we talk…

By Ryan Hanrahan Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher and Rebekah Alvey reported that “House Republicans are proposing to cut $290 billion from nutrition assistance spending over the next 10 years and use some of the savings to increase spending on commodity programs, crop insurance and other farm bill programs.” “The draft text released Monday evening for the House Agriculture Committee’s piece of a massive budget reconciliation bill is designed to comply with the panel’s instructions to make a $230 billion net reduction in projected spending over the next 10 years,” Brasher and Alvey reported. Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “the Ag…

The Ohio Valley is expected to see precipitation through the middle of the week, with rains concentrated in Ohio, southern Indiana, and Illinois. Later in the week, a low will move into the Northern Plains, bringing precipitation to the eastern halves of North and South Dakota.  Matt Griffin, director of meteorological development for BAM Weather, said farmers in Ohio will see planting delays this week.  “I’m concerned – especially through Wednesday – these scattered downpours in Ohio will continue to delay planting there,” Griffin said. “Having talked to several folks in Ohio, I know they’re kind of behind the eight…

Ford Motor Company’s decision to discontinue flex fuel engine options in new vehicles has left consumers with fewer choices for flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), especially farmers who grow the corn used to produce ethanol.  Missouri Corn Growers Association CEO and farmer Bradley Schad wrote a letter to Ford in April 2025 also signed by corn growers’ associations in 22 states.  “I grew up in a Ford family, and as a poor college student, I started blending my own ethanol for my F-150 to save money,” Schad said. “I became passionate about educating people about ethanol, and purchased my first flex…

At the Monday market close, July corn was down 1¾¢ at $4.48 per bushel. July soybeans were 19½¢ higher at $10.71¼ per bushel. “Weekend trade developments were more favorable than expected.” Said Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting, “The main factor was the meeting between the United States and China that scaled tariffs back to between 10% and 30% for at least the next 90 days as talks start to end the trade war. This is not an end to the trade conflict between the two but a considerable improvement from just a week ago. This brought managed money…

The corn growing season is well underway across the top 18 corn growing states. Here are the details published from the May 12 Crop Progress report. 1. Six states have less than half their corn planted. Farmers in Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have less than half of their 2025 corn crop in the ground. This is not unusual in these northern states. In fact, of these states, only Ohio corn planting progress is behind the five-year average pace. Nick Groth is an agronomist in Wisconsin. “I don’t think any farmers feel behind, yet,” he said Monday.…

With the school year coming to a close, Discover Dairy’s “Adopt a Cow” program continued to expand its reach this school year. Thanks to support from partners and donors, over 43,000 classrooms participated and more than 1.7 million students across the globe were impacted by the year-long dairy education program. The program continues to be free for teachers and groups who use it and gives students an inside look at a dairy farm in the United States by “adopting” a cow to follow throughout the year. “We had the highest number of students impacted by Adopt a Cow in program…

After a weekend of trade negotiations in Switzerland, the United States and China revealed terms of a 90-day reduction of tariffs Monday in a joint statement. The news brings down the temperature of a trade war that reached its peak when President Trump upped tariffs on one of the U.S.’s top three trade partners.  In the release, the nations said the agreement shows they recognize “the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.” Duties on imports from China will now drop from 145% to 30%, and China’s tariffs on U.S. imports will drop from 125%…