Author: staff

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the termination of more than 145 USDA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion focused awards yesterday, totaling an estimated $148.6 million in savings, in a sweeping policy reversal that aims to refocus department priorities on traditional agricultural and rural development efforts. “Putting American Farmers First means cutting the millions of dollars that are being wasted on woke DEI propaganda,” said Secretary Rollins. “Under President Trump’s leadership, I am putting an end to the waste, fraud, and abuse that has diverted resources from American farmers and restoring sanity and fiscal stewardship to the U.S. Department…

By Nate Raymond June 18 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court established rules of the road on Wednesday to determine when lawsuits challenging actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency related to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions should be heard by regional appeals courts or an appeals court in Washington that often hears regulatory cases. The 7-2 ruling held that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and not the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is the proper court to hear a lawsuit by small oil refiners challenging the EPA’s denial of waivers exempting them from national biofuel mandates. That…

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed a case of bovine tuberculosis in a cow originating from the Pembina Valley Region of Manitoba, prompting a quarantine of the infected herd and a wider investigation to prevent further spread. The case was first detected on June 9, 2025, when CFIA’s Ottawa Laboratory Fallowfield identified the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in tissue samples collected at a federally inspected slaughter facility in Manitoba. By June 13, the bacterium was confirmed to be Mycobacterium bovis, the pathogen responsible for bovine TB. Although Canada has been officially free of bovine TB for decades, isolated…

Establishing proper guidance lines in your farm management software is a simple way to keep your machinery aligned in the field while making passes throughout the whole season. Follow along with these tips to get started. John Deere John Deere display John Deere To get started, drive your tractor to the desired field, and orient your tractor with the desired heading direction. Tap the “Menu” button on the bottom right of the John Deere display, tap “Applications,” and then tap “AutoTrac Guidance” toward the top left of the screen.  Select “Set Track” on the top right of the screen to…

The country’s winter wheat harvest is well underway, according to the most recent USDA Crop Progress report. As of June 15, nine of the top 18 winter wheat-growing states had begun to harvest the crop.  Overall, 10% of the nation’s crop has been harvested, behind the average of 16%. All but two states were behind their respective five-year averages — anywhere from 1 percentage point to 16 percentage points behind. Here’s a closer look at winter wheat progress and conditions across the country. Arkansas Although half the nation’s top winter wheat-growing states haven’t even begun harvest, Arkansas farmers have harvested…

By Cami Koons Iowa crops continue to rate well, though average rainfall across Iowa last week was less than seven-tenths of an inch and some regions suffered from damaging hail storms. While the average soil moisture conditions rate 70% adequate for topsoil and 60% adequate for subsoil conditions, some regions of the state have much drier conditions, according the crop progress and condition report prepared by the USDA. In southeast Iowa, topsoil moisture rated 34% short and 10% very short, and subsoil moisture rated 48% short. Southwest Iowa had similar figures, topsoil moisture rated 33% short and 10% very short and subsoil…

By Galen Bacharier Democrats in the North Carolina Senate want to force a vote on a $464 million hurricane aid bill, aiming to un-tether the relief from ongoing state budget negotiations. The House unanimously passed House Bill 1012 in late May, approving another round of aid for the western mountains. It includes long-requested grants for small businesses and money for local governments to rebuild infrastructure. But the bill has been frozen in the Senate, as Republican leaders from both chambers negotiate a compromise on the state budget. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, has signaled he would prefer that the Helene aid be part…

By Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal KANANASKIS, Alberta, June 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an agreement on Monday formally lowering some tariffs on imports from Britain as the countries continue working toward a formal trade deal. The deal, announced by Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the U.K. aerospace sector, but the issue of steel and aluminum remains unresolved. Other critical industries, such as pharmaceuticals, were not mentioned. Trump said the relationship with Britain was “fantastic,” as he waved, and then briefly…

What Happened Since the third week of May, weather conditions for most farmers in the Midwest have taken a turn for the better. Those struggling with hot and dry conditions or those who received too much rain experienced positive changes. The western Midwest received much-needed rain and lower temperatures, while the eastern and southern Midwest dried out. Farmers made rapid progress, with corn plantings at 97% complete as of June 8 in the top 18 growing states, the same as the five-year average. Early ratings for corn conditions were 71% good-to-excellent, 2 percentage points better than the previous week. Soybean…

AGDAILY Reporters · June 17, 2025 Closing the Mental Health Gap Among Rural Youth in the US, which won three Telly Awards for outstanding branded content highlighting rural youth’s critical mental health concerns. Produced by Rural Minds in collaboration with Pfizer, National Grange, and USA TODAY, the video touches on issues of stigma, isolation, and shortages of providers. It features the story of Asheton Medlin, whose own personal experience of a peer suicide as a small-town college student underscores the unique stresses rural youth face in adjusting to new circumstances. Rural youths between the ages of 15 and 19 have…