Top Agriculture News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a third installment in regulatory reforms to the Packers and Stockyards Act. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says this third change, in combination with the others, is intended to level the playing field for farmers raising livestock under contract or for sale to meat and poultry processing companies. “We announced […]

Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land remains a widely debated topic. Two additional years of data from 2022 and 2023 became available recently, and Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says only a small portion of that land is held by adversarial nations. “Foreign ownership of U.S. ag land increased by […]

Many estimates for the January WASDE said that it would likely be a rather uneventful report, but the USDA loves to prove us wrong, and they did that by making cuts to both the corn and soybean numbers, while leaving the South American crop unchanged. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said this news is very […]

What’s ahead in farming and ranching for 2025? George Baird of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers starts by looking back at what happened in 2024. “You know, when we look at ’24 and think back to what the market gave us over the last three or four years, good prices, some […]

Following positive confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial layer operation last week, NCDA&CS and the State Vet urges poultry farmers to remain vigilant with biosecurity measures. This marks the first case of HPAI in commercial poultry since February 2024.

Voting has wrapped up on whether to approve the new Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Leonard Polzin is the dairy markets and policy outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin. “Ballots have to be received by USDA by January 15, so they had to be postmarked by December 31. So, all the voting has taken place, […]

Tickets are available now for the 4th annual Certified SC Showcase.  Here is Commissioner Weathers to tell us more. Commissioner: We’re excited to announce that registration for the 2025 Certified SC Showcase is now open!  This year’s two-day event features The Taste of South Carolina reception on Wednesday, March 26 which will be held at […]

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. Friday’s USDA report was a real bullish surprise for corn and soybeans. The adjustments from November 2024 to January 2025 were the second largest in history for both corn and soybeans. There are a lot of questions […]

The margins in farm country remain tight, and that has many farmers and ranchers concerned for 2025. Dr. Jeff Dorfman is an economist at NC State University, and says the economy is something of a mixed bag right now/ “Well, I think the economy in 2025 is going to be pretty good in terms of […]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein kicked off his term in office by praising the resilience of residents following Hurricane Helene. And he pledged to “cut through red tape to help people rebuild quicker.” The Democrat also offered an upbeat message about working with the Republican-controlled General Assembly on a host of issues. They ranged from creating jobs and recruiting teachers to smashing drug rings and combating the ravages of fentanyl. Stein spoke Saturday during a televised address from the House chambers of the old Capitol building. A larger outdoor inauguration ceremony had been scheduled but was canceled because of winter weather.