Top Agriculture News

USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer talked about the state of the ag economy and the headwinds it faces in 2024. During his speech at the 100th Annual Ag Outlook Meeting, he said there are challenges ahead. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in trade for agricultural commodities, for bulk agricultural commodities. Maybe the challenge is […]

There has been much discussion during this farm bill cycle about the need to update MAP and FMD spending levels for commodity programs, including for the U.S. Meat Export Federation efforts to promote beef and pork exports. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said additional funding would be put to work right away. “I think […]

Smithfield, Va. — Smithfield Foods has named Kraig Westerbeek as president of its hog production operations effective Feb. 29, reporting to President and Chief Executive Officer Shane Smith. “Kraig has been an extremely valuable asset to Smithfield Foods throughout his career,” said Shane Smith, chief executive officer for Smithfield. “His extensive experience in our hog production […]

Applications are now open for the 2024 South Carolina Commissioner’s School for Agriculture. Tell us about this program, Commissioner.

Last week, the 2022 Census of Agriculture was released which provides a snapshot of North Carolina agriculture. Some of the highlights point to positive trends in agriculture, others highlight the continued need to keep our focus on farmland preservation.  

Heading further into 2024, one of the top missions for Growth Energy is year-round, nationwide access to E15. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor spoke on E15 during her keynote address at the group’s annual meeting. “This past year, we saw some big wins at the state level. Nebraska followed Iowa’s lead with a statewide E15 […]

Sparks flew at the House Ag Committee as Democrats and Republicans stood their ground on farm bill differences, and USDA Secretary Vilsack defended his handling of existing programs. Vilsack immediately came under election-year fire from Ag Chair GT Thompson. “In what seemingly is a daily occurrence, taxpayer dollars are being sent to every corner of […]

They’ve been predicting it for a few years now, but still no recession. That doesn’t mean things have been easy for ag producers over that time. RaboBank strategist Steve Nicholson says the key now is that there are still jobs available. “Until we see, in my mind, until we see a pullback in jobs created […]

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the United States is 18 months away from a vaccine for bird flu. That news comes as more than 81 million U.S. poultry and aquatic birds have been killed by avian flu across 47 states since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During a Congressional […]

An Arizona District Court vacated the 2020 registration of over-the-top dicamba products, so the Environmental Protection Agency issued an Existing Stocks Order. The order allows limited sale and distribution of dicamba products that were already in possession of growers or in trade channels outside of the control of pesticide companies by February 6. The order […]