Top Agriculture News

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 13, 2025 — Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a private ceremony Thursday at the Supreme Court building. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rollins by a vote of 72-to-28. “It is the honor of a lifetime to […]

The economists continue to paint a rather bleak picture for farm prices in 2025. Dr. Nick Piggott is a professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at NC State University, and he expects prices to be about the same or perhaps even lower than in 2024. “The situation is we just have a very large amount […]

This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at [email protected] or 843-540-4540. My catch phrase for the month of February may be the roller coaster continues in the grain markets. The markets are trading South American weather and weather markets are notoriously volatile. On top of that you throw […]

We needed rain. We got rain, and we’re still getting rain. I’m Mike Davis talking with Corey Davis from the state climate office of North Carolina. Corey, over the last several weeks, you’ve been telling us about how drought conditions were continuing to progress in the Carolinas. I think we got the answer we were […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports. The Republican is possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as he hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances. Trump said Thursday: “I’ve decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff.’ The prospect of a dramatic hike on tariffs could send shockwaves through the world economy, possibly depressing growth while also causing inflation to intensify. Most economists say the tariffs would effectively be a tax increase on U.S. consumers. Trump says he’s decided “for purposes of fairness” that he’ll charge reciprocal tariffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brooke Rollins has been confirmed as secretary of agriculture. The Senate confirmed Rollins in a vote Thursday, placing a close ally of President Donald Trump into a key Cabinet position at a time when mass deportation plans could lead to farm labor shortages and tariffs could hit agricultural exports. Rollins acknowledged that Trump’s plans for the mass deportation of people in the country illegally could led to labor shortages on arms. But Rollins said Americans support Trump’s plans and she would work to help the president while also trying to protect farmers. Rollins also promised to “modernize” USDA in line with Trump’s vision for the department.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today led 45 of his Senate colleagues, including Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and all four senators from North Carolina and South Carolina, in reintroducing legislation that would permanently repeal the federal estate tax, commonly known as the death tax. The Death Tax […]

WASHINGTON (February 13, 2025) – Today, National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane issued a statement congratulating Brooke Rollins on her confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): “We are pleased with the bipartisan confirmation of Brooke Rollins to be Secretary of Agriculture. We know Secretary Rollins will […]

Pollinator habitat. What comes to mind? A flower bed, fruit or tree orchard, a corn or wheat field, wild flowers along the side of the road, a flowering bush…a lawn of turf grass? “There are some turf species that produce seed heads, where dispersal or movement, either through air currents or through pollinators, may be […]

The House Ag Committee held a hearing on the economic crisis in farm country. Chair Glen “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania says a crisis is exactly what hundreds of thousands of farm families are facing as we speak. “Across the board, commodity prices have fallen precipitously while input costs remain at or near record-high levels. For some commodities, […]