Top Agriculture News

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, […]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House members have advanced a Republican package to boost state recovery funding after Hurricane Helene by another $500 million. Committees met Tuesday and Wednesday to consider and vote on the legislation. A House floor vote is expected next week. The package remains less than half of what new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein sought in new recovery spending earlier this month. Senate Republicans also will have their own Helen spending ideas. The legislature already appropriated close to $1 billion since last fall to address the historic flooding. Both Stein and Republican lawmakers want to get more Helene spending out the door early this year.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Egg prices have reached a record high in the U.S. The consumer price index released on Wednesday confirmed what consumers, bakers and food companies already knew: an ongoing bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 are making eggs terribly expensive right now. The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set in January 2023. Of course, that is only the nationwide average. A carton of eggs can cost $10 or more in some places. And specialized varieties, such as organic and cage-free eggs, are even more expensive.

While inflation finally shows signs of slowing, consumers still face higher costs and an uncertain economic future. A recent AARP survey found one in three older adults feeling financially insecure. Sean Voskuhl, Oklahoma State Director for the AARP, talks about the list of concerns from survey respondents. “The cost of living, social security, and having […]

Meeting season is in full swing, with farmers and ranchers conferring across the region and the nation in preparation for the 2025 planting season. Ashley Herring is Director of Consumer Information with the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Beef Council, and spent much of last week at the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh. She said it’s important […]

As was expected, Tuesday’s WASDE report, the World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates, did not present a lot of changes. Brooks Shaffer, market advisor with Palmetto Grain in Ridgeland, South Carolina, says USDA played it safe with this report. “They do not make changes on the supply side. But there have we were ahead of […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) today reintroduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act, legislation that would facilitate the further adoption of precision agriculture technologies for farmers and ranchers. The bill would encourage the government to work with the private sector to develop voluntary interconnectivity standards and prioritize the cybersecurity […]

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles. Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, into Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada.

NC Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler gave his annual State of Agriculture address last week, and Mike Davis caught up with him afterward. While much of agriculture continues to struggle with high costs and low prices, Troxler says tobacco is one of the exceptions this year in North Carolina. Troxler: “We do have good news that […]