Top Agriculture News

Well, something we have not seen in a couple of months from here in the Carolinas: substantive rain — and measurable rain at that. We have state Assistant Climatologist Corey Davis here. Corey, what did we see from the rain, and what are the totals looking like as the rain has started to move away? […]

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking. Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs since returning to the White House for a second term combined with China’s retaliatory limits on exports of rare earth elements gave the meeting newfound urgency. Trump told reporters he decided to reduce the current rate from 57% after the talks. Xi said Washington and Beijing would work to finalize their agreements to provide “peace of mind” to both countries and the rest of the world, according to a report on the meeting carried by Chinese state media.

What are some of those key differences between President Trump’s first and second term that dairy producers should take note of? We’re hearing it today from someone who was inside the administration. Greg Doud is the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) president and CEO. Before arriving at NMPF, he was working trade negotiations for President […]

As rising input costs continue to burden farm country, lawmakers are taking notice. Noah Coppess, a family farmer from Stanwood, Iowa, recently provided testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on how fertilizer and seed costs are putting pressure on his farm’s balance sheet. “I was trying to convey that our input costs have elevated continually. […]

Farmers will likely face higher prices for inputs in 2026, a result of tariffs on international trade, but the impact is not one size fits all. John Appel, Vice President of Category Management with the Farmers Business Network, says some products will see greater price hikes than others. “Products like S-metolachlor, clethodim, Dicamba, those will […]

Machinery costs on the farm, including repairs, fuel, and oil, have significantly increased by 21 percent over three years, with no expectation of a decrease. Gary Schnitkey, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said this rise in costs, coupled with higher prices for new machinery, poses a challenge for producers. “We calculate the […]

U.S. President Donald Trump drew the ire of the U.S. cattle industry after proposing to import more beef from Argentina to help lower beef prices at U.S. grocery stores. Christian Lovell, the senior director of programs for Farm Action, said he wasn’t happy with Trump’s saying producers need to take less money to help lower […]

 It’s a tough time for production agriculture in the U.S., especially in grain farming. Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said things are heading in the wrong direction. Well, you don’t have to talk to many farmers to quickly understand that we’re headed in a dark direction there, particularly on the row crop side of things. […]

A national coalition of U.S. farmers has launched an advocacy campaign to highlight the country’s growing agricultural labor shortages. USDA data shows nearly 70 percent of crop workers from 2020 to 2022 were foreign-born, and the number of seasonal H-2A visa workers has increased more than seven-fold since 2005.   Kristi Boswell, advisor to the “Grow […]

President Donald Trump’s proposal to buy Argentinian beef as a way to help lower U.S. beef prices has resulted in backlash from American cattle producers. Ben Weinheimer, president and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, said his organization is trying to take a more measured response. “Argentina, itself, consumes 75 percent of what they […]