Top Agriculture News

Every March, we join N.C. A&T State University to celebrate the 39th Annual Small Farms Week and the contributions small farms make to their communities and the state. North Carolina is a small farm state with over 81 % of farms being 200 acres or less and 50 % being under 50 acres. Many of […]

Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation in one North Carolina county as emergency crews fought separate fires in an area of the state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety issued a mandatory evacuation Saturday night for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina. The agency warns residents could be trapped, injured, or killed if they remain in the impacted areas. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency as part of an effort to stop a blaze in Pickens County called the Table Rock Fire that started Friday in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said her agency is issuing up to $10 billion directly to ag producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices. “Producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the […]

We were waiting to see what kind of an impact the recent rains have had on the Drought Monitor. And NC Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis, it looks like we did indeed get a nice bump in some soil moisture. “Yeah, Mike, it was a really solid rain event last weekend into the first part […]

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire this year if Congress doesn’t take action. Dustin Sherer, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says letting the TCJA expire would have significant impacts to agriculture and a majority of Americans. “If nothing is done, there will be a tax […]

Farmers and ranchers are hard on vehicles, but one manufacturer is listening and doing something about it. Fox Factory Vehicles in Trussville, Alabama has partnered with Certified Agriculture Dealers to develop the AGwagon using input and suggestions from a team of 14 farmers and ranchers, along with their own team of engineers. Flynn Woods is […]

America’s largest biofuel trade association just got a little bigger. Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, talks about their newest member. “John Deere is among the world’s most iconic brands, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to our membership network. Deere’s decades of experience providing renewable fuel solutions to their customers demonstrates their commitment to […]

As we get closer to the spring planting and summer driving seasons, what will that mean for fuel prices? Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, says that depends on a lot of factors, including the possibility of a tariff war. How soon would consumers feel the impact of tariffs on fuel prices? “Well, […]

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2025 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released the following message in recognition of National Agriculture Day to honor the farmers, ranchers, and producers who feed, fuel, and clothe the world: “Today on National Agriculture Day, we recognize the people who make it all possible. The farmers, the ranchers, and the producers who dedicate […]