The September Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reached its lowest readings since March 2016. Declining income expectations pushed farmer sentiment down as the barometer fell to 88, and the Index of Future Expectations dropped 14 points to 94. The Index of Current Conditions also fell seven points to 76, nearly matching levels seen in April 2020, during the height …
Congressional Democrats unveiled a bill that would pay livestock farmers on large industrial operations to transition toward more climate-friendly practices. Agriculture Dive says the bill would use Inflation Reduction Act funding to provide farmers with grants to transition Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations into specialty crop production or pasture-based livestock operations. Farmers participating in this program would need to permanently cease …
Dock worker strikes across the East and Gulf Coasts threaten to disrupt the U.S. meat and livestock industries significantly, according to Erin Borror, Vice President for Economic Analysis at the U.S. Meat Export Federation. The affected ports are critical, having facilitated nearly $3 billion in red meat exports during the first seven months of the year, averaging about $100 million …
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on the eastern coast late last week, has left a trail of destruction across several agricultural regions. Farmers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia reported extensive crop losses, particularly in corn, soybean, and cotton fields, as heavy winds and torrential rains battered the area. Several poultry operations faced significant losses as well. Cotton crops …
The recent Georgia Peanut Tour saw great success as it crossed southern Georgia with people from around the world that have interest in the peanut industry. Tyron Spearman has the details. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Franklin King is part of American agriculture history, not well known. Born in 1848 in Whitewater, Wisconsin, King was an agricultural scientist. From 1888 to 1902, he was a professor of agricultural physics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. And it was there that King taught and began to perfect …
Hurricane Helene has made headlines in many states. As Mark Oppold reports, the storm affected various crops. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or Beneficials through SharpShooter™June 16, 2026
The one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill has ended, causing important farm programs to stop. Without action from Congress, more programs will shut down by the end of the year, leaving farmers in a tough spot. Programs that are ending now include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Grassland Conservation, and programs that help promote …
Hurricane Helene, while moving up through Georgia last week, basically decimated the cotton crop in the number two production state. Gary Crawford has this update. The USDA did issue their weekly crop progress report but some of those numbers, especially in Georgia, are no longer relevant due to the storm. To see how the cotton and peanut crops were progressing, click …
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Contrary to what many believe or were taught, the land the first Europeans saw when landing in the New World did not consist entirely of untouched land and pristine forests. Native American Indians had been skillfully changing the landscape primarily by fire. In addition, since there were no hand tools or …
