The Roots of Agricultural Support The Department of Agriculture was first established in 1862, but it would take more than 50 years before one of its most impactful programs came to life. With the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, the USDA Extension Service was officially created. This initiative formed a partnership between the USDA and land-grant universities to …
Lewis B. Schmidt and the First Agricultural History Course in America
Farm Families and the Birth of Agricultural Policy As farm families moved westward and settled across the American heartland, they were unknowingly shaping the foundation of U.S. agriculture. Their struggles, innovations, and resilience created a living history that would later influence government officials tasked with developing agricultural policy. Recognizing the importance of this legacy, a few forward-thinking scholars insisted that …
Upcoming Peanut Industry Events
Georgia Cotton and Peanut Day Highlights Industry Research and EU Trade Progress The Georgia Cotton Commission and the Georgia Peanut Commission are joining forces to host Cotton and Peanut Day this week, offering producers valuable updates on research, policy, and international trade developments. “Coming up on the peanut calendar this week, the Georgia Cotton Commission and the Georgia Peanut Commission …
Fresh Pork Expected to Be More Price-Competitive with Beef and Chicken
Fall Pork Outlook: Tighter Supply, Competitive Prices, and Pork Month Demand As the fall season approaches, the pork industry is bracing for tight supplies and shifting market dynamics. According to a new report from the National Pork Board, pork is expected to remain a price-competitive protein option for consumers, even as production lags behind expectations. “A National Pork Board report …
Horsepower to Tractor Power: A Turning Point in American Agriculture
The Shift That Changed Farming Forever I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. The story of American farming is filled with innovation, but one of the most transformative shifts was the move from horsepower to tractor power. While today it seems natural to see tractors in every field, the transition was anything but quick or simple. Why Farmers …
National Pork Producers Share Optimism in US EU Trade Framework
National Pork Producers Council Optimistic About US-EU Trade Agreement Framework The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has expressed optimism regarding the recently released trade agreement framework between the United States and the European Union. The framework includes targeted efforts to address longstanding trade imbalances that have impacted the pork industry for decades. National Pork Producers Council President Duane Stateler shared …
USDA Opens Sign-up for Supplemental Disaster Relief Program
Farmers impacted by natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 now have access to much-needed financial support. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened the first phase of sign-up for its Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP), aimed at helping producers recover from major crop losses. “We know farm operations across the United States were impacted by devastating natural disasters in …
Georgia Beef Board Partnering With SEC Football Promotion
Georgia Beef Board Launches SEC Football Ad Campaign to Promote Beef As college football kicks off this season, the Georgia Beef Board is launching an exciting new promotional campaign focused on the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The effort aims to highlight beef as the go-to protein for game day celebrations across the South. We caught up with Wyatt Doolittle of the …
Farmers Feeling the Fertilizer Price Squeeze
Farm Groups Warn White House Tariff War Is Driving Fertilizer Prices to “Disastrous Levels” Farm groups are warning the White House that the tariff war is making already high fertilizer prices worse, creating significant challenges for U.S. crop producers. With fertilizer representing over 30% of input costs for many row crop operations, rising prices are threatening the financial stability of …
Foreign Ownership of US Debt
Foreign Ownership of U.S. Debt Climbs by $80 Billion Ahead of Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium Foreign ownership of U.S. debt rose another $80 billion in the latest report from the U.S. Treasury. This increase reflects the continued global appetite for American sovereign bonds, even as interest rate policy remains in flux. “Now, numbers I’m about to relate are hard to …