The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is pleased with the recent agreement with the East and Gulf Coast Port Labor Contract. Rusty Halvorson has the story. The International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year master labor contract covering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President …
H-2A Program Sees Slight Increase
A recent report shows a small uptick in H-2A program usage for fiscal year 2024, suggesting that farmers and ranchers continue to rely on temporary workers. According to the Department of Labor, 384,900 H-2A positions were certified, marking a two percent increase—or 6,000 more positions—than fiscal year 2023. John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau …
Bracing for a Potential Work Stoppage at Ports
As we kick off the New Year, many are bracing for a potential work stoppage at various ports around the country. Rusty Halvorson has the story. U.S. agriculture is bracing for a potential work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports that could greatly disrupt U.S. exports. Contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance broke …
Tyson, Cargill Announce Layoffs
A company letter released this week by the state of Minnesota says Cargill will permanently terminate almost 500 employees in the state, which is home to the company’s corporate headquarters. The terminations will begin on February 5. Cargill recently announced it would cut approximately five percent of its overall staff after revenue took a hit in its most recent fiscal …
Economic News Reflects Depressed Prices in Rural America
Looking back over the past year, recent economic news is reflecting depressed prices across rural America. Mark Oppold has more details. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Threats of Deportations Risks Hurting Agriculture
President-Elect Donald Trump’s threat of mass deportations risks hurting the domestic agriculture sector already struggling with labor shortages. That’s according to Matt Carstens, chief executive officer of Iowa’s biggest farm cooperative, who said Trump’s plan should be approached carefully. Bloomberg reports farming would be one of the biggest US sectors hit should the incoming administration move forward with kicking potentially …
Rural Employment Trends at a Glance
USDA’s latest edition of its annual “Rural America at a Glance” report provides a look at rural employments trends of the past year. Rod Bain Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
American Agriculture History Minute: George Washington on Both Sides of the Coin
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. George Washington had a complicated relationship with slavery during his lifetime. He controlled a cumulative total of over 577 slaves forced to work on his farms and including his house in Philadelphia. As president, though, he signed laws by Congress that both curtailed slavery but also protected it. But his will …
Longshoremen’s Strike Over for Now
In a joint statement Thursday evening, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced there is an end, at least temporarily, to the work stoppage that shut down the East and Gulf Coast ports earlier this week. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom says the end of the strike is terrific news for U.S. …
Dock Worker Strikes Threaten U.S. Meat Exports
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 …