Deputy Undersecretary Stephen Vaden fielded questions about USDA’s reorganization plans from Senate Ag Committee leaders this morning.

A destructive windstorm was intense enough to be labelled a derecho as it tore through parts of South Dakota and Iowa Monday night, July 28-29.

For the first time in more than two decades, Australia will accept shipments of fresh and frozen U.S. beef.

The U.S. is a major player in agriculture and accounts for approximately 10-15% of total global fertilizer consumption. US fertilizer consumption needs are met through a mix of domestic production and imports, with the balance varying by nutrient type.

A series of new trade deals between the United States and countries around the world will directly benefit America’s farmers and ranchers. American Farm Bureau economists analyzed the importance of trade for rural America in the latest Market Intel.

On July 24, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) released a statement on their websites that the two companies were in talks to discuss a merger.

The USDA’s national condition ratings improved a little over the past week for soybeans and pasture lands, but other major crops declined.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) on Monday urged support for the Hauling Exemptions for Livestock Protection (HELP) Act introduced by Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO). This legislation supports livestock haulers by protecting drivers from burdensome hours of service (HOS) and electronic logging device (ELD) mandates.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.1 million head on July 1, 2025.

The chief economist at the American Soybean Association says soybean-based biofuels continue to lead demand prospects for the crop. Scott Gerlt says updates to the 45Z tax credit in the recently passed reconciliation package are positive for soybeans.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins released the long-awaited USDA reorganization plan this week including closure of some facilities and relocation of many staff to regional hubs across the country.

Countless stakeholders including farmers, university Extension services, researchers and policymakers rely on the data USDA has collected for more than 150 years through agencies and programs including the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the Economic Research Service (ERS).

Continued good weather in the Corn Belt with some increased heat but good rainfall and limited drought, areas of dryness in Europe and the Black Sea region, and increased rainfall in parts of the Northern Plains, Canadian Prairies, and Australia are the weather factors driving the markets Friday.

The Swine Health Information Center is initiating ten new projects within its H5N1 research program. SHIC associate director Dr. Lisa Becton says it’s a collaborative effort that includes the Pork Checkoff and Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

Corn has officially claimed the top spot as the most-used plant-based ingredient in U.S. pet food, according to a recent report released by the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER).

Under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture are accelerating federal efforts to address the growing concerns around ultra-processed foods and the current epidemic of diet-related chronic disease that is plaguing America.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.

An ag economist says he’s uncertain how a series of new trade agreements in principle will impact the ag economy.

After doing without in 2025, U.S. cotton and soybean growers could once again have access to dicamba herbicides labeled for postemergence application under a proposed registration released on Wednesday by EPA for public comment.

U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) introduced the Save Our Bacon Act to help save family farms across the country by providing certainty against a dangerous and chaotic web of conflicting farm regulations, including California Proposition 12.

President Donald Trump late Tuesday announced a trade deal with Japan, and USA Rice, perhaps the group most sensitive to U.S. trade policy with Japan, endorsed it.

Some members of the ag industry say crop protection tools are critical to providing a secure food supply.

U.S. farm and food product exports create value and generate economic activity within and outside of the agricultural sector.

CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative that operates in oil production, refining and marketing, marked a major milestone Tuesday with the completion of more than $100M in refinery upgrades that will improve its diesel fuel quality and increase its diesel fuel production capabilities.

The USDA’s national crop ratings were mixed over the past week.

As more farms and agribusinesses face scrutiny about the legal status of their employees, business groups and others are going over how farmers should deal with audits and potential raids if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents show up.

Mexican fresh tomato imports are now subject to a 17 percent tariff after nearly 30 years of complaints from U.S. growers.

A recent policy analysis by Dylan Turner and Shawn Arita from NDSU’s Agricultural Risk Policy Center explores how the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025, brings the most substantial changes to federal crop insurance subsidies in more than two decades.