The Agriculture Department’s staff was downsized by federal employee layoffs. We asked Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., how the staff changes will impact rural America and if farmers should be concerned about the Department of Government Efficiency.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced the agency’s decision to uphold the current April 28, 2025, implementation date to provide parity for E15 and E10 in Midwestern states.

A bill that would have banned the sale of lab-grown protein for 10 years in South Dakota has failed in the Senate.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Thursday announced that USDA will release the first tranche of funding that was paused due to the review of funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

In light of the pressure the current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) outbreak is putting on the nation’s egg supply, and resulting record egg prices, the National Chicken Council (NCC) Thursday petitioned the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse or modify an Obama-era regulation that forces the broiler industry (chickens raised for meat) to discard perfectly nutritious and safe eggs.

U.S. farmers are projected to shift acreage to corn this spring as corn prices maintain an impressive run while prices for competing crops struggle to keep pace.

The U.S. Treasury Department has set a new deadline for companies, including farms, to file their beneficial ownership information (BOI) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The notice also suggests a rule change to reduce the regulation is in the works.

The optimal window to market old crop grain is getting smaller.

This week, the harsh cold has taken its toll on many of us in the U.S. and Canadian Prairies. However, there is some good news for spring lovers out there, with temperatures forecast to flip quickly warmer this weekend and next week from west to east.

There’s some optimism a federal solution for year-round E15 will get across the finish line this year.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County, Iowa. This is Iowa’s fourth detection of H5N1 HPAI within domestic birds in 2025.

Two South Dakota ag groups want to see the state legislature compromise on eminent domain.

A large contingent of Ohio Farm Bureau members made their way to the Statehouse in Columbus Feb. 19 for Ohio Farm Bureau’s annual Ag Day at the Capital to meet one-on-one with their state senators and representatives.

U.S. Congressman Randy Feenstra of Iowa says it’s very possible language for year-round E-15 could be included in the March Continuing Resolution.

There are still no concrete details about the number of job cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture or which grant contracts have been canceled, but ground-breaking meat labs and the country's new crown jewel facility for combatting foreign animal diseases were not spared from cuts.

The co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses – Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and Reps. Steve Womack (R-AR) and Jim Costa (D-CA) – today wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to seek assurances to protect U.S. chicken exports should vaccination be contemplated as part of any government strategy to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”).

In his annual address on the state of the U.S. ethanol industry, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper highlighted the industry’s pivotal role in American agriculture and outlined how ethanol can once again help the farm sector thrive in the face of current economic challenges—if the right actions are taken by a new Congress and White House.

Beginning the week of February 24, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), working with state government and industry partners, will begin sampling and testing raw cow’s milk for the H5N1 flu virus to identify where the virus is present, monitor trends, and prevent its spread to unaffected dairy herds and poultry flocks around the state.

The newly confirmed Secretary of Agriculture says the administration remains supportive of America’s farmers and ranchers.

House Republicans are moving a budget plan that would slash USDA funding by $230 billion. South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson joined Newsmakers to discuss the possible cuts, which will likely come from nutrition assistance.

Thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture across an array of agencies and jobs have been fired since Thursday, DTN has learned.

Zoetis recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) has issued the company a conditional license for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus.

A new law in South Dakota requires lab-grown protein to be labeled.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Brooke Rollins as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Department of Health and Human Services.

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) applauded members of the House and Senate today for introducing legislation that would extend year-round consumer access to fuels with up to 15 percent blends of ethanol, often referred to as E15.

Mid-February brings a strong cold wave to much of the contiguous United States east of the Rockies. Bitter cold air, strong winds and the threat of snow and freezing precipitation are all featured.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) strongly supports the Death Tax Repeal Act, led by Reps. Randy Feenstra (IA) and Sanford Bishop (GA). The Senate companion bill is led by Majority Leader John Thune (SD). Repealing the federal estate tax, also known as the Death Tax, is a top priority this year for NCBA.

Stretching from Nebraska to North Carolina and Michigan to Mississippi, 10 U.S. farmers who have started careers in production agriculture recently journeyed to Honduras and Guatemala.