More of your neighbors and townsfolk across the Midwest could be turning to local food pantries for help instead of receiving federal help in the coming years.

Although bird flu, or H5N1 influenza, had been primarily limited to wild migratory birds and sporadic outbreaks in commercial poultry operations, it was detected in U.S. dairy cows in March 2024. Since then, H5N1 has spread rapidly in dairy cattle across multiple states, and the industry has limited tools to protect their herds. Together, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Purdue University are investing $301,562 into a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) grant to develop an H5N1 vaccine for dairy cows.

Kochia, a highly competitive weed that can reduce yields by as much as 70%, has been found in northwestern Missouri soybean fields, says Wayne Flanary, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy.

The USDA releases its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report later today.

As tensions in the Middle East create uncertainty and volatility in global fuel markets, the Renewable Fuels Association is urging President Trump to move quickly to eliminate burdensome regulatory roadblocks that are preventing broader use of the American-made, lower-cost E15 gasoline blend.

Multiple fronts, disturbances and systems have combined to keep widespread rainfall going through most areas east of the Rockies in June 2025. That was not the anticipation for the month. So how long can this keep going?

A new ARPC report estimates that recently finalized U.S. port fees on Chinese-operated and Chinese-built vessels could increase shipping costs for U.S. agricultural exporters by up to $6.2 billion annually by 2028.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants a new Waters of the U.S. rule by the end of the year and ag groups are optimistic it will be less burdensome on producers.

Average retail prices for most fertilizers continued to be up from last month during the third week of June 2025, according to sellers surveyed by DTN. But for the second week in a row, no fertilizer saw a significant price move in either direction, which DTN designates as anything 5% or more.

Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman announced Tuesday the Senate parliamentarian has ruled the committee’s revised state cost-share section for the Supplemental Nutrition Program complies with the Byrd rule.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday announced that she has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration over its unprecedented and unlawful attempts to invoke a single provision buried in the federal regulations to strip away billions of dollars in critical federal funding for states and other grantees.

Major crop condition rating changes were mixed over the past week. That followed another round of mixed weather in much of the region for most of the week ahead of a turn to significantly hotter temperatures in many areas.

Friday, June 20, marked the summer solstice -- and with that, the beginning of this year's astronomical summer season. Almost in lockstep, extreme heat warnings went into effect for much of the central and eastern U.S.

Congresswoman Julia Letlow has filed legislation to support American agricultural producers impacted by disruptions to the global trade market.

Finding the first Japanese beetle each June is a point of pride for some, including folks in my lab. They found adults in corn this week. Hurrah!?

Senate leadership is still aiming to have the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate by July 4. Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman joins Newsmakers to outline the benefits farm country will see in the bill.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division on Friday announced it is suspending enforcement of the Biden Administration’s burdensome 2024 farmworker rule. The decision provides much-needed clarity for American farmers navigating the H-2A program, while also aligning with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to strictly enforcing U.S. immigration laws.

A professor of farm management at the University of Illinois says many farmers that took the Enhanced (ECO) or Supplemental (SCO) Coverage Options on crop insurance in 2024 will see payments.

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong declared a statewide disaster Saturday after severe thunderstorms -- including several tornadoes, and strong winds reaching more than 100 mph in some areas -- hit hard late Friday and overnight into Saturday.

Public listening sessions on the future of the waters of the U.S. rule have wrapped up and the Trump administration this week said it plans to have the rule completed by the end of the year.

The Supreme Court has determined there is only one venue appropriate for legal challenges to small refinery exemption decisions.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins Wednesday launched an $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly dispersal facility in South Texas and announced a sweeping five-pronged plan to enhance USDA’s already robust ability to detect, control, and eliminate this pest.

The American Soybean Association expressed disappointment in the Senate Finance Committee’s budget reconciliation text that made significant modifications to the House-passed Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit language.

The vice president of fertilizer with Stone X Group says increasing tensions in the Middle East are impacting global nitrogen prices.

The challenges of farm labor across the country are suddenly a national concern as the debate over aggressive deportations clashes with domestic food policy.

258 food and agriculture groups representing millions of American farmers, ranchers, producers, and manufacturers sent a letter calling on the Make America Healthy Again Commission to create greater transparency and input in the commission’s activities.

The University of Idaho released the finalized results of their 10-year study looking into the impacts of grazing on greater sage grouse populations. The study concluded that cattle grazing does not negatively impact greater sage grouse and can only benefit the species through building robust habitat, increasing forage, and reducing invasive grasses that lead to catastrophic wildfires.

U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) Monday released legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction for inclusion in Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill.