The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) in partnership with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) announced an $111 million investment in the ag sector through a U.S. EPA (USEPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. Building on existing federal and state initiatives, this unprecedented opportunity provides farmers with the sustainability and security needed to make long-term on-farm decisions.

New crop soybean export sales were strong during the week ending August 1st.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been auditing biofuel companies to see where they're sourcing waste cooking oils as feedstocks after the agency in 2023 updated Renewable Fuel Standard accounting practices for companies earning biofuel credits.

DG Fuels, a U.S.-owned sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) company, in cooperation with the Nebraska BioEconomy, has selected Phelps County, Nebraska, for its first Midwest production facility. The plant will produce 193 million gallons of zero or low CO2 lifecycle emissions SAF per year and meet ASTM fuel standards. Production is expected to begin in 2030.

On Tuesday, the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) and Canadian Dairy Distillery celebrated the groundbreaking of their innovative $41 million ethanol plant in Constantine, Michigan. The event featured remarks from key figures including MMPA Board Chairman Doug Chapin, MMPA President and CEO Joe Diglio, and Dairy Distillery CEO Omid McDonald.

Farmers have a new decision support tool to help find the best combination of inputs, management practices and field characteristics to maximize yield and profits. Agroptimizer utilizes algorithms that were trained on vast amounts of data and combines them with historical weather data to optimize management practices for the entire cropping system to maximize yield and profit.

June exports of U.S. beef reached the highest value in nearly two years, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). While June pork exports were lower year-over-year, shipments through the first half of the year remained ahead of the record value pace of 2023.

State warning labels on products containing glyphosate that include information contrary to scientific findings from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would constitute misbranding, if the agency grants a new petition filed Wednesday by state attorneys general from 11 states.

U.S. ethanol production declined last week.

All three broad-based measures of farmer sentiment improved in July. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index rose 8 points to 113. At the same time, the Index of Current Conditions increased by 10 points to 100, and the Index of Future Expectations at 119 was 7 points higher than a month earlier.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall sent a letter urging Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to adapt the USDA’s drought mitigation programs to provide sufficient resources to western farmers and ranchers.

Cropland values continue to rise, according to the USDA’s latest land values report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was named Tuesday as running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket against former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio.

Eighteen members of Congress sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Monday saying they are concerned that tariffs on imports of a widely used herbicide – called 2,4-D – could compromise reliable, affordable access to agricultural inputs. The effort was led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announces changes to the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Loan Programs, effective Sept. 25, 2024 — changes that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a proposal to list both subspecies of the regal fritillary, a large butterfly, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The USDA reports another week of modest changes for the national corn and soybean condition ratings. That continues the growing season’s story of generally favorable conditions in parts of the region against at least some crop stress in other areas.

AGCO is reporting net sales of $3.2 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. That is a decrease of 15.1% compared to the second quarter of 2023. Net sales in the second quarter of 2024 decreased 14.2% compared to the second quarter of 2023.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will make an additional $300 million available through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program to help grow export markets for American farm and food products around the world, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced Monday.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is reminding cattle producers to consult with their tax attorneys regarding the Corporate Transparency Act, with key deadlines approaching at the end of 2024.

National FFA Organization, a nationally recognized school-based student leadership development organization, announced today that it reached a record-breaking milestone of having more than one million FFA members: 1,027,273. States that have shown the largest membership percentage growth this past year are Utah, Florida and Alaska.

A member of the U.S. Senate Ag Committee says there is a slim possibility of getting a bill passed before the end of the fiscal year.

In December 2021, I tried to explain how rising prices in the aftermath of the initial COVID-19 shock were different than the inflation some of us remember from the 1970s and 1980s. (See "Why This is Not Your Father's Inflation," )

NOAA-supported scientists announced today that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 6,705 square miles, the 12th largest zone on record in 38 years of measurement

As the nation’s largest outdoor farm event, the annual Farm Progress Show connects thousands of farmers with companies innovating the future of agriculture. Iowa soybean farmers and their checkoff are once again poised to enhance the show’s experience for visitors and vendors while highlighting new advancements in soy-based technologies.

Two South Dakota State University researchers are partnering with 20 eastern South Dakota farming operations and GEVO to pursue practices that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase farm profitability.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected a tax-cut bill that would have provided farmers with larger deductions on purchases of equipment and buildings this year.

The chief economist at the National Grain and Feed Association says rail service capacity issues in Mexico are starting to effect U.S. ag trade.