The latest Rural Mainstreet Index has declined for an eleventh consecutive month.

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has a decidedly mixed record when it comes to agriculture in her home state of California, the nation’s No. 1 state by far in agricultural production.

Progress fighting global hunger has been set back 15 years, leaving around 733 million people going hungry in 2023, equivalent to one in 11 people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published on Wednesday.

On the afternoon of July 15, 2024, a severe windstorm developed in eastern Iowa that moved through northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northern Indiana into the early morning hours of July 16. The windstorm was classified as a derecho, or a windstorm that contains constant severe wind gusts along its path of at least 240 miles.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of 51 of her colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of the Treasury to issue timely guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit to give farmers, blenders, retailers, and fuel users certainty and the time needed to make additional clean fuel projects a reality.

A panel of farmers, retailers and lenders on Tuesday urged lawmakers to pass a new farm bill by the end of this year, saying the legislation would help offset the falling crop prices, high production costs and rising interest rates producers are expected to see in the year ahead.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for July 24. A solar storm of this intensity may affect high-frequency radio, but only at higher latitudes.

The president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives says recent changes in the upcoming presidential election and other politics have Congress in observation mode instead of completing a new farm bill.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Tuesday confirmed that efforts to prevent ultra-processed, lab-grown protein from showing up in the diet of the American armed forces were successful, following news that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is not pursuing lab-grown protein projects for human consumption.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) released a new economic contribution report detailing the significant impact America’s pig farmers have on the United States’ agricultural and overall economy. The report highlights the pork industry’s value chain contributions and trends in production and industry structure.

More than 500 national, state and local organizations are urging congressional leaders to find a way to pass a farm bill yet this year, despite the lack of legislative time left in this Congress.

The U.S. corn condition rating dipped a little over the past week, while soybeans held steady.

More than 300 agricultural groups, including the American Soybean Association and American Sugarbeet Growers Association, have called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with stakeholders to reform its Endangered Species Act processes for pesticides.

History repeats itself, not least in agricultural cycles. As the US farm economy transitions from a period of historically strong balance sheets to a period of negative margins, the 2012/13 commodity market downturn offers useful lessons in how row crop growers will navigate lower agri commodity prices today.

Massachusetts' animal welfare law was allowed to stand on Monday after a federal court ruled the Federal Meat Inspection Act does not preempt the Massachusetts Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act created as a result of a ballot initiative passed by voters.

Production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States could increase from around 2,000 barrels per day (b/d) to nearly 30,000 b/d in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line.

The USDA says old crop cotton export sales hit a marketing year low during the week ending July 11th.

The Agriculture Department will be awarding $90 million for 53 projects aimed at developing new technologies and approaches for conservation efforts, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday.

Excess moisture in the Midwest and across the country has made it difficult to get hay made properly.

Farmland values have stabilized in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, the five states served by Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) and Frontier Farm Credit.

In response to proposed legislation aimed at banning drones manufactured by Chinese companies, a coalition of agricultural spray drone distributors is banding together to form a grassroots industry group. This coalition, consisting of Agri Spray Drones, Bestway Ag, Drone Nerds, HSE-UAV, Pegasus Robotics, and Rantizo intends to represent, protect, and advocate for the interests of the agricultural industry in the use of spray drone technology.

Senate Agriculture Committee Republican Roger Marshall said Wednesday farmers would be better off if work on a new farm bill is punted into next year, when Republicans could be in control of the White House and both houses of Congress.

The nation's largest ethanol producer and one of the largest ammonia fertilizer companies are developing a pilot project to reduce the carbon intensity of ethanol and corn production using low-carbon ammonia as a fertilizer.

A senior science fellow with Nutrien Ag Solutions says the Midwest is officially recovering from a derecho.

Four groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association and National Farmers Union, recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, asking them to ensure the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) works for U.S. farmers.

After years of planning and 15 months of construction, Wyffels Hybrids officially opened their new Iowa Site on July 10, 2024. More than 200 fulltime employees gathered in Ames, Iowa, for the official ribbon cutting ceremony led by company president John Wyffels.

Hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter and wind gusts near 100 miles per hour accompanied some of the storms that hit Iowa on Monday.

Today, Clean Fuels Alliance America delivered a formal notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to issue timely 2026 Renewable Fuel Standards. By statute, EPA is required to finalize volumes 14 months before the start of the compliance year; for 2026, that deadline would come at the end of October this year.