Deere and Co. filed an answer to the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit alleging the tractor manufacturer holds a monopoly over its repair services. The FTC says that hold unfairly drives up costs and restricts farmers from fixing their equipment in a timely manner. Attorneys defended John Deere in federal court by rep...

Researchers from the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine received a $1.5 million cooperative agreement grant from USDA to work on collaborative projects on avian influenza. The goals are better understanding of disease transmission and mitigating the impacts of the disease on dairy herds and the br...

By USW Market Analyst Tyllor Ledford Spring's arrival in the Northern Hemisphere typically brings a period of weather-related market volatility, a pattern that has held true this crop year. However, ongoing uncertainty from dynamic policy changes is shaking the usual seasonal in the U.S. wheat trade outlook. Weather Ma...

U.S. ethanol production fell to a near two-month low last week. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says ethanol production averaged 1.053 million barrels per day, down 52,000 on the week and 1,000 on the year. Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development says estimated operating margins...

Major storm systems continued to "undercut" the Dakotas and portions of neighboring states, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Notably, severe drought (D2) was broadly expanded in South Dakota, where season-to-date snowfall totals were broadly at l...

Groups like the National Corn Growers Association are asking the Trump administration to grant exemptions on bulk shipments for America's commodity groups as it considers implementing fees on Chinese vessels. The goal is to level the playing field between U.S. and Chinese shipbuilders. "Adding further financial st...

The National Association of Conservation Districts applauds the appointment of Aubrey Bettencourt to serve as Chief of the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Bettencourt will lead NRCS staff and conservation programs that provide critical resources and technical assistance to America's farmers, ranchers, an...

After a competitive application process, ten new Trailblazers have been selected for the program's fourth cohort of beef community spokespeople. The Trailblazers program was developed by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. It takes advocacy to an unprecedented level by giving participants the tools and training ...

Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing testified on March 26 before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, as part of its hearing - America Builds: How Trucking Supports American Communities. "The success of American agriculture relies upon a rob...

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that her department will release previously obligated funding under the Rural Energy For America Program (REAP), Empowering Rural America (New ERA) and Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) programs. Recipients will have 30 days to review and voluntarily ...

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee, led 25 colleagues in pressing the USDA for information about previously approved funding for food banks and other emergency providers. USDA's taking away funds from the Emergency Food Assistance Program hurts hungry Americans who already face high...

Meat sales hit a record high of $104.6 billion in 2024. The pounds sold increased by 2.3 percent compared to 2023, and consumers, on average, purchase meat more than once per week. That keeps meat the largest fresh department in grocery stores. The 20th annual Power of Meat Report says almost all (98 percent) American ...

The North Dakota Stockmen's Association and North Dakota Stockmen's Foundation, together with the generosity of people from near and far, delivered $939,702.90 this month to cattle ranchers and landowners devastated by the October 2024 wildfires. The Stockmen's groups kick-started the Out of the Ashes Wildfire Disaster...

By Michael Standaert (North Dakota News Cooperative) Trump administration funding terminations, freezes and layoffs are keeping some North Dakota farmers and rural nonprofits from continuing USDA and other federally funded projects. In some cases, projects long in the making were terminated or thrown into uncertainty, ...

Indiana soybean farmer and American Soybean Association director Mike Koehne testified before the United States Trade Representative on the office's Section 301 investigation into China's targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance. Koehne's voice before USTR was especially significant ...

The U.S. has almost doubled egg imports from Brazil and is considering relaxing regulations for eggs laid by chickens raised for meat. The moves come as the Trump Administration is trying to lower record-high egg prices caused by avian influenza. Reuters says the administration is also pushing for more imports from cou...

The American Sheep Industry Association will continue to request that the White House and Congress include Australian and New Zealand lamb in the food and agriculture tariff plans during its annual fly-in this week. Fifty sheep industry leaders representing ASI and 16 of its state affiliates will descend on the nation'...

The U.S. Cattle on Feed Report showed the U.S. beef herd was down two percent from the previous year. Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head of cattle totaled 11.6 million head on March 1, 2025. Placements in feedlots during February to...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase domestic production of critical minerals, including potash. The president directed federal agencies to compile lists of pending mineral projects and expedite their review in coordination with the National Energy Dominance Council led by Interior Secretary Dou...

St. Paul, Minn. - H5N1 influenza has been confirmed in a Stearns County dairy herd from samples collected as part of Minnesota's milk surveillance plan. The USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the results March 21, and the Board of Animal Health has quarantined the herd until they meet testing re...