KFGO & Growing Harvest Ag Network’s Sarah Heinrich & Rusty Halvorson bring you the latest in agriculture news and information from the Upper Midwest.
Minnesota Soybean launches 'Behind the Dollar' campaign
Minnesota supports more than 25,000 soybean farmers. Every time a soybean farmer sells soybeans, one half of one percent of the market price is "checked off." But where do those checkoff funds go from there? Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) is dissecting the true value of checko...
8h ago
United Soybean Board / CC
North Dakota Stockmen's Association's Feedlot Tour will make stops near Dunn Center, Dickinson
The 22nd annual North Dakota Stockmen's Association's (NDSA) Feedlot Tour will be June 18 at feedlots near Dunn Center, and Dickinson, N.D. The tour stops will include Ben Murphy's Cowliseum (hoop barn) near Dunn Center and Jeff and Jaden Kuhn and families' feedlot near Dickinson. The tour will depart from the Cenex C-...
8h ago
USDA seeks committee members for urban agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. USDA will accept nominations from May 7, 2024, to July 7, 2024. The 12-member Committee, which first convened in March 2022, is part of USDA's efforts to increa...
10h ago
Lawmakers ask USDA to restore canceled NASS reports
Representative Jim Costa (D-CA) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) led 70 colleagues in sending a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The officials want him to reverse the USDA's decision to cancel or discontinue several NASS reports. The July Cattle Report, the Cotton...
11h ago
K-State Research and Extension / CC
Ag Economy Barometer shows farmer sentiment at lowest level since 2022
Farmer sentiment dropped sharply in April, as indicated by the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. It fell 15 points to an April reading of 99. Both of the subindexes of the barometer also dropped. The Current Conditions Index dropped 18 points to 83, while the Future Expectations Index fell by 14 points ...
11h ago
USDA announces $22 million to support underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced approximately $22.3 million available to community-based and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Tribal entities that help underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers own and operate successful farms. Funding is made through USDA's 2501 Prog...
May 07, 2024
kzibert / Depositphotos.com
Brazil soy harvest hit by floods
The outlook for the soybean harvest in Rio Grande do Sul of Brazil is deteriorating swiftly after torrential rain flooded fields, with about a quarter of the beans still to be harvested. Rio Grande do Sul was on track to become the second-largest producer in Brazil behind Mato Grosso. Farm Policy News says the impact o...
May 07, 2024
njaj / Depositphotos.com
U.N. Food Price Index rises slightly in April
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization's Food Price Index reached 119.1 points in April, up 0.3 points from its revised March level. The increase in the Meat Price Index and smaller upturns of Vegetable Oil and Cereal indices slightly more than offset decreases in those for Sugar and Dairy products. Although it re...
May 07, 2024
Union members tell Congress sugar policy means good jobs
Sugar workers who are members of the International Association of Machinists were recently on Capitol Hill talking about how strong U.S. sugar policy supports union jobs in America. They told members they're proud of that much sugar made in America and done so by a union workforce. "U.S. sugar policy provides so m...
May 07, 2024
Marco Verch / CC
Klobuchar, Cornyn, colleagues urge USDA to strengthen interagency coordination on avian flu response
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX), along with 16 other senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in response to the recent outbreak of avian flu. In the letter, the senators urge the USDA, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Preventi...
May 06, 2024
United Soybean Board / CC
SDSU Extension hosts cattle webinar series on market, climate and health trends
South Dakota State University Extension is hosting a series of webinars to help cattle producers and industry professionals manage current market, climate and health trends. The Market, Climate, Health: Cattle Update one-hour webinar series is online via Zoom at 11 a.m. CDT / 10 a.m. MT on June 4, 11 and 18, 2024. Tick...
May 06, 2024
USDA announces 28 host organizations to train future conservation and climate leaders
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected 28 organizations to host members of USDA's Working Lands Climate Corps (WLCC), an effort that will train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders, providing technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people and helping them deliver climat...
May 06, 2024
Conservation Media Library / CC
March pork exports steady with year-ago; beef export value highest in nine months
March exports of U.S. pork were steady with last year's volume and edged higher in value, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Beef exports were below last March's large volume, but export value was the highest since June 2023. Pork exports totaled 260,430 metric tons (mt)...
May 06, 2024
ayako / CC
North Dakota Stockmen's Association's Spring Roundups set for June 3, 5-6 and 10-12
The North Dakota Stockmen's Association (NDSA) will be hosting its 2024 Spring Roundup series, "Swing for the Fences," June 3, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12 in Golden Valley, Watford City, Crosby, Strasburg, Cooperstown and Havana, N.D. The Spring Roundups serve as the organization's district meetings and will include ...
May 06, 2024
South Dakota CattleWomen to offer two $1,000 Scholarships
South Dakota CattleWomen will be offering a $1,000 scholarship to two young people from South Dakota attending or planning to attend an institution of higher learning in the upcoming semester. The "Next Generation Scholarship" can be used at any accredited university, 2 year or 4-year college or technical sch...
May 06, 2024
North Dakota Stockmen's Association now accepting Junior Beef Expo entries
The North Dakota Stockmen's Association is now accepting entries for the 2024 North Dakota Junior Beef Expo (NDJBE), a multi-breed junior field day to be held June 21-22 at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot, N.D. Celebrating 29 years, the NDJBE will feature breeding heifer and market shows; showmanship contes...
May 03, 2024
Farmers, firefighters join forces to eliminate forever chemicals
Firefighters rely on various tools to do their jobs, including firefighting foam to combat fires. However, traditional foams are risky due to harmful PFAS, or "forever chemicals." With farmer investment, the safer alternative called SoyFoam eliminates this exposure, prioritizing the well-being of the nation's...
May 03, 2024
Ag groups respond to farm bill movement
U.S. ag groups are reacting to the House and Senate Ag Committee leaders who released their farm bill overviews. "We are very pleased with the Farm Bill framework from House Ag Chair GT Thompson," says Ethan Lane, VP of government affairs with the NCBA. "We are especially pleased with the focus on volunt...
May 03, 2024
United Soybean Board / CC
U.S. ethanol and SAF leaders seek to intervene in legal challenge to EU sustainable aviation fuel regulation
Leaders of the U.S. ethanol industry are seeking to intervene in a legal challenge of the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which effectively bans the use of renewable, crop-based biofuels like corn ethanol as a feedstock for decarbonizing the aviation sector. Collaborating in the intervention are the U.S. Grains Council, ...
May 03, 2024
NMPF and USDEC advocate for enhanced dairy trade opportunities at USTR hearing
Tony Rice, Trade Policy Director for the National Milk Producers Federation & U.S. Dairy Export Council, will testify this afternoon before USTR on how U.S. trade policy can strengthen supply chain resiliency and ensure that U.S. dairy continues to grow as a global leader. The U.S. dairy industry exported more than...
May 03, 2024
patrick thibodeau / CC