According to USDA, as of last Sunday, 96 percent of the Louisiana soybean crop was coloring, 93 percent dropping leaves, 88 percent mature and 78 percent has now been harvested. The bean crop is reported at two percent excellent, 20 percent fair and 78 percent good.
Read MoreHey there, it’s me again! It is hard to believe that we are past Labor Day and rolling headfirst into Fall. Speaking of Fall, we were blessed with some nice weather during
Well, it seems that Fall has arrived again! While we had a few days of unseasonably cooler weather during late August, summer came back for what we hope is one last round.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting in West Des Moines, Iowa, on October 21, starting at 1 p.m. CT. The free and open-to-the-public event will also have a virtual attendance option. For both methods, registration is required.
The Data Users’ Meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced sugar loan rates for crop year 2025 (fiscal year 2026). The rates, which were raised in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald J. Trump on July 4, 2025, reflect the first meaningful increase to sugar loan rates in 40 years. CCC also announced no actions taken under the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing a second Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) payment to eligible producers for the 2024 crop year. Of the authorized $10 billion in ECAP assistance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already provided over $8 billion in payments to eligible producers to mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made the announcement yesterday at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City.
Read MoreMexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) confirmed a new case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, located in the state of Nuevo León, less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
This is now the northernmost detection of NWS during this outbreak, and the one most threatening to the American cattle and livestock industry. Sabinas Hidalgo is located near the major highway from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to Laredo, Texas, which is one of the most heavily trafficked commercial thoroughfares in the world.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced acceptance of 1.78 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) through 2025 General, Continuous, Grassland, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program enrollments.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America's wildfire prevention and response system. This policy direction enacts common-sense reforms that modernize and streamline federal wildfire system. Concurrently, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued his own memorandum to streamline capabilities and strengthen federal, state, and local partnerships.
Read MoreCorn production is up, while soybean and cotton production is down from 2024, according to the Crop Production report issued by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Corn production is up 13% from last year, forecast at 16.8 billion bushels; soybean growers are expected to decrease their production 2% from 2024, forecast at 4.30 billion bushels; cotton production is down 8% from 2024 at 13.2 million 480-pound bales.
Read MoreU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced eligible livestock producers will receive disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits. Sign-up begins on Monday, September 15. Livestock producers have until October 31, 2025, to apply for assistance.
Read MoreUSDA awards competitive Farm to School grants that support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs. USDA's Farm to School grants are an important way to help state, regional, and local organizations as they initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts.
Read MoreThe USDA reported the most recent condition ratings for corn and soybeans earlier this week. There are clear “winners” — states with the highest rated crops — and “losers” — states with the lowest rated crops.
Read more about which states came out on top, and which are trending the wrong way just before harvest.
Read MoreUSDA’s September 2025 net farm income forecast, released Sept. 3, projects net farm income will rise sharply from 2024. While stronger performance in some sectors is a factor in the increase, much of it is tied to continued support from government disaster assistance.
Read MoreThe purpose of the RCDG program is to enable nonprofit institutions to establish and operate centers for rural cooperative development (Center). The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping nonprofit organizations who in turn provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas.
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