A silent crisis is unfolding across America’s heartland.
The veterinarians tasked with protecting the nation’s livestock, and by extension, its food supply, are a dwindling force, creating a critical gap in the first line of defense against disease and food insecurity.
For Dr. Rachel Miner, a mixed-animal veterinarian in eastern Kansas, a 60-mile drive to a farm call isn’t unusual. It has become a reality of the job.
Read MoreMonitoring Non-Real Estate Farm Debt provides insight into debt health. At the time of this article, harvesting is on many people’s minds, producers are baling hay, tariffs are a constant conversation, and livestock prices are at all-time highs.
Read MoreFor those who remember taking part in the football game day tailgating cooking competition between Arkansas and Louisiana known as the “Rice Bowl,” mark your calendars because: it’s back! Plan to be on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) on September 27 when the ULM Warhawks host the Arkansas State University (ARST) Red Wolves in Malone Stadium in a Sun Belt Conference showdown that promises to be delicious, no matter which team wins.
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 MoreAn ag economist at Ohio State University says the ag trade deficit reached its peak in July and it’s spurring concerns about the future of U.S. ag exports.
Read MoreThe third annual Calf Roping on the Bluff, hosted by Southern University Ag Center, is coming up at the end of September.
Read MoreLouisiana produces 850 million pounds of seafood each year, according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board. Much of that includes crustaceans like crawfish, shrimp, and crab.
Read MoreThe Trump administration is making another run at reforming the way H-2A minimum wage rates for farmworkers are set in a manner that could provide some relief to farmers during a time of continued uncertainty about workers who are in the country illegally.
Read MoreA Roseland, Louisiana, resident has filed a lawsuit against nearby Smitty’s Supply Inc. following the Aug. 22 explosion and subsequent fire at the petroleum products facility that took more than two weeks to extinguish.
Read MoreThe rice delphacid is wreaking havoc across rice fields in Texas and has recently been spotted in Arkansas and Louisiana. The pest is also a vector of rice hojo blanca virus, which can damage rice plants above and beyond that caused by the insect directly.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on a Bureau of Land Management proposal to rescind the 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule which threatened the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.
Read MoreFertilizer costs are having a bigger and bigger impact on farm budgets. In the lead-up to the 2022 crop year, fertilizer prices surged to record highs, driven by tight global supplies, energy shocks and trade disruptions. That period became a turning point in how farmers and policymakers thought about farm input risks. Fertilizer prices eased somewhat in 2023 and 2024 as energy markets stabilized and supply chains recovered, but price volatility is at the forefront once again.
Read MoreLouisiana farmer Bryan Simon shares insights on establishing, growing, and harvesting this premium forage crop in challenging climate.
Read MoreWhile insiders know U.S.-grown rice is one of the most sustainable and responsibly grown crops in the world, telling that story to those who are unaware is increasingly important. To help recognize the crop’s unique environmental qualities and the women and men who improve rice’s sustainability every day, USA Rice launched a Sustainability Award in 2018 to identify and promote prime examples.
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.
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