A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing the USDA to fully restore avian influenza surveillance as U.S. poultry producers face a sharp resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza. With more than 90 new detections in 30 days and 1.6 million birds affected, lawmakers warn that reduced monitoring, suspended federal...

A major outbreak of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) and its severe neurological form, equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), has spread across multiple states after originating at a major rodeo event in Waco, Texas. More than 20 horses have shown neurological symptoms, with additional horses testing positive for EHV-1 wit...

Two cargo ships are heading to Louisiana and one to Texas to load the first U.S. soybean and sorghum shipments to China in months, signaling a tentative restart of agricultural trade after China halted purchases during the trade war. China has recently bought nearly 2 million metric tons of soybeans and some wheat, tho...

U.S. winter wheat conditions improved slightly last week, with 48% of the crop now rated good to excellent, according to USDA's final 2025 Crop Progress report. Winter wheat planting is nearly complete at 97%, and 87% of the crop has emerged, only slightly behind normal. Corn harvest is 96% finished nationwide, running...

The USDA has launched a new centralized website dedicated to New World Screwworm, giving livestock producers, veterinarians, and researchers a single source for verified updates on cases, response efforts, and preparedness resources. The site includes fact sheets, reporting guidance for suspected cases, and detailed in...

Tyson Foods announced it will shut down operations at its beef facility in Lexington, Nebraska, and reduce its Amarillo, Texas, beef plant to a single, full-capacity shift, with production shifting to other Tyson beef facilities. The Lexington plant employs 3,000 workers and processes 5,000 cattle per day-about 4.8% of...

The USDA will launch Stage 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) on November 24 to support farmers with 2023-24 natural disaster losses not covered by insurance or Stage 1 payments. Stage 2 focuses on "shallow losses," including uninsured and quality losses that fell below insurance deductibles...

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is urging farmers who sold grain to Hansen-Mueller Co. and have not been paid to immediately file claims, as the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 17. Hansen-Mueller, which operates in multiple states including Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, is undergoin...

The Trump administration plans to unveil a long-delayed relief package for struggling farmers in early December, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The proposal had been postponed by the government shutdown, but agencies have now resumed work on the plan. Rollins offered no specific details, though...

The State of North Dakota is investing in the future of autonomous agriculture by awarding major grants to Greenfield Robotics and Grand Farm, covering 93% of each project's funding request. Greenfield Robotics receives $500,000 to run full-season pilot testing robots for planting, weed control, and cover crop establis...