Farm & Agricultural News Headlines

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is leading a bipartisan alliance of 11 attorneys general to support U.S. cattle ranchers in a legal fight over misleading beef labeling. The alliance has filed an amicus brief, backing South Dakota ranchers who sued manufacturers for selling foreign-sourced beef under a "...

As of Aug. 11, most of the top 10 beef cow-calf states are seeing strong pasture and range conditions, according to the USDA NASS. Florida leads with 87% rated good to excellent, followed closely by Missouri at 85% and North Dakota at 67%. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado follow with 63%, 58%, and 50% respectively. In co...

Congress is gearing up for a tough battle over a "skinny" farm bill this fall to address key agriculture programs left out of the earlier announced "One Big, Beautiful Bill." Bipartisan cooperation is essential, but deep GOP-led cuts to the SNAP program have made Democrats hesitant to sign on. While...

A federal court has ruled that John Deere can access confidential business information from competitors such as CNH Industrial, Kubota, and AGCO as part of ongoing antitrust and right-to-repair lawsuits. The U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois decided late last week that Deere should have the same ...

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will hold its 36th Annual Winter Wheat Meeting on August 21 at 6:30 p.m. CDT in Draper, South Dakota. This popular event gathers winter wheat producers, agricultural experts, and community members to share the latest research, variety trial results, and climate updates. Th...

Tony Klemm, CEO of Enko, says the crop protection industry needs a major overhaul to meet the growing challenges farmers face, such as pest and weed resistance. Traditional development of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides can take over 12 years and cost more than $300 million. Enko, based in Mystic, Connecticut,...

The USDA's Crop Progress report shows mixed results for major crops. Corn development remains slightly ahead of schedule, with 88% of the crop in top states reaching the silking stage and 42% at the dough stage-both close to or above the five-year average. Soybeans, meanwhile, are slightly behind average for blooming a...

Bison Strides, an equine-assisted services program at North Dakota State University, has once again earned the prestigious Premier Accredited Center status from the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship This designation, awarded on June 16, confirms the program's commitment to excellence in equine-assist...

A highly toxic plant called spotted water hemlock has been discovered in Eddy County, prompting a warning from NDSU Extension. The plant grows 3 to 5 feet tall in wet areas like ditches and stream banks, with white umbrella-shaped flower clusters appearing in July and August. All parts of the plant are poisonous to peo...

Meatpacking workers in Austin, Minnesota, have filed a class-action lawsuit against Hormel Foods, claiming the company failed to provide paid sick leave required by Minnesota's Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law. Workers are seeking compensation for the 14-month period during which they say Hormel required them to us...

North Dakota's grape and wine industry is set to benefit from $80,000 in grant funding aimed at boosting research, marketing, and promotion through 2025-2027. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring announced the support for four key organizations, with the largest grant-$45,000-going to North Dakota State University fo...

After a hot summer, what kind of weather should North Dakotans expect this fall? Well, the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts western and eastern North Dakota will experience different fall weather patterns. Their prediction asserts that eastern North Dakota should expect cooler and drier conditions with September averaging...

As first reported by the North Dakota Monitor, North Dakota will use drones and artificial intelligence to identify noxious weeds in southeastern counties during 2025 and 2026. The Department of Agriculture awarded a $300,000 grant for the project, which aims to help officials respond faster to new infestations. Grand ...

The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce recognized two outstanding agricultural leaders during the 2025 Farmer Appreciation Festival on July 29th. Della McClean of rural Barnes County received Agricultural Woman of the Year. She and her husband Joel run their family farm and McClean Haygrinding, serving over 100 cattle ...

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has announced the reintroduction of an advanced pest control method-Swormlure Bait-to combat the threat of the New World Screwworm (NWS), a parasite that poses a major risk to U.S. agriculture, livestock, wildlife, and public health. Swormlure-5, the latest version of this synt...

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced a $300,000 grant to fund a new drone-based weed detection project aimed at improving early identification of noxious weeds in soybean and sugar beet fields. The project will run during the 2025 and 2026 growing seasons across five counties, with a specif...

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has reactivated its annual Harvest Hotline to assist farmers during the busy harvest season. This free service connects farmers needing custom combining with available harvesters. By calling 701-328-5110, participants can have their information added to a database managed by t...

President Donald Trump announced major trade agreements with Japan and Indonesia, both focused on boosting U.S. exports and job creation. The deal with Japan includes opening Japanese markets further to American agricultural products like rice, which was praised by USA Rice for enhancing access to one of their top expo...

Ash Grove Dairy near Lake Benton, Minnesota, is generating renewable natural gas by converting manure from its 2,100 cows through a methane digester that has been running for about 18 months. The digester, which is owned by a joint venture between Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and bp called Renewco, processes 60,000 gallons...

The NDSU Extension is offering free suicide prevention webinars aimed at supporting mental health in rural and agricultural communities. These 90-minute sessions are part of the nationally recognized QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) program, which trains participants to recognize signs of mental health struggles and res...