Popcorn festivals and even “popcorn capitals of the world” dot the middle of the country. Yet this ubiquitous snack is grown on fewer than 1,000 farms in the U.S. today.
The Trump administration is decrying diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The move is hurting communities and undermining its own goals for agriculture.
When agricultural economists look at the Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade – a quarterly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – they expect two parts: data tables and a written analysis explaining those numbers.
Farm Aid is a traveling benefit concert that has raised more than $80 million nationwide to help struggling family farms across the U.S. The first annual Farm Aid event was held 40 years ago, on Sept. 22, 1985, in what is now Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
A plan to disburse Washington-based USDA jobs to five hubs, including Kansas City and Indianapolis, is making waves across agriculture. Critics say the shakeup could hobble the agency, while proponents it will move staff closer to farmers and save money.
For more than a decade, Cronus Chemicals has sought to create a fertilizer production facility in East Central Illinois. At the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, the governor announced the company is following through with its $2 billion investment.
The interest in local food systems, like farmer’s markets and direct farm-to-consumer sales, is on the rise. But the U.S. is still more reliant on imported foods than ever before.
Farmers who were promised funding through the federal Regional Food Business Centers have been left in limbo after the Trump administration shut down the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will honor grants the program already approved, but it’s unclear when.
The massive legislation extends tax cuts and increases safety nets for farmers who grow commodities, like corn, wheat and rice. But deep cuts to federal food assistance spending could hurt specialty growers who benefit from programs like Double Up Food Bucks.
Health care leaders worry rural hospitals could be hit hard by Medicaid spending reductions in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” In the Midwest and Great Plains, Oklahoma and Kansas could face the highest risk of hospital closures and service reductions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer take a farmer’s race or gender into consideration for many of its loans and benefit programs.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is developing a framework for assessing drought in a changing climate. It’s a difficult task, as what’s considered drought is often situational.
Across much of the Midwest, the atmosphere is becoming warmer and retaining more water, leading to heavier downpours. A two-crop system called relay intercropping could help farmers buffer weather whiplash and boost profits.
Shoppers are seeing record high beef prices at the grocery store. That’s in part because the number of cattle in the U.S. is at an all-time low, while consumer demand has remained strong.
The FBI and Department of Justice hailed the arrests and charges as crucial in protecting national security and public safety.