Pacific Northwest Ag Network

While there’s not much, there is still time for producers suffering losses last year due to specific disasters and adverse conditions to apply for USDA's Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm Raised Fish Program, better known as ELAP.  Far...

McDonald’s is ending its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion within its supply chain and “retiring setting aspirational representation goals,” per a letter to employees and suppliers made public January 6th.  Despite the change, McDon...

Oregon farmers say new farmworker housing rules could lead to workforce shortages.  Farmworker advocates said the rules don’t address all of their concerns, while farmers say they can’t afford the changes.   Oregon is updating farmworker housing rules that some advocates have said are alarmingly outdated.  The requirements come af...

The North American beef cattle herd size is at a 40-year low, after several years of drought and feed shortages in primary cattle regions have taken a heavy toll on cow and heifer numbers.  While cattle producers are seeing record-high prices, the beef processing sector is struggling.  ...

The January Cattle on Feed Report will be released on Friday, January 24th.  Dr. Lee Schulz, chief economist with Ever.ag, said it’s an important report for the cattle industry.   “That'll give us that next estimate. That's an important repor...

What’s ahead in farming and ranching for 2025?  George Baird of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers starts by looking back at what happened in 2024.   “You know, when we look at ’24 and think back to what the market gave us over the last three or four years, good prices, some pretty good yields, an opportunity for operators to increase their equipment lines, you know, and fo

In 2023, roughly 86% of all farms across the United States were small, family farms.  A USDA report says these farms have a gross cash income below $350,000 and operate on 41% of all U.S. agricultural land.  The family farms produced 17% of the total value of U.S. agricultural pro...

Is Ukraine still relevant in the world corn and wheat export markets?  Joana Colussi, with the University of Illinois, has been writing about the subject for the Farmdoc Daily Website.  Since the beginning of the war with Russia, Colussi says Ukraine's economy has been hit hard.  Its GDP...

Finalizing a poultry tournament system rule designed to improve fairness.   “This is a system that has come under a great deal of concern and criticism by producers across the United States," Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack noted this week.  "And we'...

You are probably familiar with food date labels on items at your supermarket or food retailer.  You know: “sell by, use by, or best buy with a date on it”    Yet Greg Jaffe, senior adviser for the office of the Secretary under Secretary Tom Vilsack asked how might various food labels and indicate sell, use, or best buy dates impact food waste and in turn grocery cost.  He evidently is not the only