Minnesota

While it’s just by the slightest of margins, the national planting progress when it comes to sugarbeets is officially past the 1/5 mark.  The latest numbers from USDA have plantings nationwide at 21%, which is slightly ahead of the five-year-average for this time of year at 20%, but behind last year’s 23%.   “Idaho has h...

Earlier this week senators Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, and Kansas' Roger Marshall introduced the Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act.  It’s a bipartisan bill designed to increase access to dairy products for SNAP participants and support dairy farmers across rural America.  The Act would allo...

The nation's largest meatpacking company, JBS USA Food Company, will pay $4 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor, in connection with the company's use of child labor at meatpacking plants across the country.  DOL said last week the funds would be used to "prevent illegal child labor" and support victims of child labor nationwide while prioritizing those effor

The National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and four fed cattle producers who filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit against JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef filed a motion looking for preliminary approval of a settlement.   The motion was filed in a U.S. D...

The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture at Virginia Tech enrolled over 1,300 farms representing more than 202,000 acres.  It’s the first year of a landmark project that incentivizes agricultural producers in four states to adopt climate-smart practices.  The project i...

  On Wednesday, California Representative Doug LaMalfa, Chairman on the Congressional Western Caucus, announced Executive Committee Members for the 119th Congress, which included Oregon’s Cliff Bentz.    "As a Congressman from the state of Oregon, I am committed to addressing the challenges and advancing the opportunities we face every day in the West," Bentz noted.  "As Vice Chairs

Portland-based Morasch Meats is recalling its Northwest Naturals 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food, after samples tested positive for H5N1.  The Oregon Department of Agriculture say it was this pet food that led to the death of an indoor cat in Washington County.    “We...

House Democrats voted Tuesday to make Minnesota Representative Angie Craig the new Ranking Member on the Republican-controlled House Ag Committee.  The Hill points out that Democrats chose a younger member of the House over long-time veteran legislator Jim Costa of California, who was also vying for the seat.  Co...

The 2024 Fall Meeting of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance emphasized the industry’s collective efforts to meet sustainability targets.  The Alliance said the industry will accomplish its goals through adopting new technologies, best practices, and measurement tools.   Last m...

Surviving a down economy is challenging, but for the farming community it can be even more difficult.  Todd Stencel, a farm business management professor at South Central College in Minnesota, has a few Tips for Surviving in a Down Economy.  He said...