Business
Payment totals alone do not show financial stress — production costs and net losses complete the picture.
Producers across the country balanced winter weather disruptions, shifting export demand, and tightening margins as year-end decisions come into focus.
Reviewing risk management now can help dairy and livestock producers enter 2026 with clearer margins and fewer surprises.
Canada’s new voluntary Grocery Sector Code of Conduct will take effect on Jan. 1, a goodwill effort to promote fairness and transparency between retailers and support farms that sell directly to stores.
With record grain harvests and rising global ethanol demand, leaders across the ag and energy sectors are pushing for year-round E15 sales to mitigate the strain on grain trade.
Stronger rail movement and lower fuel prices are easing logistics, even as export pace and river conditions remain uneven.
Small, locally focused wineries are finding resilience through direct sales and regional loyalty rather than scale alone.
Pork producers warn that proposed definitions of “ultra-processed” food in guidelines from the “Make America Healthy Again” plan could negatively impact industry-standard bacon, sausage, and feed practices.
Concerns over Chronic Wasting Disease are fueling a long-standing legal battle between Minnesota regulators and deer farmers. The case could soon reach the state’s Supreme Court with broader implications for agriculture.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) are praising the passage of a bill to delist gray wolves as an endangered species by the U.S. House last week.
Recent USDA export sales data show China has been active in the U.S. market, but analysts tell RFD-TV News that the timing is a key clue.
In Minnesota, a legal and legislative battle has reached a tipping point. For over a decade, the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the private deer-farming industry have been locked in a dispute over the management of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
National Land Realty’s Jeramy Stephens shares his outlook on farmland market trends, which remain under close watch as new federal assistance programs roll out — with experts analyzing potential impacts on land values, buying, and stability.
Michelle Perez shares more about the American Farmland Trust’s resource to help farmers and producers plan soil health improvements.
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer outlines the key difference between previous ECAP payments and the Farm Bridge Assistance Program.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson reacts to the U.S. House’s passage of the SPEED Act, which aims to streamline federal permitting for energy and infrastructure projects, and discusses its potential impact on rural communities.
Markets
Stronger fuel demand supports corn usage despite a steady production pace.
Fed cattle numbers are down two percent in February, according to the latest USDA report. Marketings fell 13 percent, signaling continued pressure on beef prices in 2026.
Fertilizer still consumes an unusually large share of crop value.
Trade
China’s reliance on imported soybeans remains entrenched, shaping global demand and trade leverage.
Cuba remains a steady, nearby buyer of U.S. poultry, pork, dairy, and staples, but legal and compliance risks could still affect shipping and payment channels.
While access to China remains uncertain, U.S. beef exporters are finding resilience and opportunity in other global markets, which could help maintain industry value and expand export opportunities.