Test Category

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Two sisters have found a partially fossilized bear skull while kayaking the Arkansas River in south-central Kansas. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said in a news release Ashley and Erin Watt made the discovery in August after flooding apparently dislodged the skull.

More African swine fever hits the Philippines. Reuters reports the disease has spread to two more provinces, with one under lockdown and the other having limited effects. 30-Thousand pigs have been culled so far in virus-hit areas. The Philippines first outbreak was declared on September 9th and they’ve had several reported cases since. As ASF spreads across Asia and Europe, the USDA projects there will be global implications to the meat sector. Meatingplace.com reports, beef, ...

U.S. and Chinese officials continue to work out phase one trade details. According to Brownfield Ag News, China's Ministry Of Commerce spokesperson says tariffs must be removed before a final agreement can be reached. Following negotiations last week, the U.S. suspended the tariff increase on October 15th. China continues to make good on its promise to buy more ag products. According to USDA’s latest weekly export sales, the country purchased 850,500 metric tons of soybeans an...

The USDA is giving the public the opportunity to review and voice their opinions on the proposed changes to the supplemental nutrition assistance program. Reporter Stephanie Ho has the update.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have now been married longer than any presidential couple in American history.  As of Oct. 18, the pair has been together 26,765 days, besting the previous record set by George H.W. and Barbara Bush.  

Spicer Orchards, a popular fall destination northwest of Detroit, had more than 22,000 apples stolen off its trees.  According to WXYZ, a member fo the family went to check on the apples on Oct. 6 as they waited for the harvest and nothing was out of the ordinary. On Oct. 9, they checked again and they were all gone.  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music artists cried together and prayed together at an emotional CMT Artists of the Year awards show that reflected the tight-knit community of artists who supported each other through success and loss. 

The Environmental Protection Agency released details on its latest proposal to offset biofuel waivers and the plan has sparked backlash from the industry. Biofuel groups condemn the White House's latest waiver fix. EPA promised 15 billion gallons of ethanol to be blended into the fuel supply in 2020. According to ethanol advocates, the latest proposal offers no guarantees. The method to reach the blending goal could send a ripple effect through the industry, and they say farmers wil...

Farmers and ranchers are some of the biggest advocates for ag sustainability. Micheal Clements reports on why sharing that message is important, especially right now.

Congress is back in session and there are only 7 weeks left this year to get the U.S. Mexico Canada agreement passed. Democrats are pushing up their efforts to impeach President Trump and there's speculation it could interfere with USMCA's ratification, but the Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley says the impeachment process might help get it passed in the long run. “I'm going to assume that, with impeachment, it's not all positive for Democrats to pursue that lin...

Following the environmental protection agency's supplemental information on a biofuels deal, producers say the administration is failing them once again. Iowa biofuel leaders say they were supportive of the initial biofuel announcement because of the transparent numbers they heard from the White House. But experts say the details the EPA released don't follow that. The same EPA that many producers no longer trust. Both ethanol and biodiesel producers say the president broke his prom...

A viral post has encouraged people handing out candy on Halloween to "respect the blue bucket," an indicator that the the trick-or-treater is Autistic or non-verbal.  

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Agriculture producers in North Dakota are being encouraged to contact county extension agents to report crop damage and losses associated with last week’s snowstorm. 

The President of Mexico wants the ratification process of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement sped up. According to Informa, he sent a letter to speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi after a group of House Democrats visited Mexico last week. The letter reportedly emphasized this isn't just a deal for the U.S., but one that will impact the people of 3 different countries. Meanwhile, analysts speculate a vote is possible as soon as November, but it may take until December.

Amid challenging conditions in some areas or threatening weather on the horizon, farmers put in longer hours during harvest and during calving season. Amid the “need to get things done,” safety should stay a top priority. One of the main sources of death on the farm is tractor- related accidents. The University of Nebraska Medical Center shares the basic procedures one should follow if you discover a tractor rollover. "Making sure that the tractor is turned off and...

A few years ago, whiteflies wiped out a majority of the squash and snap bean crops in Georgia. While populations seem to be under control, there's still a concern. Georgia Farm Monitor's Damon Jones takes a look at what steps need to be taken, to minimize infestation risk.

BECKER, Minn. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy missing in Minnesota was found safe early Wednesday after a search by hundreds of volunteers and the use of a drone with a thermal camera that helped locate the child in a dark cornfield. 

Winter arrived early in the northern plains, crippling livestock and crop operations. Although the system has passed, farmers expect major delays. Farmers who planted late after a rainy spring face an early freeze. Although minimal livestock deaths have been reported, producers are struggling to keep their animals healthy. As temperatures warm up, snowmelt will add more moisture to already saturated fields. Extreme weather conditions plus low prices keeps financial pressure on farme...

Michigan farmers are in the midst of their first-ever hemp harvest. Over 572 grower licenses were issued as part of the state's pilot program. Michigan Farm Bureau has more.

Ventriloquist and stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham is going to be a grandparent.  

The announcement led china to share its ag purchase data, but U.S. numbers show some discrepancies. As Reuters reports, China says 'firms' already bought 700 thousand tons of pork this year but U.S. census trade data shows it only purchased about 294 thousand tons between January and August. When you add more recent buying that number hits about 300 thousand. China’s data also promoted 700 thousand tons of sorghum but U.S. data shows only about 628 thousand tons between January...

Appearing on The Talk on CBS, the Osmond Brothers officially retired after singing to their sister Marie for her 60th birthday. Marie began co-hosting duties on the show on Sept. 9, 2019.  

Following a successful conference in 2019, the Missouri Hemp Association is planning another grower conference for January of 2020.

Shay Pendray is 85 and lives in Michigan. That hasn't stopped her from herding cattle in Wyoming for the last 10 years with her horse Einstein.  

The Home Depot Foundation launched Operation Sunrise, a contest inviting people nominate a military veteran in need of a "life-changing" home repair.  The contest is a part of the Foundation's Celebration of Service campaign in which a volunteer force pledges 100,000 hours of service to America's veterans over a seven-week stretch.  "Today we invite everyone to nominate a veteran in their life who deserves to be recognized – whether it is a colleague, ...

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors CEO Mary Barra joined negotiators at the bargaining table, an indication that a deal may be near to end a monthlong strike by the United Auto Workers union that has paralyzed the company’s factories. 

One in four Americans have never eaten a vegetable in their life. That's according to a survey by veggietracker.com. It shows that 72-percent wish they ate more veggies, a quarter say they’re too expensive, 22-percent say they take too long to prep, and 20-percent aren't sure how to cook them. When asked which vegetables they like the least 27-percent say turnips, 26-percent say beets, and 23-percent say radish.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Hunters killed 94 bears on the first day of New Jersey’s six-day bear hunt. There were 42 bruins killed during opening day in 2018. Numbers provided by the Division of Fish & Wildlife did not break down the zones where the bears were harvested on Monday. 

The World Wildlife Foundation shared some breathtaking video of a herd of bison running into a 22,000 acre expansion in their home at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. 

Taco Bell has recalled about 2.3 million pounds of seasoned ground beef after multiple customers found metal shavings in their food.  The recall impacts restaurants across 21 states in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.  

The world's first 'crowd farming' platform announces its opening to individual investors. Steward allows people to directly invest in sustainable farms. Founder Dan Miller calls it a "win-win" for both farmers and investors as farmers can purchase the equipment they need while investors receive a return while supporting regenerative agriculture. Steward has invested more than 2-billion-dollars in 16 sustainable farms.

One of the most iconic sitcoms in American history premiered on this day in 1951.  'I Love Lucy' first hit the CBS airwaves 68 years ago to begin its six-year, 180 episode run.  

The baby barn is one of the top draws at the Georgia National Fair. Southeast Produce Weekly's Chip Carter checks in with this report.

Now to the opioid epidemic in rural America. The President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Zippy Duvall, sat down with a Tennessee farmer and nurse practitioner to talk about how he's fighting this crisis in his community.

China wants to hold more talks to discuss “phase one” of the trade deal before Xi Jinping agrees to sign it. Bloomberg reports that Bejing might send a delegation to finalize a written deal to be signed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile next month. China also wants President Trump to scrap a tariff hike planned for December, in addition to the hike scheduled for this week. The U.S. and China have different takes on last week’s talks and how c...

It’s been a long year for farmers and communities along the Missouri River. Floods started back in March and extended through the growing season, and the ‘high water’ is expected to continue into December. According to the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers, 2019 runoff for the Missouri river basin is forecast at 61 million acre-feet, which is nearly 2 and a half times higher than average. Kevin Grode with the Corps says more unprecedented precipitation is on the way. &...

Just-signed Japan deal secures second largest corn export market for U.S. farmers.

HBO's miniseries 'Band of Brothers' is returning with a follow-up series called 'Masters of the Air' which will air on Apple's new streaming platform in March.  

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife officials in Montana say they captured and killed a grizzly bear that killed livestock east of Rogers Pass along the Rocky Mountain Front. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said in a statement Thursday that the 612-pound (277.6-kilogram), 5-year-old male was euthanized on Monday. 

Country singer-songwriter Aaron Watson will be a part of the the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame's 2020 class.  In addition to that, the native of the Lone Star State was also honored with Texas Cowboy HOF's Spirit of Texas Award.  

With soaring prices back home due to a national hog herd ravaged by disease, Beijing is under pressure to reach a deal in U.S. trade talks.

China flies in over 900 breeding pigs from Denmark to replenish their herd. Reuters reports this is the first import of live breeding stock since the first African Swine Fever outbreak last year. Reuters reports, the virus wiped out more than half of China's herds, while official government reports estimate losses at much less. Many Chinese producers are building new farms and restocking herds that were previously infected. Meanwhile, Korea finishes culling hogs infected with Africa...

The Minneapolis Federal Reserve confirms lower corn and soybean production this year. The bank covers 6 states in the Midwest and expects to see soybean production decline by 26 percent, compared to the national drop of 20 percent. Corn fairs slightly better with a projected 10 percent drop from last year compared to 4 percent nationally. The bank says producers have suffered under severe weather that caused record planting delays and that soybeans have taken an additional hit from ...

U.S. and China temper hopes of a possible deal ahead of trade talks. According to the south China morning post, the Chinese delegation may cut its trip short. Negotiators were scheduled to arrive in the capital on Thursday. If no progress is made, U.S. tariffs on $250 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods are slated to rise to 30% from 25% on October 15th. This marks the 13th round of talks between the global powers since last year. According to Politico, while the President has no...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A California-based renewable energy developer plans to increase by seven-fold its investments as it prepares to build more wind farms in New Mexico over the next several years.

It has been seven weeks since the Holcomb, Kansas, Tyson plant fire and cattle futures markets are mostly back to business as usual. That's according to Oklahoma State University economist Dr. Darren Peel. He says the fire caused a dramatic ripple effect from the loss of fresh beef in the wholesale market. In response, The choice boxed cutout jumped more than $23 to $239.87 at its peak. But the cash feeder market dropped on long-term uncertainty with fed cattle taking the biggest hit...

Forecasters predict winter weather will descend into the northern plains and the northwestern corn belt this week. Economist Arlan Suderman, with INTL FCStone warns a freeze event could lower corn yields once the kernel's starch line is only halfway to the black layer. This could be one of the most challenging harvest seasons in quite some time for U.S. farmers. Considering how much of the nation's corn crop was planted extremely late after the wet spring, Suderman says we could be l...

Several in farm country applaud President Trump's U.S. Japan trade deal. The announcement is a welcome win for the heartland as other trade agendas stall in congress. Details are still coming in, but according to the preliminary deal, Japan will eliminate or reduce tariffs on $7.2 billion dollars worth of U.S. farm goods. Farmers have been operating at a disadvantage in Japan since the White House backed out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. The new pact with the island nat...

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The cost of long-term repairs to a failed irrigation tunnel serving farmers in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska could reach $68 million. 

JBS removes ractopamine from its U.S. pork supply in an effort to increase export opportunities to China as African Swine Fever slashes herds. Ractopamine, an FDA-approved feed supplement, is used in production to raise leaner pork. The meat-packer banned the feed additive in its Brazilian production systems last year. JBS competitors, like Smithfield, have already pulled the drug from its production.

National Parks have remarkable natural soundscapes, but human-caused noise poses a threat. Colorado State University teams up with the U.S. National Park Service to understand why.

The North American Meat Institute has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, to block enforcement of the voter-approved, "Proposition 12." The measure requires farmers, who market in the state, provide more space for animals being raised for food. The North American Meat Institute, whose members include processors such as Tyson Foods and retailers including Walmart, said enforcing Proposition 12 would hurt producers and consumers by significantly increasing their ...

Flooding affected spring planting this year, and now, it could make harvest a challenge too. DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist Bryce Anderson says he has seen ‘firsthand’ what’s going on and thinks it will impact farmers working to get crops out of the field. He also worries a lot of precipitation this winter could mean challenges ahead of next spring. He says the peak flood levels have likely passed in most areas, but there's still too much water overwhelming farm count...

Halloween and October in general have long been a time for orange and black to dominate the decorations, but what if you want to add a little more color to Autumn?  If you want to bring the rainbow to October, Crayola has you covered with a DIY rainbow crayon pumpkin.

BIG SKY, Mont. (AP) — Montana wildlife officials have killed a black bear that rummaged through trash, tried to enter a hotel and stole pizza off somebody’s plate. 

Families head to the patch in search of the perfect pumpkin. One Idaho farm family shares what it takes to grow this popular autumn squash. The Idaho Farm Bureau has the story.

BALTIMORE (AP) — A 1,600-pound bull escaped from a truck into the streets of Baltimore for several hours. The Baltimore Sun reported that it took three tranquilizer shots and a crew of zoo officials to recapture the animal on Wednesday. 

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres encourages her 77 million followers to eat less meat. Cattlemen call the controversial comment “misinformed." Washington Representative, Dan Newhouse, reminds the public this type of 'call to action' can have major implications on commodities. Several ag groups reached out to Ellen, requesting to come on her show and talk to her about the livestock industry.

Tony Award winner and Oscar-nominee Diahann Carrol has died at the age of 84.  

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A man who acknowledged shooting and killing a protected mountain lion that roamed the mountains near Los Angeles has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy added a modest 136,000 jobs in September, a gain that managed to help lower the unemployment rate to a new five-decade low of 3.5% but also suggested rising caution among employers.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - When Beijing announced it was exempting 16 U.S. goods from retaliatory tariffs, Chinese firms hurried to call Proliant Dairy Ingredients in the heart of American farm country. Among the products included in China’s first batch of exemptions last month was whey permeate for animal feed, a dairy byproduct sold by Iowa-based Proliant. While seen as a goodwill gesture ahead of talks to end the U.S.-China trade war, the exemption from a 25% retaliatory tariff im...

Gouda cheese, single-malt whiskey and large aircraft are among the European imports the Trump administration plans to hit with tariffs after receiving the go-ahead Wednesday from the World Trade Organization in a case involving illegal European Union subsidies for the aircraft giant Airbus. 

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The two pilots of a B-17 bomber that crashed at a Connecticut airport were among seven people killed in the fiery wreck, officials said Thursday. 

ATLANTA (AP) — More than 45 million people across 14 Southern states are now in the midst of what’s being called a “flash drought” that’s cracking farm soil, drying up ponds and raising the risk of wildfires, scientists said Thursday. 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins announced today that the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has invested $11 million in research that will support specialty crop farmers. “This collaborative public-private research effort will focus on applying innovative solutions to pest management problems that often are otherwise not available to specialty crop farmers,” said Hutchins, who leads ...

Bayer says Dicamba complaints are down in 2019 overall but Illinois has a record number of cases. The state's 590 complaints are up from 330 in 2018 and 246 in 2017. For other states, complaints trend down over the past two years. Bayer's Crop Science President says the company is looking into what's happening in Illinois. He says farmers had the date to apply Dicamba extended from June 30th to July 15th. Since weather delays caused many farmers to plant late this could be part of th...

China buys more U.S. pork and soybeans. New weekly export sales data shows 1.56 million metric tons of soybeans and 3500 metric tons of pork. Those numbers come from the week ending September 26th. USDA shares some private sales activity this week, including another 252,000 metric tons announced today. New purchases and next week's trade talks have renewed optimism the U.S. China dispute will end soon but one Rabo agri-finance analyst doesn't agree. Steve Nicholson says he thinks Chin...

Walmart has become the latest store to halt sales of the popular heartburn treatment Zantac after health regulators warned about a potentially dangerous contaminant in the drug. 

Agriculture groups urge the USDA to move forward with the 2018 Farm Bill's foot and mouth disease vaccine bank. RFD-TV's Corryn La Rue reports from Washington.

LONDON/BRUSSELS/GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States won approval on Wednesday to slap import tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European goods over illegal EU subsidies handed to Airbus, threatening to trigger a tit-for-tat transatlantic trade war as the global economy falters. The decision by the World Trade Organization pushes a 15-year corporate dispute over illegal support for transatlantic plane giants to the center of caustic world trade relations and comes on top of a tariff ...

A finished biofuel package could be released this week. Sources tell Reuters, the Trump administration is "close" to finalizing the details and the President could sign it as early as Friday. They say the policy change won’t include a price cap for blending credits, a decision, that should make farm groups happy following the 31 small refinery exemptions in August. The White House and the Environmental Protection Agency haven’t commented on the latest timeline ...