-
1 week ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of new Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development state directors. These follow the first slate of appointments announced at the beginning of May. “President Trump is putting farmers first, and so is the incredible team we are building at the Department of Agriculture. Our latest additions to the USDA family are personally invested in ensuring farmers and rural America prosper.
-
1 week ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
In Tuesday's Crop Progress report, USDA included the first round of corn condition ratings for the nation’s top 18 corn-growing states. For five of them, more than 75% of the corn crop was rated good/excellent as of the week ending May 25. Here’s a closer look at which states made the list. The corn in North Carolina is the best in the country, according to USDA’s latest Crop Progress report. As of the week ending May 25, 85% of the state’s corn crop was rated good/excellent.
-
1 week ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
In the last week, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has silently updated the lease terminations listed on its Wall of Receipts, and USDA offices have been majorly impacted. In March, the Wall of Receipts listed nearly 750 government office lease terminations, planned as part of the DOGE agenda to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Now, the listed offices number less than 500, and a large chunk of the offices no longer listed are those of USDA agencies.
-
1 week ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
Today, USDA published the eighth Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. As of May 25, 87% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had been planted. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 85%. Sixty-seven percent of the corn crop had emerged across the top corn-growing states as of May 25. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 60%.
-
2 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
Early on May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a major budget package — the vote was 215-214. Bill H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will now move onto the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the most consequential legislation that any, any party has passed, certainly under a majority this thin," according to a report by CBS News.
-
2 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
A report to be released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission this week has agricultural groups appealing for careful consideration by the Trump administration. The report’s expected release is Thursday, May 22, according to Agri-Pulse’s Rebekah Alvey. The MAHA report “will set out to identify possible drivers of diseases, including diet and environmental factors. From there, the commission will suggest a government-wide strategy to tackle chronic disease,” Alvey said.
-
2 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
Today, USDA published the seventh Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. As of May 18, 78% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had been planted. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 73%. Half of the corn crop had emerged across the top corn-growing states as of May 18. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 40%.
-
3 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
According to USDA’s most recent Crop Progress report, the oat crop across the country's top oat-growing states was rated 47% good-to-excellent the week ending May 11. A year ago, that percentage was 63%. The nine leading oat-producing states are experiencing varied conditions, with positive ratings in some areas being offset by lower ratings in others. For five states, at least 79% of the respective oat crop was rated good-to-excellent.
-
3 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
Today, USDA published the sixth Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. As of May 11, 62% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had been planted. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 56%. Twenty-eight percent of the corn crop had emerged across all 18 top corn-growing states as of May 11. That’s ahead of the five-year average by seven percentage points.
-
4 weeks ago | 
agriculture.com | Mariah Squire
According to the USDA’s Crop Progress report released May 5, corn planting progress in the Badger State is behind average, but progress for soybeans is ahead. Here’s a closer look at the numbers and some boots-on-the-ground perspective from an agronomist. As of the latest numbers from USDA, corn planting in Wisconsin jumped 12 percentage points the week ending May 4, reaching 16%. Despite the double-digit increase, that’s still five points behind the five-year average.
