USDA’s newly announced $12 billion relief package is meant to serve as a bridge for U.S. farmers facing mounting financial pressure. However, with rising input costs, trade disruptions, and a reliance on record subsidies, many growers will spend their checks before they even arrive.
From fresh pine scent to sustainable farming, real Christmas trees do more than brighten the holidays. This week, we explore how America’s Christmas tree farmers grow a renewable crop that supports local agriculture, boosts wildlife habitat, and helps the environment, one seedling at a time.
Blooming just in time for the holidays, the Christmas cactus is more tropical than desert-tough. Native to the Brazilian rainforest, this festive plant thrives in humid conditions, indirect light, and even grows on trees, making it a unique holiday classic with a surprising backstory.
Discover how the Native American “Three Sisters” farming system, corn, beans, and squash, created a powerful, regenerative growing method that helped feed the New World and shaped sustainable agriculture long before modern science.
Equipment breakdowns have always been part of farming, but today, the repair bills and downtime can feel unbearable. With parts prices soaring, dealer labor rates climbing, and right-to-repair battles heating up, farmers are feeling the squeeze every time a machine quits.
Farmers may be tightening their wallets, but their optimism is holding strong. Despite cutting back on equipment and fertilizer spending, new data shows farmer sentiment is the highest it’s been in four years.
China’s renewed commitment to purchase millions of tons of U.S. soybeans has farm country buzzing with optimism. But as past trade deals have shown, promises from Beijing don’t always sprout into reality.
Tempers flared across the beef belt last week as news broke that the U.S. may import Argentine beef, and ranchers weren’t having it. What followed felt like an old western saloon brawl between cowboys and politicians, complete with economic punches, market swings, and a whole lot of pride on the line.
Ever wonder why farmers grow the crops they do? From soil type and climate to markets and processing plants, a wide range of factors influence what ends up in each field.
October is National Cooperative Month, a time to recognize the organizations that keep rural communities thriving. From providing essential services to marketing crops and supplying inputs, cooperatives embody the power of working together. Their member-owned model ensures that success is shared, making cooperation truly the foundation that grows communities.
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