Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has approved Indiana’s waiver to remove soft drinks and candy from the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Emily Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, says implementing restrictions takes away from the program’s intended purpose.  “SNAP is a program that goes directly to the consumer,” she says. “It enables families to…… Continue Reading

A livestock economist says higher interest rates have been a limiting factor to herd expansion. Josh Maples with Mississippi State University says that at current price levels, there is a lot of interest in buying cattle. “They talk to the lenders about what the rates are and then they don’t call back,” he says. He…… Continue Reading

The agronomy education lead with Beck’s Hybrids says Midwestern corn growers may be losing yield to corn nematodes. Matt Montgomery says awareness is increasing around the native soilborne organisms. “We’re appreciating through some of the survey work that’s been done overtime that corn nematodes are a little bit more widespread.”  He says, “That shouldn’t be…… Continue Reading

Some farmers say risk management is becoming more difficult. Southwest Kansas farmer Jim Sipes says he’s adjusted his crop nutrient program due to rising input costs. “We have had to cut back a little bit on our fertilizer program mostly because we have good amounts of phosphorus in our soil and so we cut back…… Continue Reading