Cheese and butter processors pick up production

The USDA says cheese and butter production started to pick up steam in March while other products remained mostly slumped. Total cheese production was more than 1.2 billion pounds, up 1.4 percent from last year and nearly 10 percent from the prior month. Italian cheese production was up incrementally on the year and more than…… Continue Reading

Waiting on dry conditions to resume planting

A farmer in north-central Missouri says he’d like to have a break in the consistent rains to finish soybean planting. “We shut down operations on Easter weekend and haven’t been back since.” Brandon Thiel from Malta Bend tells Brownfield field conditions are close to being dry enough to resume planting, but “we’ve had several days…… Continue Reading

MMPA says milk quality & safety are essential

The head of Michigan Milk Producers Association says USDA staff reductions won’t stop food safety efforts throughout the supply chain. Joe Diglio tells Brownfield, “While there might be maybe some less oversight within the government ranks, I don’t believe that the practices being followed today from the farm community all the way through the supply chain…… Continue Reading

USDA budget proposal gets mixed reviews

U.S. Senators have mixed reviews on President Trump’s 2026 budget proposal, which if realized, would cut 18% of federal spending at the USDA. At a Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, chairman John Hoeven, a Republican from North Dakota, said lawmakers can work with USDA to save money, but “we’ve got to know we’re…… Continue Reading

Reconciliation pivotal in farm bill discussions

A member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee says she’s gravely concerned about the effects of ongoing budget reconciliation efforts in Congress. Nikki Budzinski, an Illinois Democrat, says this week’s expected committee markup of the legislation is pivotal for a new farm bill. “In this markup, it’s going to be debated about $230 billion of…… Continue Reading

AFBF economist says off-farm income is keeping farmers going

An economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation says off-farm income is helping keep U.S. farming operations afloat. Danny Munch says a recent Market Intel Report shows 98% of farms receive some form of off-farm income. “The average on farm income was a loss of $900 in 2023,” he says. “That means that numerically, most…… Continue Reading

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