Growing Harvest Ag Network

USDA's July index for crop and livestock production prices received by ag producers indicate declines in some categories from the prior month. Rod Bain has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

This Farm Talk segment is brought to you by North Dakota Corn. Amber Wood with the North Dakota Livestock Alliance highlights upcoming events to visit with producers about livestock development in the state of North Dakota.   

The Rural Mainstreet Index edged back above growth-neutral in August, but the latest survey still shows significant financial pressure across farm country. NAFB News Service

Wisconsin’s dairy herd count has fallen below 5,000 for the first time, highlighting just how dramatically the state’s dairy industry has changed over the past century. NAFB News Service

What should you know from a food safety perspective if you are in charge of packing a school lunch for a child or children? Rod Bain has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

Corn is drawing the most attention from grain market watchers as global supplies tighten and demand remains strong. Mike Zuzolo, founder of Global Commodity Analytics, says the fundamentals behind corn are the strongest they've been in year. NAFB News Service

Football season means tailgate parties in many instances but party chefs need to consider avoiding food safety fouls involving cross contamination of food products. Rod Bain with USDA has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Ranchers First Initiative, a package of actions to continue rebuilding the beef herd.  USDA

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey talks about a heat dome parked during mid-July over the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, and its role in record high temperatures. USDA Radio Newsline

This NDSU Ag Minute features Jeff Stachler, NDSU Extension Cropping Systems Specialist. Stachler offers some weed management advice for growers.

Dairy leaders want Canada held accountable under USMCA while preserving the trade agreement. NAFB News Service

Creating a gold standard in science-based salmonella control is the mission of USDA's recently announced Salmonella SAFE (Science, Action, Faster Response, and Effective Control) Plan. Rod Bain has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

A comparison of the Purdue University–CME Group Ag Economy Barometer and the Austral Ag Barometer found sharply different outlooks among farmers despite shared challenges such as high input costs and low commodity prices. NAFB News Service

Fertilizer prices and availability have been a major pain point for U.S. producers for several years. A big part of the trouble is the U.S. importing about 50 percent of the 20 million tons of fertilizer used domestically every year. NAFB News Service

Rusty Halvorson and Sarah Heinrich share some of the week's top headlines in agriculture.

USDA is purchasing U.S. pork for federal food assistance programs, a move welcomed by the National Pork Producers Council as hog producers face a challenging market. NAFB News Service

This Farm Talk segment is brought to you by North Dakota Corn. Steven Hansen is a corn grower from the Oakes area. Hansen shares with listeners his recent conversation with the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Nesvik.   

The Trump administration has announced a new plan aimed at lowering beef prices in the grocery stores, but the plan will negatively impact the farm economy. John Newton, the vice president of public policy and economic analysis at the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the plan calls for importing a large volume of foreign beef. NAFB News Service

Josh Linville, Vice President of Fertilizer at StoneX, talks more about the current fertilizer market. NAFB News Service

A growing appetite for pork is building momentum with consumers. Doctor Glynn Tonsor, an economist at Kansas State University, says the pork industry is turning appetites into action by making pork a favorite every day. NAFB News Service

This NDSU Ag Minute features NDSU Extension Agronomist Ana Carcedo. Carcedo highlights some of the important details when selecting soybean varieties. 

The Agricultural Secretary and other stakeholders this week announced a new initiative to boost school nutrition and healthier meals through several key components. USDA Radio Newsline

Spring wheat harvest is underway, and even wrapped up for some producers. Jim Peterson with the North Dakota Wheat Commission has the details on this year’s harvest.

Nigeria is now open to U.S. beef and pork muscle cuts. As U.S. Meat Export Federation Africa Representative Matt Copeland explains, before the market access expansion facilitated by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, exports to Nigeria had been limited to a few processed items. U.S. Meat Export Federation

Among the options producers and landowners have in the conservation toolbox - a USDA Wetland Mitigation Banking Program currently offering grants for accepted projects.  Farm Production and Conservation Under Secretary Richard Fordyce provides details about the Wetlands Mitigation Banking Program and the current program sign-up. USDA Radio Newsline

Imagine detecting problems in your soybean fields before you can even see them. That’s the research that’s taking place at NDSU.

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an emergency waiver allowing continued sales of E15 gasoline through the remainder of the summer driving season, a move welcomed by biofuel producers who say it provides certainty for fuel retailers and consumers.  NAFB News Service

Six Democratic senators are seeking answers from the Agriculture Department after a major error in U.S. beef export sales data raised concerns about the reliability of federal agricultural statistics. Reuters reported the senators, led by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, asked USDA to explain how the mistake occurred and whether staffing reductions contributed.  NAFB News Service

This NDSU Ag Minute features Fibena Mathew, NDSU Field Crops Pathologist and Rex Sun with Ag Systems and Bioengineering on the NDSU Campus. They visit with listeners about the technology being developed to detect problems in soybean fields before you can even see them.   

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association on Friday criticized a social media post by President Donald Trump regarding beef imports, saying the remarks could undermine efforts to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd and have already contributed to lower cattle prices. NAFB News Service

Producers and landowners needing to update base acreage for USDA farm safety net programs have until month's end to make those changes. Rod Bain with USDA has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

The 2026 U.S. wheat harvest continues to make steady progress. Most major classes are reporting favorable yields and quality despite pockets of weather-related challenges. NAFB News Service

This NDSU Ag Minute features Penny Nester, NDSU Extension Ag and Natural Resources Agent for Bowman County. Nester discusses the drought conditions and concerns in the southwestern corner of the state.  

Financial pressure is building in farm country. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reports agricultural credit conditions across the Upper Midwest weakened during the second quarter compared to a year ago. NAFB News Service

Rusty Halvorson and Sarah Heinrich share some of the week's top stories in agriculture.

Morocco’s state-owned OCP has returned to the U.S. phosphate fertilizer market after the Trump administration suspended countervailing duties on the company earlier this summer. NAFB News Service

This Farm Talk segment is brought to you by North Dakota Corn. Heidie Haugo with the North Dakota Corn Utilization Council talks more about CommonGround ND's September screenings of "Green and Gold" in Fargo, Lisbon, Grand Forks and Rugby.

World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski offers USDA's August steer price forecasts for this year and next. USDA Radio Newsline

U.S. ethanol production fell to a five-week low last week, while output remained above year-ago and five-year average levels. The Renewable Fuels Association, analyzing Energy Information Administration data, says production for the week ending August 14 dropped 2.5 percent to 1.09 million barrels per day, or 45.74 million gallons daily. NAFB News Service

Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg explains two goals to boost and expand our nation's agricultural exports. USDA Radio Newsline

What are some of the details small and medium sized meat processors should know regarding application for a USDA support program? Rod Bain with USDA has the story. USDA Radio Newsline

The El Nino pattern that is influencing weather currently in North and South America will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. NAFB News Service

The National Grain and Feed Association is celebrating its sixth Harvest Safety Week on August 18-22. NAFB News Service

Ethanol producers and industry leaders are gathering Aug.19-21 in Minneapolis for the American Coalition for Ethanol’s 39th annual conference, focused on expanding markets and navigating federal policy. NAFB News Service

U.S. sales of agricultural tractors dropped nearly 11% in July 2026 compared to the year before, with combine sales declining more than 5% in the same period. NAFB News Service

The Supreme Court ruled in late June that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state-law claims regarding pesticide labeling. Agriculture is counting the ruling as a major win that will keep an important tool in the market. The decision effectively overturned a previous jury award and is expected to end many ongoing lawsuits related to the pesticide Roundup. NAFB News Service

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement is undergoing serious trade renegotiations. NAFB News Service  

El Niño is setting up a generally favorable weather pattern across much of the Corn Belt as crops move into a critical stretch of development. NAFB News Service

USDA is giving farmers more time to pay their crop insurance bills. The Risk Management Agency is authorizing Approved Insurance Providers to give producers up to 60 additional days to pay crop insurance premiums, administrative fees, and other amounts with billing dates between July 1st and September 30th. NAFB News Service

Farms and ranches who employ workers under the H2-A program now have their federally mandated minimum wage under the new Adverse Effect Wage Rate. NAFB News Service