Corn and soybean growers have seen several years of low commodity prices and increased costs for supplies like fertilizer and fuel. That has many farmers worried about whether they'll turn a profit this year and drawn some comparisons to a dark time in American agriculture.
The Latest Harvest Stories
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For 150 years, silos have been a fixture of the Corn Belt, but efforts to preserve them have been haphazard.
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The majority of tornadoes this year have blasted through states in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. Tornado activity has been increasing east of the Great Plains in recent decades.
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A preliminary court order reinstated federal grants largely helping Black, Indigenous, veteran and immigrant farmers access land, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut earlier this year. Now, organizations are cautiously moving forward with their projects.
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New federal rules for dicamba aim to help cotton and soybean farmers control weeds. But the herbicide, which can kill other crops and trees, remains controversial.
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Many states face a fast approaching deadline to lower their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates or shoulder some of the federal program’s benefit costs. Food security groups worry this and other changes brought on by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could result in people losing aid.
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The Trump administration lowered tariffs on farm equipment last month. But with economic pressures on farmers, equipment dealers and manufacturers, the move may not bring much relief.
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The U.S. contains the fewest cattle since 1951, which is pushing beef prices up. Expanding the herd has been complicated for ranchers, however.
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These ranchers tried to protect grassland from trees and shrubs in all the traditional ways. It didn’t work. So they brought in hungry goats that turned woody plants into a cash stream.
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An official review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement begins in July. President Trump already has suggested the U.S. would be better off without it.
A collaboration of public radio stations across the central U.S., covering agriculture, food and the environment.