CropsA USDA Economic Research Service study comparing the US Heartland with Brazil's Mato Grosso finds Brazilian costs per acre far lower, mainly on land and double cropping, while US corn yields are nearly double.
LivestockCornell University studies found that grazing two sheep per hectare at a solar farm raised beneficial insects by 38% compared with mowing, and produced a tool to help farmers plan solar grazing flocks.
FruitsUS fresh apple exports reached 1.87 billion pounds in the 2025/26 marketing year, about 26% of fresh production, and a record $1.16 billion in value, with Mexico and Canada the largest buyers.
CropsStoneX's Josh Linville says disruption in the Strait of Hormuz threatens urea, ammonia, phosphate and sulfur supplies, while about 90% of US potash imports depend on trade with Canada.
VegetablesPurdue horticulture scientist Stephen Meyers says pumpkin fields are prepared in the fall on cover crops, and growers then face months of weeds, powdery mildew, bacterial spot and insects before harvest.
LivestockWith fall migration under way, USDA Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins warned that wild birds spread highly pathogenic avian influenza along every US flyway and asked producers to limit visitors and keep stock away from wild birds.
LivestockNearly 30 dairy and farm organisations have asked USDA to drop a new rule requiring the four Dairy Business Innovation centres to match 25% of their federal funding, saying the universities and agencies that host them cannot pay it.
AgribusinessThe John Deere Foundation's $18.5 million Farm-to-Plate strategy funds Feeding America and The Farmlink Project to move surplus farm food to people facing hunger, with more than $13 million for Iowa.
AgrotechZema Global will carry SatYield's satellite-based, in-season yield, production and acreage estimates for the US and Brazil, giving commodity traders an independent read on crops before official figures.
HealthA study in Science found that people whose gut microbiome was more inflammatory, a pattern correlated with diets high in fat and food additives, were more likely to run a fever after an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. Antibody responses were not affected.
LivestockMontana's Livestock Loss Board has about $400,000 for fencing, carcass removal, guard dogs and range riders in its 2027 grant cycle; applications close on 4 November.
LivestockTerrain Ag analyst Dave Weaber has cut his US cattle price forecasts sharply, citing drought-driven hay costs, slaughter capacity still below last year, resumed Mexican feeder imports and extra tariff-free beef.
OpinionIn a CropLife column, Hua Cheng and David Li argue that Chinese crop protection suppliers are gaining routes to US growers, but retailers keep advantages that cannot be shipped in a container.
