New regulations for plastics in the European Union and Canada could impact fresh produce growers and exporters.

While pasture conditions have improved and feed costs have been declining as the drought eases, cattle farmers continue to sell off cattle in the face of historically low inventories.

The USDA announced new programs, partnerships and grant awards along with an additional $10 million in funding to expand markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production.

The cost of soybean production in the U.S. has soared by 157% since 1997, while seed cost rose by 260% according to Bryn Swearingen and Kate Vaiknoras with the USDA Economic Research Service.

According to recent data from the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, cover crops were planted on 6.2% of total cropland acres in the South.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed SF 2391, the Iowa Meat Integrity Bill, into law. The bill protects against the misbranding of meat and egg alternatives.

Earlier this year a federal court determined that the U.S. EPA unlawfully approved dicamba for use over the top of emerged soybeans and cotton crops designed to withstand the herbicide.

The USDA issued its first beef and pork production forecasts for 2025. Beef production is projected to decline by 1.5 billion pounds while the outlook for pork production will increase by about 330 million pounds compared to 2024.

In a two-to-one ruling, U.S. Court of Appeals judges for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the EPA acted reasonably and within the law when it added a 250-million-gallon ethanol mandate to the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2022.

Alabama became the second state to ban the sale of cultured meat. Governor Kay Ivey signed SB23 into law, making the manufacture, sale or distribution of food products produced from cultured animal cells a Class C misdemeanor as of October 1.