Rural Mainstreet Index Falls Below Growth Neutral
For the sixth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below growth neutral. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a ten-state region dependent on agriculture or energy. The
Fresh Pork Expected to Be More Price-Competitive with Beef and Chicken
A National Pork Board report expects pork to be even more price-competitive with beef and chicken during the fall. The pork supply continues to fall short of expectations. In the last month, slaughter is down 3.3 percent,
U.S. and Canadian Cattle Inventory Down One Percent
All cattle and calves in the United States and Canada combined to total 106 million head on July 1, 2025, which was down one percent from the 107 million head on July 1, 2023. All cows and
National Pork Board Taps David Newman to Lead the Organization as CEO
DES MOINES, Iowa — The National Pork Board (NPB), the producer-led and consumer-focused national Pork Checkoff organization, has named David Newman the organization’s new CEO effective September 1, 2025. Newman most recently served as NPB’s senior vice
USDA Expands Efforts to Strengthen Rural Food Animal Veterinary Workforce and Protect America’s Food Supply
(Washington, D.C., August 28, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced a commitment to new actions (PDF, 1.2 MB) to increase the number of rural food animal veterinarians across the U.S. and recruit new veterinarians to
Dairy Heifer Inventories to Shrink Further Before Rebounding in 2027
DENVER (August 28, 2025)—The U.S. dairy industry is facing a potential shortage of its most important resource – milk cows. The number of replacement heifers available to enter the dairy herd as milk producing cows has already
Soybean Growers Want Trade Relief as China Is Not Buying U.S. Beans
(DECATUR, IL) — The world’s top soybean importer, China, doesn’t seem to have bought a single American cargo ship’s worth of soybeans for the coming marketing year (which starts September 1st). And that lack of buying has
NCGA: Corn is Unprofitable at Current Price Levels
The National Corn Growers Association issued a report saying corn prices have dropped about 50 percent since hitting a peak in 2022. However, the cost of production has declined only modestly, making the production of corn unprofitable.