Growing Harvest Ag Network

College students and recent graduates are encouraged to attend CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, February 3–5, 2026. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faith Parum, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said increased biofuel production could be one avenue to increase farm revenue and boost the entire rural economy. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture expanded its Minnesota Ag Weather Network with the launch of another weather station in West Central Minnesota.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rusty Halvorson and Sarah Heinrich share some of this week's top stories in agriculture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farm Management Specialist Ron Haugen offers some year-end tax planning advice for farmers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Farm Talk segment is brought to you by North Dakota Corn. Andrew Mauch is the immediate past president of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association. He also serves on the National Corn Growers Association's Biofuels Action Team. Mauch discusses the small refinery exemptions that the EPA recently issued, as well as the continued push for E15. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

North Dakota Farmers Union donated $500,000 to the Great Plains Food Bank, a leading hunger-relief organization and the state’s only food bank. The contribution is dedicated to the relief agency’s Harvesting Hope Campaign, which is focused on building a new statewide distribution center to expand food access across the state. North Dakota Farmers Union See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese purchases of soybeans from the U.S. appear to have stalled only two weeks after the U.S. touted a wide-ranging trade truce between the two countries. Bloomberg said it appeared to show a thawing in relations between the world’s biggest economies. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh Linville analyzes the fertilizer marketplace for StoneX and says if the incoming Trump Administration imposes a 10 percent tariff on all goods coming into the U.S., it will do more than simply raise prices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beef and pork variety meats are the centerpiece of a new promotion by the U.S. Meat Export Federation staff in Mexico. Source: USMEFSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This NDSU Ag Minute features Farm Management Specialist Ron Haugen. Haugen offers some year-end tax planning advice for farmers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annie’s Project is a program is designed for women in agriculture to gain knowledge and networking opportunities. The Annie’s Project-inspired webinars are open to all and will focus on managing risk in today’s agricultural environment. The first round will focus on livestock production and management.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nathan Johanning of the University of Illinois Extension Service said there are more types of pumpkins than people may realize, and that starts with research and development. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Leo, NDSU Extension Ag and Natural Resources Agent for Williams County, gives an update on the small grains harvest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regent, North Dakota sunflower grower, Josh Greff says they were hit with a very early frost that has affected some of his crops. He says that over half of his sunflower crop was hit with hail this summer. National Sunflower Association See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Milk Producers Federation applauded the recent announcement from the Trump administration of new trade agreements in Southeast Asia. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cattle backgrounding is a common practice this time of year in the Upper Midwest. Karl Hoppe, NDSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, offers some advice for those feeding calves this fall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For more than a decade, school children have been prevented from purchasing whole or 2 percent milk in schools. But, as American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Danny Munch tells us, reversing that decision could be a benefit to kids as well as a positive step for improving the farm economy. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American Sheep Industry Association has formally requested the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office initiate a global safeguard investigation into U.S. imports of lamb meat under the Trade Act of 1974. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tanner Ehmke, the lead economist for grains and oilseeds at CoBank, said farmers who used to typically sell their soybeans directly off the combine now have to find storage, either on-farm or at elevators charging higher fees. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Matheson, executive director of the National Bison Association, talks more about the factors impacting the industry and what’s being done to address them. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American Farm Bureau is expanding the reach of its landmark Farm State of Mind Initiative to a broader coalition of food and farm sector partners. AFB is joining forces with the Farm Family Wellness Alliance to launch the Farm State of Mind Alliance. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rusty Halvorson and Sarah Heinrich share some of the week's top stories in agriculture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October saw a modest rise in U.S. farmer sentiment as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index of 129 was three points higher than September’s reading. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minnesota beef producers will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed refundable increase of 50 cents per head to the state’s current beef checkoff. It’s been more than 30 years since the last checkoff increase, when the Federal checkoff was implemented for all U.S. beef producers at $1.00 per head. Minnesota Department of AgricultureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This NDSU Ag Minute features Karl Hoppe, NDSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. Hoppe offers some advice to producers looking to background their calves this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Nicholson, Global Sector Strategist for Grains and Oilseeds with Rabobank, says their latest report indicates prices are currently in the bottom of a cycle. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Dakota State University Extension is partnering with Rising Hope Counseling to offer up to five free mental health counseling sessions for farmers and ranchers, their immediate family members, and agribusiness professionals. SDSU ExtensionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Onida, South Dakota grower, Ryan Olson says the last three weeks the weather has been pretty good. National Sunflower AssociationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next student leaders of National FFA were elected to help guide this premier youth leadership organization during the coming year. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ag groups welcomed news of China’s renewed commitment to import U.S. agricultural products. But, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said there’s still a lot of work to do. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Traces of long-banned pesticides persist in U.S. groundwater, a new U.S. Geological Survey study shows, even as concentrations of most chemicals generally declined. An analysis of 59 groundwater networks from 1993 to 2023 found only one pesticide — the insecticide DBCP, outlawed since 1977 — exceeded health benchmarks in a Central Valley site in California. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike North of Ever.Ag talks potash prices. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Pork Board’s Swine Extension and Outreach Professionals Group is made up of university professors and extension professionals at U.S. colleges and universities. Sarah Schieck-Boelke is a swine extension educator at the University of Minnesota and says this group is at the forefront of getting needed information to producers. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An upcoming webinar from Penn State University Extension titled “Communicating with Farmers Under Stress” is intended to help participants learn the signs of stress and how to help. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump announced trade progress with a number of countries on a swing through Asia. And while details still need to be worked out, the talks offer positive signs for exports of U.S. beef and pork according to U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO, Dan Halstrom. Source: USMEFSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the eighth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below a growth-neutral score of 50.0. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a ten-state region dependent on agriculture. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mexico and the U.S. haven’t yet agreed to resume Mexican beef cattle exports into the U.S. amid the outbreak of the New World Screwworm in Mexico. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faith Parum, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said there has been some important progress with one of our nation’s largest trading partners. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rusty Halvorson and Sarah Heinrich share some of the week's top stories in farm and ranch news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This NDSU Ag Minute features Jill Murphy, NDSU Extension Ag and Natural Resources for Traill County. Murphy talks soybean and corn harvest in the county. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Appel, Vice President of Category Management with the Farmers Business Network, says some products will see greater price hikes than others. NAFB News ServiceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.