January 5, 2026

The director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture says the agency is committed to preserving the state’s farmland in 2026. Brian Baldridge says a new $1 million grant program will allow county governments to help farmers develop and implement land use plans. “In the last two decades, we’ve lost one million acres of productive farmland,” […] The post ODA says it’s committed to helping preserve the state’s farmland in 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist at Purdue University says farmers should be considering more than cost when making input decisions for 2026. Michael Langemeier tells Brownfield, “You want to compare the benefits of making a change to the cost of making a change. If you think the impact is going to be relatively large, you could lose quite […] The post The right way to cut costs in 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The youth wellness manager for the American Dairy Association Indiana says a recently revamped school nutrition program is emphasizing the importance of dairy to a balanced diet. Sheri Shipp says milk is the cornerstone of all school meal programs. “A lot of students eat two out of three meals a day at school,” she says. […] The post ADAI relaunches Hot Chocolate Milk in Schools, emphasizing the importance of dairy to a balanced diet appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag labor specialist says many farmers who use the H-2A guest worker program are planning to offer wages above the new minimums set by the Department of Labor. Sarah Black with Great Lakes Ag Labor Services tells Brownfield it’s a common commitment she’s seeing from clients. “They have workers that have come back 10, 12 years every single year, and those are valuable members of […] The post H-2A wage rule sets floor, not ceiling, as farmers prioritize retaining skilled labor appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says the USDA’s recently announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program heavily favors southern crops over Midwestern producers. Jerry Costello tells Brownfield, “You’ve got payments that are three times as much going to crops like rice than what either soy or corn is being paid out.”  He says, […] The post Corn and soybean payments lag as FBA program draws criticism from Illinois ag director appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The USDA reports a mixed start to the calendar year for U.S. export inspections. Corn inspections during the week ending January 1st fell below the previous week but was more than double this time last year as the strong sales from earlier in the marketing year leave U.S. ports. While soybean inspections were solid, they’re […] The post Sorghum export inspections surge following new demand from China appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story