April 30, 2026

Signups for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program begin Monday, May 4th.  The program is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices.  Signups run through May 29th through the local Farm Service Agency offices. The post Grassland Conservation Reserve signups open Monday appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A northeast Nebraska farmer says he’s been having an exceptional planting season. Greg Anderson raises corn and soybeans near Newman Grove. “Planted about 75 to 80 percent back home,” he said. “We had a nice second half of April and now we’re getting some rains.” He tells Brownfield his area has been receiving some adequate […] The post Nebraska producer sees fast planting progress, improved moisture conditions appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A cattle producer group has mixed feelings about the newly passed House version of the farm bill. Bill Bullard tells Brownfield R-CALF USA’s priorities for the farm bill included mandatory country-of-origin labeling, beef checkoff program reforms, and reversing the electronic livestock identification mandate, but only one of those made it into the final House bill. […] The post Cattle group hopes Senate will add COOL, delete EIS in farm bill appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

House lawmakers have voted to remove pesticide oversight provisions from the skinny farm bill that’s now being sent to the U.S. Senate. These provisions were related to the uniformity of pesticide labeling, the authority of states and lawful use of authorized pesticides. Richard Gupton with the Ag Retailers Association tells Brownfield “It tells you a […] The post U.S. House cuts controversial pesticide oversight provisions in farm bill appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A pair of Illinois farmers say they’re taking steps to save on fertilizer costs this year. Southern Illinois farmer Granvil Travis says he’s relying on past year’s applications. “On years when fertilizer is cheaper, we’ll go ahead and spend extra on fertilizer to build up what I would call the bank.”  He says, “In years […] The post Finding fertilizer savings top of mind for many Illinois farmers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The Food and Drug Administration’s response to a recent multi-state E. coli outbreak caused by raw milk is being called into question by members of Congress. During a U.S. House subcommittee hearing, Ohio Democrat Greg Landsman raised concerns about Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advocacy of the company. “For some […] The post FDA criticized following raw milk E. coli investigation appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A biosecurity expert says national security risks to agriculture go beyond foreign animal diseases.  Marty Vanier says foreign animal disease like African Swine Fever, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and New World screwworm get a lot of the attention. But, “I have a lot of friends in the crop world and plant pathologists, and they can […] The post Biosecurity expert says ag national security risks extend beyond animal disease appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Farmers have told Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins that several issues need to be resolved to keep farms operating. Brad Olson is President of Wisconsin Farm Bureau, and was a participant in the Secretary’s farmer roundtable event on Monday. “Labor and mental health were brought up. One individual brought up the fact that they felt as […] The post Farmers bring concerns to Ag Secretary appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The National FFA Organization is working to help students explore career opportunities in agriculture. National Eastern Region Vice President Joey Nowotny says the organization’s Career Development Events and Supervised Agriculture Experiences help members discover career interests. “The FFA is raising students that are going to be leaders in the agricultural industry,” he says. “I ended […] The post National FFA Eastern Region VP says FFA provides career readiness opportunities appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story