May 11, 2026

The Wisconsin Transportation Development Association has identified rural bridges that need repair or replacement. Executive Director Debby Jackson tells Brownfield Wisconsin has seventeen thousand culverts or bridges shorter than twenty feet, so they’re not officially a bridge by state or federal statutes. “But, you can’t fix an issue if you don’t know how many structures […] The post Wisconsin group identifies rural bridge problems appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The bureau chief of marketing, promotion, and grants with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) says the state’s specialty crop industry is receiving a boost. Jackie Sambursky says more than $796,000 will be awarded over the next three years to expand access to locally grown produce through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. “About […] The post Illinois food system receives funding boost appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The USDA’s chief economist says farmers and ranchers need greater certainty to keep their operations sustainable. Justin Benavidez says producers have dealt with numerous economic challenges over the past 15 years. “Sustained divergence in input costs, and returns to output, with brief moments of uncertainty that have injected some profitability.” He says there are no […] The post USDA chief economist: Long-term strategy can strengthen farm economy appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ecosystem scientist at Michigan State University says the first five years of prairie strip research is finding benefits for farm profitability and management. Research director Phil Robertson tells Brownfield some areas of crop fields can be consistently low performers. “Those subfield areas are actually a drain on the profitability of the system because you’re […] The post First 5 years of MISTRIPS show benefits for corn and soybean farmers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An extension ag economist says this week’s meeting between President Trump and China’s president could significantly impact U.S. agriculture. Chad Hart is with Iowa State University and says, “When it comes to soybeans, from the U.S. perspective we’re still looking to see additional purchases by China given informal agreements.” He tells Brownfield he expects feed […] The post Trump, Xi Jinping to meet Thursday in Beijing appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The U.S. House is scheduled to vote on nationwide year-round E15 legislation Wednesday. House Agriculture Committee member Brad Finstad tells Brownfield for the first time there’s a clear path for an up or down vote. “And it’s high time Congress starts acting. And I represent 750,000 people, and the only way I can show them […] The post Congress nears key vote on permanent year-round E15 access appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story