The top five AGDAILY stories of the week … did you follow the action? This week Farmer’s Life shares what he’s learned from planting cover crops, an Arizona National FFA Officer candidate reflects on his time in the blue jacket, and we examine why health insurance for farmers is truly a matter of national security. […]

Two new varieties of kidney beans – Talon and Rosie – have recently been released by a team of researchers at North Dakota State University. Both new varieties “possess improved resistance to root pathogens and bacterial diseases,” says lead researcher Juan Osorno. “They also show higher seed yields and superior performance compared to older varieties.” […]

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of raw materials that go into the manufacturing of tires — so would it be a shock to learn that corn could become one of them. That is the hope of a team from three research universities who set out to produce a more sustainable tire. The result was […]

An amendment to the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill that would allow for humane wild horse and burro euthanasia is just what western ranchers need according to the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), would rein in burdensome regulations that failed to […]

With Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s announcement Thursday that the USDA is authorizing the use of additional CRP lands for emergency grazing and haying to help those ranchers affected by severe drought, more states may be able to help. The USDA is adding the ability for farmers and ranchers in these areas to hay and graze […]

From an anti-cancer drug derived from Omega-3 fatty acids and sensors to help prevent bridge collapses to gene-silencing technology that controls mosquito populations and hand-held imaging tools to detect meat contamination, the USDA’s made-in-America research excelled in 2016. On Thursday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that USDA research generated 244 new inventions and 109 […]

For the first time ever, Chinese consumers will now be able to order a heaping bowl of U.S. rice. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the USDA has reached agreement with Chinese officials on final details of a protocol to allow the United States to begin exporting rice to China. “This is another […]

A University of California, Riverside research team won $14.9 million to battle mosquitoes that carry diseases such as Zika. With The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract, believed to be the largest ever received by a UC Riverside researcher, Omar Akbari, an assistant professor of entomology, and his team will focus on a technique […]

An atypical form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in an eleven-year old Alabama beef cow. The Commissioner of Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, John McMillan, confirmed that the department is working with USDA officials to address the rare and spontaneous incident. The animal was discovered during routine surveillance at an Alabama livestock […]

Work is underway to get those empty seats filled throughout the USDA. On Wednesday Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded President Donald Trump’s declaration of intent to nominate two for Under Secretaries, while naming three individuals to take on other leadership roles in the USDA. Trump intends to nominate Ted McKinney for Under Secretary for […]