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by Jeff Ishee Jan. 25 - 2026 - Single-digit and below‑zero temperatures are sweeping across the Mid‑Atlantic in late January, threatening small grain crops, livestock, and farm infrastructure at a time when producers are already stretched thin by deep snow and generally volatile weather. The sudden Arctic plunge is part of a broader cold pattern pushing frigid air from the Midwest toward the East Coast, bringing dangerous wind chills and prolonged freezes. As temperatures di

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky Proud®, the official marketing program of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, is offering a one-day workshop for Kentucky producers to help them develop a plan to market agricultural products to a wider audience. Kentucky Proud is hosting the Retail Readiness workshop in partnership with the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) and the University of Kentucky’s MarketReady Producer Training Program. “This one-day workshop

CALLANDS, VA — Demand for Virginia-grown tobacco may have dipped over the decades, but grower efficiencies and commitment to quality keep the state’s surviving operations profitable. Over 8,400 Virginia farms were producing tobacco in 1992. Today, only 173 farms in Virginia are growing the historically iconic crop, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement and 2004 federal tobacco quota buyout pushed some growers into early retirement,

by Kimbra Cutlip A new study from the University of Maryland provides the first clear picture of attitudes and barriers to agrivoltaics—the dual use of land for farming and solar energy—in Montgomery County, Maryland. The results reveal how local environmental, political, and social factors influence acceptance and adoption of solar energy in the region’s agricultural sector. The study , which was published in the journal Energy Policy on January 13, 2026, is significant beca

Source: Michigan Farm Bureau Michigan land values showed “remarkable resilience and strength” in the latter part of 2025, according to Jay Van Gorden, area sales manager for Farmers National Co. (FNC), a national landowner service provider. This is especially the case for high-quality farmland, said Van Gorden, which is still near record levels. “Farmers National has seen multiple sales in the $15,000 to $19,000 per acre range in the past few weeks in our Eastern Region for h

by Jeff Ishee President Donald Trump has signed into law the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which will allow school systems to offer students whole milk and other healthy dairy products. The law overturns Obama‑era nutrition rules that limited schools to fat‑free and low‑fat milk options beginning in 2012, a policy originally aimed at reducing childhood obesity. Shenandoah County, Virginia, dairy farmer Thomas French was in the White House Oval Office for the sig

Source: West Virginia Department of Agriculture Charleston, WV / January 14, 2026 - The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a backyard flock in Greenbrier County. This is only the fourth detection of HPAI in domestic birds in West Virginia since the global outbreak began in early 2022. The diagnosis was confirmed following a field investigation, sample collection, and testing at WVDA’s Anima

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released their annual report on crop production in mid-Janaury. That report indicated that ten states set new all‑time record corn yields in 2025. These records were driven by unusually favorable summer weather and a strong kernel set across much of the Corn Belt. As farmers might say, "Right weather at the right time." Soybean yield also set a new record at 53 bpa. States setting a new all-time high for corn yield include: Georgia Indiana L

Source: American Farm Bureau Federation For specialty crop farmers, 2025 has offered little relief from mounting financial pressures. Markets that once delivered stable margins are now marked by volatility, while production expenses continue to rise faster than prices. Trade uncertainty further threatens already-thin farm-gate revenues. Despite generating more than $75 billion in annual farm-gate value – over one-third of all U.S. crop sales – specialty crop producers operate

Source: USDA news release Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published a joint opinion piece in Fox News highlighting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, which call for Americans to eat real foods, including more protein, dairy, and vegetables, and reduce highly processed foods. Unprocessed, farm-fresh foods offer numerous nutritional benefits. Image credit - Je