A Daily News Radio Program Committed to Agriculture!

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The proposal window for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is now open, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell has announced. “With the intention of making Kentucky specialty crops more competitive in domestic and foreign markets, the specialty crop program is seeking application proposals to creatively increase those areas of interest,” Commissioner Shell said. “While Kentucky’s specialty crop industry already makes up a significant part of the state’s

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a first‑ever Office of Seafood , a new effort aimed at giving fishermen clearer access to USDA programs and strengthening the nation’s seafood industry. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the office Tuesday, April 14, alongside senior administration officials and bipartisan coastal lawmakers, calling it a major step toward recognizing fishermen as “farmers of the sea.” The office will coordinate acro

Source; NC Farm Bureau In honor of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Women in Agribusiness , in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation, is expanding their annual Demeter Award to include a female farmer category. Nominations are now being accepted through June 22. Almost one-third of farmers in North Carolina are women, based on the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture and state‑level reporting. Image credit - Greta Hoffman/Pexels This fourth categor

by Jeff Ishee What a difference 90 days can make! Comparing mid-January to mid-April shows a dramatic difference in drought conditions around the southeastern United States. The latest report from the US Drought Monitor indicated the worst areas are in northern Florida, southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, as well as the western regions of the Carolinas. The US Drought Monitor report posted on April 16 states: " Continued dryness across the region led to widespread degrad

Source: Penn State By Chris Kick UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Pennsylvania is the fourth largest wine producer in the United States, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The industry supports nearly 11,000 jobs and directly contributes $1.77 billion to the state economy annually. In an effort to produce more and better grapes at a lower cost and with less environmental impact, vineyard growers have increasingly planted grass between rows of vines. These "ground

Source: Virginia Farm Bureau BLACKSBURG, VA — Virginia farmers and landowners have a new opportunity this spring to be compensated for conservation practices that support soil health, pasture productivity and long-term farm resilience. Enrollment is open statewide for the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture , paying landowners either $100 or $300 per acre for implementation of approved farming practices. The Alliance is an initiative supported by the U.S. Departmen

This event is designed to be a one-stop shop for industry professionals interested in agricultural biochar application in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Mid-Atlantic states. Organizers say it will be a unique opportunity to: Gain practical insights from leading researchers, practitioners, biochar producers and agency partners Explore crop-specific case studies and on-farm applications Understand cost-share programs and policy incentives Build a community of practice to suppo

Data source – USDA news release By Jeff Ishee April 3, 2026 - Americans are drinking a lot less fluid milk than they used to. Back in 2009, the country sold about 55 billion pounds of milk. By 2024, that number had dropped to about 43 billion pounds — a decline of roughly 22 percent. There was, however, a small bump from 2023 to 2024, but the long‑term trend is still downward. Several things are driving this drop: - There are fewer young children in the population (the grou

Source: USDA news release Washington, D.C. - Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn in 2026, down 3% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released March 31 by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Planted acreage intentions for corn are down in 37 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage decreases of 300,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska,

By Jeff Ishee, On the Farm Radio Federal climate forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say parts of the southeastern United States could face persistent drought conditions this spring, raising concerns for agriculture, water supplies, and wildfire risk across the region. Recent outlooks from NOAA indicate that warmer‑than‑normal temperatures and below‑average rainfall are likely from April through June, particularly in Georgia, Mississippi,