Latest News From Rhonda Brooks

Unrelenting inflation continues to weigh down the U.S. economy and agriculture. Still, CoBank says it believes the Fed will stick with its decision to cut interest rates three times in 2024.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is making the name change, as it more accurately reflects the issue.

Kay Russo, DVM, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry, emphasized the situation is rapidly evolving and more clarity will come with time as researchers learn more.

Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, says the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza impacting beef cattle in the state's panhandle – where dairy cows have been infected – is minimal.

AgriTalk has extended an invitation to all the 2024 presidential hopefuls to join Host Chip Flory and answer five standard questions about what they would focus on once in office.

From improved telehealth services to reimagined small-town hospitals, the National Rural Health Association is working to help folks in farm country tap into more and better medical care options.

Analysts say an initial cut could be made as early as first quarter 2024. One of the key factors the central banking system will consider is whether its inflation rate target of 2% has been achieved.

The agency says exports picked up steam this year in countries such as Canada, India and Japan and that the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will keep the wheels of progress turning in 2024.

The Last Acre Act would help expand high-speed internet access across eligible farmland, ranchland and farm sites. At least 15% of farms and ranches have no access to the internet today. 

Xylazine is an important animal sedative that's used in almost every sector of veterinary medicine. However, illicit or illegal xylazine is increasingly showing up in street drugs.

Work by the House or Senate Agriculture Committee on a new farm bill is essentially stalled, Randy Russell tells AgriTalk's Chip Flory. Russell says that could be the case until government funding issues are resolved.

The company announces it is voluntarily recalling four additional batches of Banamine/Banamine-S (flunixin meglumine injection) 50 mg/mL in the United States. The product is commonly used in cattle, swine and horses.

Less than 5% of new grads choose rural food animal practice. That needs to change to protect the U.S. food supply and public health. Contacting legislators is one way farmers and ranchers can weigh in and help.

A market analyst shared a gloomy outlook for the country on Thursday, saying the U.S. balance sheet and financial condition have been deteriorating significantly over the last decade. He expects more of the same ahead.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Sherrod Brown have introduced the Farm Program Integrity Act. It would create a cap of $250,000 in commodity support for a single farm operation and, potentially, some undesirable side effects.

A mid-year report from Farmers National shows land values are increasing by single digits instead of the double digits common in 2021-22. But the company says it has a strong roster of listings headed into late summer.

Paul Schadegg, with Farmers National Company, shares his perspective on agricultural real estate demand, the impact of interest rates on the market and the outlook for land values later this year.

Areas in the upper Midwest, Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic are being impacted. The American Veterinary Medical Association says to monitor animals as well as people and take precautions to keep everyone safe.

Paul Schadegg, with Farmers National Company, shares his perspective on agricultural real estate demand, the impact of interest rates on the market and the outlook for land values later this year.

The company has doubled the warehouse space available for its veterinary pharmaceutical products. The 1,000-plus temperature-controlled pallet spaces are maintained with a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system.

The food system is being reimagined today and farmers can benefit by thinking about how to improve their ability to take advantage of opportunities in the process, says Rob Dongoski with Ernst and Young.

Household units and mini fridges are often unsuitable for maintaining veterinary products, according to a recent study by Emmanuel Rollin, DVM, College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

“There are so many legislators in policy-making that are unaware of the issues in rural veterinary medicine and rural agriculture today,” says Dr. Jody Kull, owner of Valley Mobile Veterinary Service, Danville, Pa. 

If your spouse dies, look into filing Form 706 Federal Estate Tax Return with the IRS. Taking that step could help you protect farm assets so they pass to your heirs without estate taxes. The process isn't automatic.

Yes, basic insurance for the farm is pricey. But an umbrella policy is usually more palatable, and it could literally save your operation in the event of a wreck or other tragedy, says Purdue's Fred Whitford.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Jose Emilio Esteban, a veterinarian, as undersecretary for food safety with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December.

Matt and Lisa Moreland hoped at least one of their sons would return home to farm after college. What they didn’t anticipate? All three sons wanted to come back. Here are four things the family learned in the process.

Drugs such as penicillin and some others routinely used to treat cattle, hogs and other food animals will be available only with a prescription from your veterinarian, starting June 12, 2023.

Increasingly the members of Congress who hold the primary responsibility of drafting the farm bill come from suburban and urban areas. They need the information and insights farmers are uniquely equipped to provide.

After 30 years working in the field of rural mental health, Ted Matthews understands the factors that stress farmers and knows how to help them.

With little to no diesel readily available to fuel harvest, wheat and other grains languish in the country's fields. One analyst says he expects the global wheat market will be shorted 10 million metric tons.

The case occurred in a person who had direct exposure to poultry and was involved in the culling process of poultry with presumptive H5N1 bird flu, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 500 rural counties in the U.S. have too few or no veterinarians. The lack poses risks to farming livelihoods and, ultimately, the country's food supply.

Up to $12.06 million can be passed to your loved ones upon death, exempt from federal estate tax. While living, you can also gift $16,000 annually to as many individuals as you'd like. Of course, some exceptions apply.

Expect Russia's invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Dr. Robert Bogan refused to retire and leave residents of Faribault County, Minn., without a veterinarian. His hand-selected replacement is a 2021 graduate of the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

A red zone is defined by the White House as an area with 100 or more new infections over a one-week period. The good news is the rate of new cases is dropping, says Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association.

USDA currently pegs soybean plantings at 87.5 million acres. Market analysts offer projections both above and below that number and explain their rationale, which includes the South America crop and weather forecasts.

Randy Russell, The Russell Group says it will impact 2022 midterm elections and, very likely, the next farm bill.

On Tuesday, Bill Northey weighed in with some perspective on the budget reconciliation bill, which is part of the Biden administration's Build Back Better agenda.

As growers wade through the ever-deepening amount of carbon information available in the marketplace, they are asking for answers to these common questions.

The dollars tagged for such purposes are part of the Build Back Better program, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief plan.

“I like to say you’re going to have to have a permit to do normal farming decisions,” he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.

Brandi Burton, DVM, Suidae Health and Production, Algona, Iowa, shared her thoughts with AgriTalk host Chip Flory on the pork industry's progress in addressing several issues.

Veterinary technicians, podiatrists, dentists and paramedics are also being authorized to administer the vaccine.

Ohio State University scientists are looking for SARS-CoV-2 in animals and the environment.

The country star does a lot of good out in the world, and so can we. Sometimes it's as simple as making a loved one some biscuits and sausage gravy.

The report says total crop receipts are expected to increase $6.5 billion from 2019 levels. Total animal product receipts are expected to decrease $9.7 billion.

The organization partners with farmers and other members of the agricultural community to move food from the farm level to food banks and distribution centers around the U.S.

A new report,“Beyond Antibiotics: The Future of Animal Health Alternatives,” identifies alternatives that could help support the animal health industry and producers, while reducing antibiotic use.