Meat consumption expected to hit a new record this year in the U.S.

Mar 28, 2018
Demand for “clean” protein, a “pork craze” and cheap prices are fueling high meat consumption in 2018.
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images

An animal welfare rule aimed at organic egg production is on the chopping block

Jan 11, 2018
The Trump administration has proposed doing away with a rule that mandated that organic egg laying chickens spend time outdoors.
Chickens congregate on a New Hampshire farm.
Kevin Phelps/Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs

Trump speaks to farmers, highlighting taxes and trade

Jan 8, 2018
The president announced a new initiative to expand access to rural broadband in a speech to the Farm Bureau convention.
President Donald Trump speaks at the American Farm Bureau Federations 99th Annual Convention at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, today.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Lunch shaming is on its way out of schools

Aug 11, 2017
Local school policies address how to deal with unpaid meal charges.
Adriene Hill/Marketplace

Rural America weighs the economic realities of proposed federal budget cuts

May 23, 2017
President Trump calls for the USDA to be cut by 21 percent. Rural areas have a lot of federal employment and funding at stake.
Goldendale, Washington, population 3,400, could be impacted by cuts to agriculture, environmental and other federal programs in President Trump's proposed 2018 budget.
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

USDA removes animal welfare data from its website

Feb 7, 2017
It's unclear if the USDA's removal is permanent.
A chihuahua awaits adoption at a Los Angeles Department of Animal Services shelter.
David McNew/Getty Images

Americans are eating more cheese than ever

Aug 26, 2016
Then why is the government buying surplus of the dairy staple? The global market is saturated.
Lenny Zimmel puts Colby cheese curds into forms to make 40 pounds blocks of cheese at the Widmer's Cheese Cellars on June 27, 2016 in Theresa, Wisconsin. In 2015, Americans were consuming over 34 pounds of cheese per capita.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Cotton subsidies may help growers finance their season

Jun 8, 2016
A USDA aid program will offer $300 million in assistance to cotton farmers.
Cotton producers in the U.S. have had a rough time these past few years.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Grilling beef today? Read this.

May 30, 2016
New labeling requirements from the USDA are a reminder to cook meat thoroughly.
Tenderizing meat can introduce bacteria into its center.
anotherpintplease/Flickr

Falling prices are behind the bad year for farmers

Nov 25, 2015
Some see a global commodity dynamic known as a super-cycle at work here.