Category Archives: Agriculture News

Bird flu in Cows Shows No Signs of Adapting to Humans

H5N1 grows well in dairy cow udders, which may actually be good news for people. When traces of H5N1 bird flu showed up in cow’s milk last year, it raised fears that the virus could become more infectious to humans. So far, that hasn’t happened. Cows were surprise hosts for the virus. Influenza viruses latch…MORE

Death Taxes Threaten Farm Families

 Many provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire this year. The American Farm Bureau says that adds a big task to the Congressional to-do list including an update to the tax code. Many of those expiring provisions provide important relief for farm families. AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub says…MORE

Farm Bankruptcies Climbing in 2025

Farm bankruptcies grew 55% from 2023 to 2024 and are trending even higher this year. Farmers are continuing to struggle with low prices for their agricultural commodities and the high costs of inputs needed to grow those crops. Bloomberg says unpredictable tariffs, immigration overhauls, federal programs being cut, and frozen USDA funding are now part…MORE

Restoring American Shipbuilding

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative took targeted action to restore American shipbuilding and address China’s acts, policies, and practices to dominate maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. These actions come after a year-long Section 301 investigation. “Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce,” says USTR Jamieson…MORE

Ocean Rates See Uptick Amid Tariff Turmoil

Ocean container rates from Asia to North America saw a slight uptick earlier this month, as the Trump administration’s tariff-driven trade strategy impacted global markets, according to industry insiders. Rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast were up 10% week over week to $2,465 per forty-foot equivalent unit, per an April 16th market update.…MORE

Breakthrough in Fake Meat Production

Researchers in Japan have produced nugget-sized chunks of chicken using animal cells, signaling a breakthrough in lab-grown food production. Lab-grown or cell-cultivated meat has been around for over a decade, offering an animal-based protein option that does not derive from slaughtered animals. Previous attempts at lab-grown chicken have been made with cells taken from living…MORE