Corn production is up, while soybean and cotton production is down from 2024, according to the Crop Production report issued by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Corn production is up 13 percent from last year, forecast at 16.8 billion bushels; soybean growers are expected to decrease their production 2 percent from 2024, forecast at 4.30 billion bushels; cotton production is down 8 percent from 2024 at 13.2 million 480-pound bales.
More than 260 agriculture organizations, representing constituencies in all fifty states and Puerto Rico, signed a letter urging Congress to further support America’s farmers and ranchers through the passage of a Farm Bill 2.0.
Kim Chipman, an award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience covering markets, companies, policy and politics with Bloomberg News, is joining Agri-Pulse as congressional editor.
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) welcomes Brandon Pachman as the organization’s new Director, Government Affairs. Pachman joins ASTA from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, where he served as a Legislative Analyst.
National Farmers Union (NFU) concluded its annual Legislative Fly-In, which brought more than 250 family farmers and ranchers to Washington to meet with members of Congress and demand quick, decisive action to reverse the crisis in farm country.
Farm Credit Bank of Texas, a cooperatively owned wholesale bank for agricultural and rural financing, announced that chief executive officer, Amie Pala, has decided to retire after 38 years of dedicated service to the bank. Pala has agreed to remain in her role as chief executive officer as long as necessary to ensure a smooth and effective transition to her successor.
Join Colson Steber, Co-CEO of Ag Access, as he shares groundbreaking insights into the power of emotional intelligence in food marketing. The National Agri-Marketing Association webinar is called Shaping Tomorrow’s Plate: Driving Market Leadership with Emotional Intelligence Research in Food Marketing and it is scheduled for September 25, 2025 11 a.m. central. Register here.
Keystone Cooperative announced that Kevin Still has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2026. The Board has initiated the search for the next CEO and will consider highly qualified candidates from both within and outside the organization. Until a successor is appointed, Mr. Still will continue to lead Keystone, overseeing its strategic direction, profitability, and growth. Once a successor is named, Mr. Still will work closely with the new CEO to ensure a smooth and effective leadership transition.
Denali, the nation’s leading recycler of organics, announced that it collected and transformed organic materials into 12 billion pounds of high-quality agriculture-grade products, which helped build resilience for American agriculture, supporting healthy soils, nourishing livestock, and reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers, according to its 2024 Sustainability Report.
From its roots in China to commercial fame in New Zealand, kiwifruit has landed in Clanton, Ala. where researchers are now digging into its potential as a specialty crop. Kiwifruit is a high-value specialty crop with great potential to work for Alabama commercial fruit producers or even small-scale cultivation. Jay Spiers, Auburn University associate professor in horticulture leads the project and has high hopes for the future of kiwifruit production in the state.
Sixteen farmers were recently recognized by the University of Georgia Peanut Team for their high yielding peanuts in 2024. The high yields ranged from 4,145 to 6,095 pounds per acre. The winners were recognized at a dinner in August which was sponsored by the University of Georgia Peanut Team, the Georgia Peanut Commission, American Peanut Shellers Association, National Peanut Buying Points Association, AMVAC, Bayer, BASF, Fine Americas and Nichino America.
Illinois Agri-Women has established the “Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America” event and awards. This nationwide initiative will honor three families involved in production agriculture and the agriculture industry for three or more generations. Monetary awards of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000 have been established to recognize the remarkable family legacy of the best three families respectively based on their application scores.
Prominent national leaders in food and agriculture, including Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden, will speak at the 11th Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City Sept. 24-25. In addition, we’ve invited Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas to discuss the Make America Healthy Again movement.
