Trump Aims Bumper Aid at US Rice Farmers Facing Bleakest Outlook January 7, 2026 By Erin Ailworth and Michael Hirtzer The new year may mark the last time Texas farmer LG Raun plants a rice crop. “I guess I’m going...
US Rice, Cotton Farmers Get Biggest Relief in Trump Bailout January 2, 2026 By Michael Hirtzer and Ilena Peng The US Department of Agriculture unveiled long-awaited details of its $12 billion aid package for farmers, with American growers of...
US Farmers Are Pulling Back on Spending in Threat to Rural Economy August 29, 2025 By Michael Hirtzer Sunny skies and mild temperatures this week greeted the biggest US farm show of the year. The contrast couldn’t be...
Ugly Corn Photos on Social Media Show Risk Posed to Record US Crop August 19, 2025 By Erin Ailworth and Michael Hirtzer The US government is forecasting a record corn crop this year, but pictures of ugly-looking plants spreading fast through social...
Trump’s Trade War Is Making US Farmers Anxious About Demand Risk April 11, 2025 By Michael Hirtzer, Dayanne Sousa and Ilena Peng Josh Yoder, a fifth-generation farmer in Ohio, has been watching gyrations in the crop markets as Donald Trump moved to...
Crop Trader Declares Force Majeure Along US Gulf During Rare Southern Snow January 24, 2025 By Michael Hirtzer One of the world’s biggest crop traders has halted loading of grain vessels at US Gulf terminals as the region’s...
Mississippi River Dries Up Again at Worst Time for US Farmers October 25, 2024 By Michael Hirtzer and Brian K. Sullivan The Mississippi River is suffering from low waters for the third straight autumn, a crucial time of year when American...
Vibrant Green Fields Signal a Big US Corn Crop and Weak Prices August 23, 2024 By Michael Hirtzer and Gerson Freitas Jr. Between hail, strong winds, floods and plant disease, US corn crops were put through some tough times this summer. But...
Deere Retreats From Diversity Measures After Online Attacks July 17, 2024 By Simone Foxman and Michael Hirtzer Deere & Co., the world’s top farm machinery maker, is pulling back from diversity measures in the face of conservative...
Robots, Drones and Driverless Tractors Usher In New Age of Farming July 2, 2024 By Michael Hirtzer Tractors plow the farm fields without drivers, guided by satellites and iPhones. Solar-powered robots tend to plants on the ground...