The Latest Breaking News from USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump is ending the annual survey on hunger, known as the Household Food Security Report, calling it “overly politicized.” This comes just months after the administration cut food stamp benefits for millions of low-income Americans.

Most of us have stood in front of the freezer, holding a bag of vegetables or a box of fish sticks, squinting at a faded expiration date. Should you toss it or trust your gut? Understanding expiration dates on frozen foods is more than just a matter of food safety—it’s…

Illinois produced 485.1 million pounds of pumpkins in 2024, per USDA data.

Corn futures rounded out Friday trade with contracts mixed within a penny of unchanged. December was still weaker this week, dropping 6 cents from last Friday. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was up ¼ cent at $3.80 1/2. The USDA reported another private export sale of 206,460 MT...

Soybeans failed to see much buying following the phone call between President Trump and xi of China this morning, as futures held the 10 to 12 cent losses into the close. November lost 20 3/4 cents this week. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was down 11 3/4 cents...

Live cattle futures rallied another $1.20 to $1.70 on Friday, as October took the weekly gain to $3.60. Cash trade settled in this week at $240 in the South, with Northern sales of $237-238. The Friday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction from Central Stockyards saw $239-241 BidTheGrid™ sales on...

Cotton futures closed Friday with losses of 25 to 61 points in the front months, as December was down 54 points this week. The outside markets were pressure factors, with the US dollar index up another $0.334 on the day to $97.305 and crude oil futures $0.93 lower. The weekly...

Lean Hog Futures closed the Friday session with contracts up 50 cents to down a dime in the front months. October was up another 85 cents this week. USDA’s national base hog report from Friday afternoon was reported at $103.61, down $1.99 from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog...

A judge has temporarily stopped the federal government from collecting personal information about residents in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in 21 states and Washington, D

October NY world sugar #11 (SBV25 ) on Friday closed up +0.08 (+0.52%), and December London ICE white sugar #5 (SWZ25 ) closed up +1.10 (+0.24%). Sugar prices settled higher on Friday as they consolidated this week's sharp losses. On Thursday, NY sugar slumped to a 4.25-year nearest-futures low, and...

Lean hog futures are mixed at midday, with contracts 45 cents higher to a dime lower. USDA’s national base hog report from Friday morning was reported at $104.94, down $1.63 from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index was down 16 cents on September 17 at $105.70. USDA’s FOB...