From Broadband to the Breakfast Table: Big Bill’s Rural Impact

Southeast Regional Ag News
Rural infrastructure, food access, and quality of life are all on the agenda in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, with major investments proposed for development and nutrition programs.

Rural AI Push Pt 2

Fruit Grower Report
Rural America is seeing a huge growth in data

centers and infrastructure, including AI capabilities.

Rural AI Push Pt 1

Fruit Grower Report
Rural America is seeing a huge growth in data

centers and infrastructure, including AI capabilities.

Uncertain Trade Sends Crop Sales Down and Bird Flu in Mammals Doubles

The Agribusiness Update
Uncertainty surrounding tariffs on key U.S. trading partners has pulled new-crop sales well below historical averages, and new report shows outbreaks of bird flu in mammals doubled in 2024 putting more humans at risk.

Worst Honeybee Die-off Ever and USDA Invests in Food Assistance

The Agribusiness Update
Commercial beekeepers discovered their colonies of honeybees in near or total collapse earlier this year, in what some call the worst bee die-off in U.S. history, and USDA to purchase up to $67 million in fresh foods to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country.

Ranch Restaurant Opens and Rural Mobile Broadband More Viable

The Agribusiness Update
The Ranch Restaurant has officially opened its doors along the scenic Columbia River in the Central Washington town of Vantage, and the landscape for rural broadband operators is rapidly evolving as improved technologies have made wireless broadband more viable.

Florida's Rural Health Care Bill and Rural Mobile Broadband More Viable

The Agribusiness Update
Florida Farm Bureau Federation commends Governor Ron DeSantis for signing legislation that will expand healthcare access for rural residents, and the landscape for rural broadband operators is rapidly evolving as improved technologies have made wireless broadband more viable.

Memorial Day BBQ

Washington State Farm Bureau Report
Grilling Season 0fficially kicks off this weekend with your Memorial Day cookouts. But how much will that outdoor feast cost this year? RaboBank offers some thoughts.

Florida Farm Bill Signed into Law

Southeast Regional Ag News
Florida’s 2025 Farm Bill is now law. With strong bipartisan support, the legislation brings sweeping changes aimed at strengthening agriculture and consumer protections across the state.

Farm Bankruptcies on Rise and New Tariff on Mexican Tomatoes

The Agribusiness Update
After a four-year downward trend, U.S. farm bankruptcies are on the rise again, and the Trump administration plans to put a nearly 21% duty on fresh Mexican tomatoes starting July 14.

California Leads Nation in Rising Farm Bankruptcies

California Ag Today
U.S. farm bankruptcies surged 55% in 2024 after years of decline, with California at the forefront. Lower commodity prices, high input costs, and mounting debt are pushing family farmers to the brink.

Family Farm Bankruptcies Rise and U.S. Egg Production Down

The Agribusiness Update
Family farm bankruptcies increased by 55% last year and are trending even higher this year, and U.S. egg production totaled 8.63 billion in March 2025, a 7% drop from the same month last year.

Japanese beetle invasion

Idaho Ag Today
It may seem at times that the Idaho ag department is playing whack-a-mole with the Japanese beetle.

Bank fraud

Idaho Ag Today
Watch out for scammers impersonating banks and companies you trust

Lab-Grown Chicken in Japan and New Ag Career Numbers

The Agribusiness Update
Researchers in Japan have produced nugget-sized chunks of chicken using animal cells, signaling a breakthrough in lab-grown food production, and the 2025 Feeding the Economy Report says over 47 million people in the U.S. work in the agricultural and food industries.

Delisting of Wolves and Economic Concerns Growing

The Agribusiness Update
A bill moving through the House would delist wolves from the Endangered Species Act, and a new CoBank report says rapidly worsening expectations in agriculture are elevating economic concerns.

More Peanuts - Corn in 2025 and Economic Concerns Growing

The Agribusiness Update
Georgia farmers are expected to plant more peanuts and corn in 2025, while cotton acres are forecast to decline, and a new CoBank report says rapidly worsening expectations in agriculture are elevating economic concerns.

Farm Bill - RaboBank Pt 2

Washington State Farm Bureau Report
The last Farm Bill was passed in 2018 and is supposed to be rewritten and renewed every five years. Now, some are worried that we may have seen our last Farm Bill.

Farm Bill - RaboBank Pt 1

Washington State Farm Bureau Report
From tariffs to immigration reform to regulatory priorities, there’s a lot going on that’s impacting agriculture, but we’re not hearing much about a new Farm Bill lately.

Reversal of USDA Funding Raises Alarms for Governor Newsom

California Ag Today
Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter of appeal late last week to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging a reversal of the termination of $47 million in funding meant to support California farmers who grow produce for food banks, schools, and community centers.