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In what appears to be a response to claims amplified by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the dangers of modern agriculture, nearly 270 farm groups from across the country are warning leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees about the importance of inputs such as pesticides.

USDA is relying heavily on outside groups and federal retirees to help farmers use the billions of dollars in new conservation funding for climate-smart practices. Based on data provided to Agri-Pulse under the Freedom of Information Act, the Natural Resources Conservation Service now employs about 5,000 people a year who work for partner organizations. 

A train derailment south of Eagle Pass, Texas, is further complicating congestion challenges for agricultural shippers trying to send goods to Mexico.  

USDA estimates nearly 1.2 million households could be eligible for disaster SNAP benefits following Hurricane Helene. 

Hurricane Milton, the fourth hurricane to strike Florida agriculture in 14 months, damaged citrus and other specialty crops as well as dairy operations and phosphate infrastructure.

Farmers and agriculture departments in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota have spent the past few weeks scrambling to figure out what to do with roughly 2 million chickens left behind by Pure Prairie Poultry, which stopped paying for feed on Sept. 30 amid financial struggles that ended with the plant being shuttered. 

USDA's Inspector General has opened an investigation into the agency’s handling of repeated food safety violations at a Boar’s Head plant linked to a deadly listeria outbreak. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is up to 11,709 full-time staff, a level not seen in over a decade, amid its efforts to roll out $19.5 billion in additional conservation funding provided through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Corn and soybean prices fell Friday following USDA’s release of its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which projects a record soybean crop and “smaller supplies, larger exports, and reduced ending stocks” for corn.

Increases for a wide variety of staples helped drive grocery store prices up 0.4% in September, the largest jump since January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.