agriculture economy

Corn and soybean growers have seen several years of low commodity prices and increased costs for supplies like fertilizer and fuel. That has many farmers worried about whether they'll turn a profit this year and drawn some comparisons to a dark time in American agriculture.

In April 2026, Kansas exported $91.3 million of products to China, the third largest country behind Mexico and Canada, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an economic data-gathering organization.

The state’s resilient, adaptable farmers can raise just about anything and use less water doing it. But will enough people buy what they produce?

Governor Abbott has declared a state of emergency over the New World Screwworm and its potential impact on the U.S. livestock industry, as state experts are calling on all Texans to help monitor for the flies. Meanwhile, West Texas ranchers are not panicking, taking the news as another part of an already difficult job.

The cost of doing business in agriculture was already high before the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which spiked fertilizer and fuel prices. Now, making any money this season may require farmers to cut back on certain resources.

Some close watchers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's budget aren't thrilled with the Trump administration's proposal — but they're hopeful some of the suggested cuts won't make it in the final spending plans passed by Congress.

If farmers responded to fertilizer cost spikes by reducing application, the result could be lower yields of corn or soybeans.

Independent rural pharmacists are starting other businesses or selling baby shower gifts to keep their stores operating. Pharmacy deserts affect 4 million Texans.

The detection in a six-day-old calf marks the first appearance of the parasite in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

The U.S. agricultural industry depends on undocumented immigrants, but President Trump's immigration crackdown is further depleting an already tight workforce. The labor crisis may be setting the stage for big changes to a federal program that allows foreign workers into the country legally.