USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce said landowners should start to receive notifications within the next month about whether they have farmland eligible for enrollment in base acres. Fordyce also acknowledged at least some local county offices are facing staffing challenges.
As warmer temperatures begin to be seen in the Midwest, alfalfa weevil populations could be on the increase. Experts tell alfalfa growers to scout their fields every few days and treat fields with high populations of the pest. Failure to do this could lead to lost forage yield and quality.
Crop scouts on the 2026 Hard Winter Wheat Tour estimated a crop averaging 38.9 bushels per acre, significantly less than last year but higher than USDA's predicted yield for Kansas.
A federal court ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately protect more than 1,500 endangered species from the insecticide malathion, violating the Endangered Species Act.
EPA released its long-awaited draft Fungicide Strategy earlier this month, and on Wednesday, May 20, the public has an opportunity to hear from agency scientists who helped develop it.
