Beef Prices Push the Humble Hamburger Toward Luxury Status
Ground beef prices are up 25% in two years as drought, a 75-year-low cattle herd and rising restaurant costs collide — while Washington’s attempt to boost imports may barely move prices.
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Nearly Half of the World’s Farmers May Suffer Acute Pesticide Poisoning Each Year
A new global review estimates 402 million to 433 million cases annually, highlighting the human cost of increasingly chemical-dependent agriculture.
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Tariffs and Iran war push farmers toward deeper crisis
Weak crop prices collide with rising fertilizer, fuel and machinery costs as emergency relief stalls in Congress.
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Trump eases beef import quotas in bid to lower prices
A 90-day quota exemption is intended to lower ground beef prices — but could place further pressure on American ranchers.
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Maine builds mental health network for PFAS-affected farmers
Crisis-line training and peer mentoring will address the emotional toll of contaminated land, lost livelihoods and uncertain health risks.
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Data center expansion reaches rural farmland
Farmers and rural communities are weighing large land offers and potential tax revenue against concerns about farmland loss, utility demands and limited permanent employment.
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Illinois woman documents disappearing farm silos
Marianne May has identified nearly 200 silos built by her grandfather as development, age and changes in farming reshape the Midwestern landscape.
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Extreme weather pushes British farmers to the brink
Repeated heatwaves, drought and flooding are cutting yields and forcing farms to find income beyond food production.
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Americans trust farmers — but not always how they farm
Public confidence remains unusually high, yet growing distance from agriculture leaves farming practices vulnerable to suspicion and misinformation.
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Farmers are losing money — but this isn’t the 1980s farm crisis. Yet.
By Hope Kirwan, Harvest Public Media Corn and soybean farmers have faced negative profit margins for two years, with fertilizer, fuel and borrowing costs expected to climb further in 2026. Economists say today’s downturn differs from the 1980s because farms carry less debt and have access to crop insurance, safety-net programs and billions in emergency federal…
