Articles by Sara Wyant

The Farm Foundation gets an acting CEO while the nonprofit searches for a new executive after the departure of Shari Rogge-Fidler. 

Orion Samuelson, a legendary farm broadcaster known for his iconic voice and ability to distill complex farm topics into relatable news for urban audiences, died on March 16. He was just about two weeks short of his 92^nd birthday.

Rob Trice, a champion for modern food, agriculture and technology systems, passed away while traveling overseas.

When Iowa farmer and crop insurance agent Pat Swanson was named to lead USDA’s Risk Management Agency in March of 2025, she developed a list of things she thought should be streamlined and improved. Within weeks, she started checking things off at a speed which seems almost unheard of for such a large federal agency that supports risk management from coast to coast.

The farm economy is strained as input costs remain elevated, commodity prices are still soft, and global markets remain uncertain, making this an especially important year for crop insurance, members of the industry were told at their annual conference. .

Soybean farmers hoping for good news in the Agriculture Department’s January crop report were disappointed after USDA said it sees even bigger U.S. supplies and fewer exports.  

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighted progress her department has made over the last year in reducing the agricultural trade deficit, improving demand and reducing costs for farmers, while emphasizing the need for more work ahead. 

Lawmakers are getting close to introducing a package of farm labor reforms, and it couldn’t come soon enough for many producers.

In a wide-ranging interview at the American Farm Bureau convention, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden told a jam-packed room of farmers  U.S. agricultural interests are “missing the ball” with so much focus on China and should instead be more concerned about Brazil as a competitor and culprit for low U.S. commodity prices.

The International Year of the Woman Farmer is here to recognize the women who power American agriculture and agribusiness. Major U.S. ag groups have formed an IYWF working group to organize and coordinate activities.