Harvest Public Media

From the Dakotas to Texas, wheat acres have been on the decline, due to higher temperatures, drought and farmers shifting to more profitable crops. New innovations could rejuvenate the state of wheat production.

Scientists in the middle of the country told Harvest Public Media that 2025 was a year of major changes and uncertainty.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to send "bridge" payments to farmers who grow soybeans, cotton and other crops before March. Commodity groups and economists say the aid brings relief to farmers and their lenders, but they need long-term solutions.

Federal data found that millions of people struggled to get enough food in 2024. The report will be the final publication of such data after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will scrap the annual hunger survey.

A federal ban on most hemp-derived THC products is expected to go into effect in November. It could eliminate the most profitable market for farmers who grow hemp.

Winter holiday festivals have become a regular way to grow revenue for America's smallest towns. And with more people shopping online, those events are key to pulling people away from their screens and into stores.

Cottonseeds could help reduce hunger and add new revenue for farmers. One researcher has been working for decades to make edible seeds a reality.

Federal food assistance has started to flow again after the government reopened. But the charitable food system is planning for continued need through the end of the year.

The federal funding package to reopen the government included a one-year extension of certain 2018 Farm Bill programs. Several expired Sept. 30 or would have been null by the end of the year.

Coffee has gotten a lot more expensive in the U.S. as tariffs seep into the price tag. Even as the Trump administration considers offering some tariff relief, that's putting a strain on roasters, who have no choice but to pass on some of the extra cost to coffee drinkers.