National News

A cow grazes in the pastures abutting the Rio Sonora in Bavi.

Sonora ranchers urge U.S. to reopen border to cattle after screwworm confirmed on both sides

Nina Kravinsky

Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake.

Energy costs accounted for more than 60% of the monthly rise in the consumer price index in May.

Inflation tops 4% for the first time in 3 years on spike in gasoline prices

Scott Horsley

Inflation has surged to its highest level in more than three years since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, triggering a surge in gasoline prices.

July 1 brings big student loan changes. Here's what you need to know

Cory Turner

A popular (and generous) repayment plan ends, two new plans begin and many borrowers will see new loan limits.

In Champaign County, Illinois, residents raise their hands in support of a data center moratorium at a county board meeting on April 23, 2026.

As people protest data centers across the Heartland, lawmakers rush to regulate development

Abigail Bottar

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. As some communities push back, local and state governments are trying to catch up on how to regulate the new development.

Outside the Phillips 66 gas station on East Highway 84, just outside of Slaton, Texas.

Rural Americans feel the ‘sharpest effects’ of gas prices on their budgets

Brad Burt

Public transportation and electric vehicles aren’t always viable options for rural Americans looking to decrease their spending at the gas pump. West Texas has historically had some of the lowest gas prices in the state, but families are also feeling the pressure. With summer travel building demand, experts worry that serious relief will not be evident for quite some time.

Cotton bolls burst open in Perkins field.

After years of drought, Oklahoma raises cotton gin rates for first time since 1981

Anna Pope

For the first time in about 45 years, state officials are raising the cost farmers pay cotton gins to process their cotton. In the past decade, drought has hit Oklahoma's cotton industry hard.

Greg Thoren sits in the bed of a pickup truck as he speaks to a crowd of a few dozen farmers and non-farmers at a field day he hosted on April 3, 2026. Thoren was hosting field days before the Jo Daviess County Soil and Water Health Coalition officially began, but now other farmers connected to the coalition are hosting field days of their own.

How a grassroots program is helping farmers teach each other regenerative ag practices

Jess Savage

The "farmer-led movement" aims to shape the agricultural landscape by strengthening soils and building community.

A customer shops for produce in an H-E-B grocery store on May 11 in Austin, Texas.

This is how close American households are to the financial edge

Stephan Bisaha

A new report shows that nearly half of U.S. households did not earn enough to cover their necessities in 2024.

At the National Land and Range Judging Contest, FFA and 4-H members compete in three events to judge the soil's capabilities, characteristics and how best to conserve and manage the resource.

Teens from across the U.S. compete in this soil judging contest: 'It's a very big deal'

Anna Pope

Every spring, high school students from across the country travel to Oklahoma for the National Land and Range Judging Contest. The three-day event tests their knowledge of land and soil.

CSA boxes get people buying fresh from farms, but will customer convenience hurt the mission?

Hope Kirwan

Community-supported agriculture has been a popular way for people to buy produce from local farms for decades. There's new pressure on farmers to offer more customization and convenience – but some CSA supporters worry that may dilute the original purpose.