USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report
Corn was rated 57% in good-to-excellent condition, and soybeans were rated 58% in good-to-excellent condition as of Sunday, Aug. 30. Spring wheat harvest reached 77% complete.
New Insurance for Breeding Heifers
A new federal insurance option aims to give ranchers greater financial protection when choosing to retain heifers for breeding as USDA works to encourage growth in the nation's beef herd.
USDA Moves to Overhaul Crop Reports
USDA officials on Tuesday used the opening of the Farm Progress Show to talk about how they are changing USDA's data collection for crop reports that farmers rely on for market decisions. That includes making surveys easier for farmers to fill out, along with using more satellite information and potentially precision-agriculture data.