The new director of USDA's Western Wheat Quality Laboratory has one goal in mind: To keep a good thing going. Sean Finnie joined the lab July 30 as director. "Really, my priority was not to mess things up," Finnie told the Capital Press. "I did a lot of just listening and learning how the lab works, understanding the priorities of the stakeholders ... really just trying to listen to growers, all the way to food manufacturers."

“Cole” Cole says, “When Cody first came back [to the farm], I was old school. We had two combines, but he thought we ought to just invest in one larger combine and a grain cart, and it’s one of the best changes we’ve made.” But Cody brought more changes than just the equipment. He’s excited by many of the newer technologies that increase farm efficiencies. Cody and Cole dry farm about 4,000 acres at Double-C Acres near Soda Springs

The value of Idaho's agricultural production hit a record-high $11.7 billion in 2022, up 37% from the previous year’s revised total of $8.56 billion, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Oct. 16. Commodity prices made the biggest difference from one year to the next. Prices drive value more than agronomic factors, as it is not typical to have big changes in acres and yield from one year to the next.

Did you know that the rate of suicide among farmers is 3.5 times higher than the general population? It’s a startling statistic and a sign of the daily stress that comes with farming. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between 2000 and 2002 suicide rates climbed 46% in rural areas. By comparison, the rate in metro areas climbed 27.3%.

The North Dakota Wheat Commission is celebrating National Pasta Month in October and they encourage you to as well! The Commission has celebrated Pasta Month for decades as a way to recognize the state’s durum producers, mills, and pasta manufacturers and the role they play in putting pasta on the plates of consumers around the world. Each year, a new theme is developed to celebrate the occasion. North Dakota remains the largest durum producing state in the country with average production of 35 million bushels, enough to produce 1.5 billion boxes of pasta!

High interest rates and a strong US dollar are taking a disproportionate toll on rural industries, including agriculture, as US exports are more expensive and imports cheaper, according to a quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “The challenge for agriculture and other rural industries that rely heavily on global markets is their export partners simply can’t afford to buy US products,” said Rob Fox, director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “When you combine the loss of exports with a general slowdown in the US economy, it’s a double whammy for many businesses operating in rural America.”

The widening gap between increasing demand and insufficient domestic supply will lead to rising wheat imports in Eastern sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) in the coming years, and the region’s flour milling sector also is expected to grow during that time, according to a recently published report from Rabobank. The study, which was authored by Vito Martielli and Al Griffin, members of RaboResearch’s Food & Agribusiness Global Grains and Oilseeds sector team, examines potential long-term challenges and opportunities for the region’s grain and milling sectors.