Early on the morning of March 5, after more than 20 hours of deliberation, the U.S. House of Representatives’ agriculture committee advanced the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 – often referred to as Farm Bill 2.0 – to the House floor. The legislation now moves to the full House for consideration before the Senate starts working on its own farm bill proposal.

Plant workers walked out of a JBS packing facility in Greeley, Colorado, on Monday, March 16, putting a major dent in beef production at a time of high demand and high prices.

We’ve made it through a tough winter, and calving season is winding down. If you’re like me, you’ve been looking forward to spring. It’s almost time to turn cows out on lush, green pastures as we start pondering the mating decisions for the breeding season. But as you know, our herd is entering the most critical nutritional point of the production cycle.

Risk in the cattle market doesn’t suddenly appear in the cash market. It can surface quietly – first on the board, in how futures are priced, how options reflect uncertainty and how basis behaves compared to those markets.

By the time the corn silage is covered and the last acres of sunflowers are combined, the pace at Feikema Farms hardly slows. Located in Rock County in southwest Minnesota, the operation feeds roughly 4,000 head of cattle while cropping nearly 6,000 acres, a scale that reflects decades of steady growth and careful decision-making.

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized removal of protections for the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), putting into effect a ruling made in a U.S. district court in Texas in August 2025.