Agriculture

Experiments in agrivoltaics offer a respite to extreme heat, and provide land access for new farmers.

One Illinois man’s decadeslong fight to convert his fields into rice paddies demonstrates how it’s possible to bring diversity to the Corn Belt, but improbable so long as federal farm policy remains focused on soybeans and corn.

Some farmers keep growing in flood- and drought-prone fields because subsidies soften the losses, while federal programs meant to help them change course have been underfunded and mired in bureaucracy. Under Trump, those programs may weaken further.

The new book, "Sea of Grass," traces the history and future of the American prairie, laying out the stunning loss of grassland in North America and meeting the people fighting to bring it back.

More than 50 wagyu beef farms in Missouri are listed with the American Wagyu Association. Because Japan stopped exporting genetically pure wagyu cattle in 1997, most American farmers crossbreed the cattle with Angus beef cows.

Farmers who were promised funding through the federal Regional Food Business Centers have been left in limbo after the Trump administration shut down the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will honor grants the program already approved, but it’s unclear when.

Red crown rot stems from a fungus that lives in the soil. Its first confirmed case in Missouri was last year.

Specialty producers exporting to China have been hit just as hard as soybeans and beef. But they often have fewer alternative markets for their crops, worsening the impact of retaliatory tariffs.

The Farm Bureau aims to reach an underinsured population, but without government oversight.

Farmers continued to take on more debt through the first quarter of 2025, prolonging a trend from last year. That’s as farm incomes have shrunk over the last couple of years, and some worry President Trump’s tariffs could make economic conditions tougher.