Eggflation is back: Wholesale egg prices are rising with the holiday season underway, and USDA data show that U.S. egg production and the number of egg-laying hens have not recovered from 2022, when bird flu created shortages and drove up prices. (Ag Data News)
High-speed internet funds: The USDA announced $313 million in loans and grants through its ReConnect program to provide high-speed internet access to farmers, rural residents, and businesses in 18 states. (USDA)
Fertilizer grants: The USDA awarded $116 million in grants to expand independent domestic fertilizer production, with the largest grant, $80 million, going to family-owned Michigan Potash Co. to build a plant that can produce 400,000 tons a year. (USDA)
Suit claims processor collusion: A lawsuit by farmers says that Tyson Foods coordinated closely with Cal-Maine Foods when it closed a poultry processing plant in Missouri and that when Cal-Maine converted the facility to egg handling, it would do business only with farmers who agreed not to sue Tyson for their broiler chicken losses. (Watchdog Writers Group)