Another try at cattle bill: Farm-state senators reintroduced a bill that would require meatpackers to buy a portion of their slaughter cattle on the open market or face a penalty of up to $90,000. A 2022 version of the bill was unsuccessful. (Sen. Fischer)
Less drought for winter wheat: Some 58 percent of winter wheat is in drought, down from 75 percent in November, although half of Kansas, the No. 1 producer, is in “exceptional” drought. (USDA)
Stronger sorghum: Researchers have identified a gene plant breeders could use to develop varieties of sorghum — one of the most widely grown grains in the world — that resist the yield-reducing fungal disease anthracnose. (Agricultural Research Service)
House Ag subcommittee chairs: Georgia Rep. Austin Scott will be vice-chair of the House Agriculture Committee and lead its subcommittee on farm subsidies, crop insurance, and USDA loan programs, said committee chair Glenn Thompson, who named six subcommittee chairs. (House Agriculture)
Many herders, fewer wives: As more Mongolian women go to college, it is becoming harder for the nation’s livestock herders, who are primarily male, to find wives, raising concerns about the long-term impact on the agricultural sector. (Global Press Journal)