Wheat crops damaged by drought are seen during an annual winter wheat tour, near Colby, Kansas, U.S., May 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Emily Schmall

‘Amber waves of grain’ recede in America’s heartland as wheat farmers struggle

Midwestern farmers abandoning wheat crops as profits recede, weather challenges

The Great Plains have long been celebrated for the “amber waves of grain” in the popular hymn “America the Beautiful.” The region’s states produce most of the U.S.-grown crop of hard red winter wheat, favored by bakers for bread. But with prices hovering around $5 (C$6.86) per bushel, U.S. wheat farmers have reached an inflection point, with many forced to either lose money, feed wheat to cattle or kill off the crop.

U.S. farm groups call Kennedy’s ‘MAHA’ report unscientific, fear-based

U.S. farm groups call Kennedy’s ‘MAHA’ report unscientific, fear-based

The health report takes aim at crop protection products like glyphosate and ‘ultra-processed’ foods

Several U.S. agriculture groups say the federal Make America Healthy Again report, released Thursday, is fear-based and anti-science. The report takes aim at what U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy has called a crisis of increasing rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, mental health disorders and other health issues.





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US farm agency to require DOGE approval for some loans

The USDA offers loans to farmers who struggle to get credit from traditional lenders

Farm loan employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency will now need approval from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to issue loans over $500,000, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Wednesday.