Bird flu reaches 27 Washington dairy herds in under three weeks, spreads to a second county and infects a dairy worker

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Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Brazil finds a second bird-virus farm

   Brazil's farm ministry has confirmed a second outbreak of Newcastle disease, a fast-spreading virus of chickens and other birds, at a farm in Coronel Freitas, in Santa Catarina state. [3] The farm lies inside the area restricted after the first case, found at a turkey farm on 18 October. [3] Four towns are under a 60-day animal health emergency, and the birds on the new farm are being killed. [3] Mexico and Malaysia stopped buying chicken from all of Brazil last week, while China, Chile and Saudi Arabia stopped buying from Santa Catarina only. [3]

   Why it matters — Brazil sells more than 37% of the world's chicken exports, so bans on it touch a large share of the world's chicken trade. [3] Brazil's farm ministry says the new farm needed only a small change to the restricted area, because it is close to the first one. [3]

2. 03

   Mexican cattle cross at Columbus again

   Cattle from Chihuahua, Mexico, crossed into the US at Columbus, New Mexico, on Monday for the first time in nearly two years. [4] The US farm department shut the crossing in November 2024 against the New World screwworm, a fly whose young feed on the living flesh of animals. [4] Columbus is the third border crossing to reopen, and Nogales, Arizona, is planned for 30 November. [4] On 24 October US labs confirmed four more cases: two cattle in Texas, and a cow and a ram in New Mexico. [4]

   Why it matters — Before the bans, about one million Mexican cattle a year went to US ranches and feedlots, the yards that fatten cattle for beef. [4] Cattle are now checked by vets in Mexico and dipped against ticks at the border, and the US says screwworm is not a food safety risk. [4][30]

3. 04

   Immigration arrests reach meat and farm towns

   US immigration officers arrested 104 people in south-west Kansas during one week in September, Civil Eats, a food news site, reports. [14] Officers waited near beef plant car parks, said Martin Rosas, head of the local meatpacking union. [14] The area's plants, run by National Beef, Tyson and Cargill, help Kansas process about a fifth of US cattle. [14] In California's Central Valley, which grows a quarter of US food, officers stopped a van of farmworkers on 7 October and arrested everyone in it, a local organiser says. [14]

   Why it matters — A community organiser in Kern County, California, says many farmworkers stopped coming to the fields for fear of officers on farm roads. [14] If the arrests keep spreading to food-producing areas, Civil Eats warns, food supply and prices could feel it. [14]

4. 05

   Brazil's vote pulls down US soybean prices

   Soybean prices for later delivery fell in Chicago on Monday after Brazil's President Lula da Silva won re-election. [9] Brazil's currency, the real, dropped sharply against the US dollar, which makes Brazilian soybeans cheaper for buyers abroad. [9] Arlan Suderman of StoneX, a commodity trading firm, expected Brazilian farmers to sell faster and US exporters to lose sales to Brazil. [9] The same day, US soybeans inspected for export reached 91 million bushels, the most in a week for two years, as China bought more. [9]

   Why it matters — A stronger dollar makes US farm goods dearer for buyers who pay in other currencies. [9] So US soybean farmers can lose sales to Brazil even in a week of strong Chinese buying. [9]

5. 06

   Wheat prices fall as big harvests near

   Wheat for later delivery fell 6.5% in a week in Chicago and maize, which Americans call corn, fell 3.9%, Britain's farm levy board, the AHDB, said. [10] Paris milling wheat dropped 4.0%, and UK feed wheat for November closed at 193.75 pounds a tonne on 23 October, down 11.25 pounds. [10] Dry weather has let US farmers bring in maize and plant winter wheat quickly. [10] A grain exchange in Rosario, Argentina, raised its estimate of Argentina's wheat harvest to 23.8 million tonnes. [10]

   Chicago wheat6.5%

   Paris wheat4%

   Chicago maize3.9%

   Why it matters — That would be Argentina's second-largest wheat crop on record, with harvest starting in November. [10] Big crops coming to market push prices down, while trouble in the Black Sea region and firm oil prices hold them up. [10]

6. 07

   Fuel runs short in western Iowa at harvest

   Kelly Garrett, who farms and owns two fuel stations near Denison, Iowa, says petrol and diesel have run short in several areas. [8] He says the pipeline depot in Omaha, Nebraska, that supplies one of his stations has been empty a few times. [8] He has heard that some shops in Denison ran out of fuel and covered their pumps with bags. [8] He blames supply shocks from the Iran war, which he says are worse than during the pandemic. [8]

   Why it matters — Farmers need diesel right now to run combines and haul maize from the fields. [8] Garrett says he is thinking about adding fuel storage on his own farm in case shortages spread. [8]

7. 08

   Grassley says a war bill could carry farm aid

   US Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, says a second round of Farmer Bridge Assistance would come on top of the new Harvest Fuel Relief payments. [7] He says the $8 billion President Trump announced in Kansas is separate from the bridge money. [7] The bridge money would come from an extra spending bill of about $65 billion to refill military funds used in the Iran war. [7] A US farm department official says farmers who qualified for bridge aid will likely qualify for fuel relief too. [7]

   Why it matters — So whether farmers see a second round of bridge aid depends on that war funding bill. [7]

8. 09

   US and Mexico near an ethanol deal

   US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the US has a deal 'in concept' with Mexico to sell it more ethanol, a fuel made from crops such as maize. [6] She spoke on Monday after visiting a plant run by ADM, a big US crop processor, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. [6] Rollins says the deal could lift US ethanol exports by more than 30% and bring the industry an extra $1.5 billion. [6] She would not give details, because the deal is still being finished. [6]

   Why it matters — Rollins says more sales to Mexico would help farmers as well as plants like ADM's that turn crops into fuel. [6] Until the deal is written down, the $1.5 billion is her estimate, not a contract. [6]

9. 10

   USDA offers $57 million to small meat plants

   The US farm department plans to give $57.4 million to independent meat and poultry plants in 40 states, in 147 provisional awards. [5] US Vice President JD Vance and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced it on Monday. [5] The awards still depend on money from the US Congress. [5] In many regions a few large plants do most of the slaughtering, so small ranchers have few places to take their animals. [5]

   Why it matters — More local plants can cut ranchers' transport costs and let them sell meat straight to shoppers. [5] The grants are separate from a $500 million US programme announced earlier this year for independent beef slaughterhouses. [5]

10. 11

    Turkey farmers ask about bird flu jabs

    The Minnesota Turkey Growers, a farmers' group, wants the US to draw up a plan for vaccinating poultry against bird flu. [2] Vaccines exist, but none is approved for US poultry, its director Ashley Kohls says. [2] The US fights the disease by killing infected flocks, and allowing vaccines would bring limits on US exports. [2] China, Mexico and France already vaccinate poultry against bird flu. [2]

    Why it matters — Members met lawmakers and US farm officials this autumn and asked where a plan would start, such as with breeding birds. [2] Any change would mean weighing flocks saved against export sales lost. [2]

11. 12

    Minister says England knew farm nature money would run short

    Britain's farming minister, Stephen Morgan, told MPs on Tuesday that his department knew the money for a farm scheme would not meet demand. [11] The Sustainable Farming Incentive pays English farmers for work that helps nature. [11] Its second round opened at 10am on 22 September without notice and closed in under six hours, once 253 million pounds was claimed. [11] About 12,200 applications got in, and officials think more than 10,000 more farmers wanted to apply. [11]

    Applications that got in12,200 farmers

    More who wanted in (estimate)10,000 farmers

    Why it matters — Morgan promised to drop first come, first served for next year's round. [11] An MP warned that farmers left out may plough land back into crops or farm it harder. [11]

12. 13

    Charity puts England's nature-farming gap at 2 billion pounds

    The Wildlife Trusts, a group of British nature charities, say England needs at least 3.8 billion pounds a year to pay farmers for nature-friendly work. [12] That is more than double the 1.65 billion pounds these schemes got last year. [12] About 2 billion pounds of it would go on restoring peat bogs, planting hedgerows and trees, and making new wildlife habitat. [12] The charity published the figures on Tuesday, the day before the UK Budget. [12]

    Needed, the charity says3.8 bn pounds a year

    Paid last year1.65 bn pounds a year

    Why it matters — It says the budget for these schemes has been frozen for years, while floods, fires and lost soil cost billions this year. [12] The Budget on 28 October is the next test of whether any money is added. [12]

13. 14

    Fertiliser tax cut will barely help, farmers' union says

    Britain will scrap import taxes on more than 100 products, including some fertilisers, from 26 November, Chancellor John Healey announced on Monday. [13] Those fertilisers paid taxes of 2% to 6.5%. [13] The NFU, the main farmers' union in England and Wales, says much imported fertiliser already comes in tax-free, so farm costs will barely fall. [13] It wants a new charge on carbon-heavy imports, due in January, kept from raising fertiliser prices. [13]

    Why it matters — The package is meant to ease costs linked to the Middle East conflict for farmers and households. [13] The NFU also wants the 5p a litre cut in diesel tax kept beyond the end of the year. [13]

14. 15

    Children ill after pumpkin patch visits

    Health officials in San Luis Obispo County, California, have confirmed five cases of a toxin-making kind of E. coli and are looking at a link to Brookshire Farms' pumpkin patch. [18] The farm has closed while they investigate visits between 16 and 26 October. [18] In Illinois, four of five children who fell ill after visiting Bengtson's Pumpkin Farm in Homer Glen have been in hospital. [18] Bengtson's shut its petting zoo on 23 October, and test results on animal samples are due around 5 November. [18]

    Why it matters — Children under ten face the highest risk of complications. [18] A kidney illness linked to this germ can start a week or more after the diarrhoea begins. [18]

15. 16

    Pet food firm refuses a Salmonella recall

    The US Food and Drug Administration warned buyers about two batches of Darwin's raw chicken cat food that tested positive for Salmonella, a food-poisoning germ. [20] Two cats fell ill, and one needed hospital care. [20] The FDA asked the maker, Arrow Reliance of Washington state, to recall the food, and it has refused. [20] In August the US Justice Department went to court to stop the firm making raw pet food. [20]

    Why it matters — Raw pet food can make people ill too: the US government says a 4-year-old boy got kidney failure, and germs in his family's unopened Darwin's food matched his. [20] The FDA has had 49 complaints about sick pets fed the brand since 2016, and nine of those pets died. [20]

16. 17

    Taylor Farms recalls Texas salad kits

    Taylor Farms of Dallas is recalling H-E-B Backyard BBQ Chop Salad kits, because they may contain soy and almonds not listed on the label. [19] The kits were sold in H-E-B, a Texas supermarket chain, and are marked best by 30 October. [19] No one has reported a reaction so far. [19]

    Why it matters — For people allergic to soy or almonds, an ingredient missing from the label can cause a serious reaction or even death. [19]

17. 18

    FDA drafts rules for 'US-Caught' fish labels

    The FDA has drafted guidance on when seafood may be labelled 'US-Caught' or 'US Farm-Raised', as part of the Trump administration's new seafood strategy. [16] The guidance would be advice, not a legal rule, and comments are open until 13 December. [16] The Southern Shrimp Alliance, a group of US shrimp fishers, backs the strategy. [16] But it says the plan does not settle whether seafood caught in the US and processed in China, India, Vietnam or Mexico could carry the label. [16]

    Why it matters — The alliance says US seafood catches fell from 4.2 million tonnes a year in 2011-2019 to 3.9 million in 2021. [16] The value of the US catch fell 25% from 2021 to 2024, to $4.9 billion. [16]

18. 19

    EU meat-name ban may reach crisps

    The EU agreed earlier this year to ban 31 meat words, such as 'chicken', 'bacon' and 'steak', on foods that contain no meat. [15] The European Snacks Association, which speaks for crisp makers, says flavours like roast chicken or smoky bacon could be caught by mistake. [15] Four centre-right members of the European Parliament have proposed exempting snacks, sauces and seasonings. [15] Separate proposals to add 'burger' and 'sausage' to the ban are not yet agreed. [15]

    Why it matters — Without the exemption, crisp makers across the EU may have to rename familiar flavours. [15] A further proposal would limit meat names to foods made only of meat, which would catch products that mix meat and plants. [15]

19. 20

    Bel tops a dairy methane ranking

    Bel Group, a French cheese company, now ranks first among 23 dairy and coffee firms for action on methane, a planet-warming gas from cattle. [17] The ranking is by the Changing Markets Foundation, a campaign group. [17] Danone slipped to second, and Nestle, which left a dairy methane alliance in October 2025, fell to ninth. [17] Only Danone and Bel have targets in line with a global pledge to cut methane 30% from 2020 levels. [17]

    Alliance members61.4%

    Firms outside it22.3%

    Why it matters — Members of the alliance now score 61.4% on average, against 22.3% for firms outside it. [17] None of 20 big supermarket chains assessed has a methane target. [17]

20. 21

    US grocers oppose prices set by shopper data

    The National Grocers Association, which speaks for independent US grocers, says shops should not use customers' personal data to charge them higher prices, including through AI. [9] It defends loyalty cards, store apps and coupons as ways to pass on savings. [9] It says electronic shelf labels should update prices quickly, not change them 'based on who is in the aisle'. [9]

    Why it matters — It also says loyalty schemes should always be voluntary and easy for shoppers to leave. [9]

21. 22

    Japan and Singapore pair up on food technology

    Japan and Singapore have a new memorandum, a written promise to cooperate, on new ways of producing food. [31] Yoshihiro Kuraya, an assistant minister in Japan's farm ministry, pointed to poorer rice in hotter weather and smaller salmon catches as sea temperatures change. [31] Japan already sells gene-edited red sea bream and flounder that grow faster. [31] Under the deal, Japan's ARK and the National University of Singapore will work on fish farms that clean and reuse their water. [31]

    Why it matters — Japan had 808 land-based fish farms registered in January 2026. [31] The deal builds on a 2023 agreement, as the two countries mark 60 years of diplomatic ties. [31]

22. 23

    Pakistan sets a deadline to grow shrimp farming

    A Pakistani government sub-committee set a 120-day deadline on Tuesday to draw up a plan to expand shrimp farming and exports. [27] Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry chaired the meeting, with fisheries officials from every province. [27] Sindh province is studying a 3,500-acre shrimp farm. [27] Punjab officials want to farm shrimp on land whose underground water is too salty for crops. [27]

    Why it matters — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made growth through exports his government's top aim. [27] The 120 days are part of a wider 24-month plan. [27]

23. 24

    Seed vault gives its prize to genebanks at risk

    The partners who run the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway's government, NordGen and the Crop Trust, will give their 50,000-euro Princess of Asturias Award prize to an emergency fund for threatened genebanks. [28] The vault, on an Arctic island, keeps backup copies of more than 1.4 million seed samples from 134 depositors. [28] The fund has helped in 12 countries, including moving Ukraine's national seed collection away from Kharkiv. [28] Sudan and Ukraine, both at war, have deposited seeds there, Africanews reports. [29]

    Why it matters — A genebank keeps seeds of local crop varieties, which breeders can use to grow food in hotter or drier conditions. [29] The FAO treaty office says demand for emergency help is greater than the money available. [28]

24. 25

    Farming gets 2.5% of public climate money

    Just 2.5% of public money for climate action goes to farming and land use, though the sector causes about a third of greenhouse gas emissions, AgFunderNews reports. [26] The next UN climate summit, COP31, starts on 9 November in Antalya, Turkey. [26] Ismahane Elouafi of CGIAR, a global network of farm research centres, said farming's share of the money should rise to match. [26]

    Why it matters — Small farmers in poorer countries are among the most exposed to climate shocks, CGIAR researchers say. [26] A forecast of drought helps them only if they have the means to act on it. [26]

25. 26

    US farmers face an 11 December choice of safety net

    US farmers must choose by 11 December between two federal programmes that pay them when crop prices or income fall. [25] PLC pays when a crop's average price falls below a set level, and ARC-CO pays when a county's crop income falls. [25] At current forecasts, maize at $4.70 a bushel would trigger no PLC payment, because its trigger is $4.42, says farmdoc daily at the University of Illinois. [25] Any 2026 payments would not reach farmers until October 2027. [25]

    Why it matters — The deadline is later than the usual March one, so farmers can see more of this year's harvest before they choose. [25] A US crop report on 10 November will update the price forecasts. [25]

26. 27

    Northern Ireland dairy farms just break even

    Northern Ireland's dairy farmers are only just breaking even, said Rodney Brown, head of agriculture at Danske Bank, at the launch of the Royal Ulster Winter Fair. [22] He pointed to weak world dairy markets and to calf prices that remain high. [22] As a result, he said, farms have slowed their spending on new equipment and buildings. [22] Cattle will return to the fair on 10 December, after bluetongue, a virus spread by midges, cancelled all its livestock contests in 2025. [22]

    Why it matters — The fair is one of the most important dairy shows on the island of Ireland. [22] Last year its judge travelled about 1,200 miles to judge the best cows on their own farms instead. [22]

27. 28

    Lush autumn grass leaves cows short of magnesium

    Farmers in the UK are being warned about grass staggers, a sudden illness in cows caused by too little magnesium in the blood. [23] A dry summer and then a warm, wet autumn made grass grow fast, and fast-growing grass is often low in magnesium. [23] Cows cannot draw magnesium from their bones, so they rely on their food for it. [23] The illness can cause fits and sudden death. [23]

    Why it matters — Cows giving milk need the most magnesium, so cows that have just calved are most at risk. [23] Britain's animal health agency also found white muscle disease, caused by too little selenium or vitamin E, in calves last year. [23]

28. 29

    Colorado scientists build an AI hail warning

    Scientists at Colorado State University are building an AI system to warn of hailstorms hours or days ahead in Colorado and Wyoming. [24] Today's forecasts often give less than half an hour's warning of hail, which shreds crops and dents cars. [24] One part, built with the chip maker NVIDIA, forecasts storms two to three hours ahead. [24] Another uses nine years of US storm records to look one to eight days out. [24]

    Why it matters — Hail has caused billions of dollars of damage to homes and farms there, and insurers have raised rates across Colorado. [24] The hail season is starting earlier and ending later, one of the scientists says. [24]

29. 30

    Arrest over claims that 650 sheep were stolen

    Police arrested a 24-year-old man in Devon, England, on suspicion of insurance fraud over claims that more than 650 sheep had been stolen. [21] Two of three claims paid out 28,220 pounds, and a third for 64,800 pounds was stopped. [21] When officers and vets counted the sheep against government farm records, all were alive and well. [21] The man has been released while the inquiry goes on, and nothing has been proved. [21]

    Why it matters — Fraud like this pushes up insurance prices for honest farmers, the police and the National Rural Crime Network say. [21]