The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declined a request by the pork industry to increase the speed at which pigs can be processed into meat. (Associated Press)

Wheat futures went lower overnight, corn export sales have been surging week-to-week and there are freeze warnings in effect in parts of the Northern Plains. (Successful Farming)  

European Union agriculture ministers said negotiators are close to a deal that aims to reform the bloc’s huge farming subsidy programme, protect small farms and bring agriculture in line with environmental goals. (Nasdaq)

Few things bring residents together in a community quite like a farmers market. As spring will soon turn into summer, many have opened and will continue to operate on a weekly basis through the fall. (Patch)

Argentine farm groups will halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports aimed at bringing down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said in a recent joint statement. (U.S. News & World Report)

The shortage of workers is economy-wide, but in agriculture there’s not only a shortage, there’s a lack of awareness of the many varieties of ag careers. Steve Alexander spoke with Megan Dailey, who runs the Food Systems High School Summer Academy for the University of Illinois. (WGN)