David Isermann, LaSalle County Farm Bureau president encounters his share of challenges each year on the farm. It goes with the territory. But he’s never seen anything like 2019 during his many years of farming. “We hope we never see a year like this again,” Isermann said as he dealt with more harvest issues last week. “It’s been hard to do anything this year.” (FarmWeekNow)

Recent statistics showed that workers in agriculture were seven times more likely to die than those on a construction site. After five years of research with farmers, University of Aberdeen psychologist Dr Amy Irwin said lessons could be learned from other industries. She said changing a few key behaviors could make farming safer. (BBC News)

A new analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation shows the United States has the most affordable food supply in the world. Megan Nelson, AFBF economic analyst, researched global food prices and found Americans enjoy the most affordable overall price for food at home. (Farm Bureau)

With weather challenges, trade tension and long-term financial headwinds buffeting the ag sector, more farmers and ranchers are taking on high-interest loans beyond the usual ag lenders just to stay in business, The Wall Street Journal reports. Traditional farm banks are offering less money and placing tighter restrictions on loans, forcing cash-strapped farmers to look elsewhere for capital. (Politico)

The USDA is moving to open the U.S. border to Chinese chicken amid final talks between the two countries to wrap up a partial trade pact that is promised to result in China increasing its imports of U.S. ag commodities. Bloomberg is reporting that China is preparing to lift its four-year ban on U.S. chicken. (Agri-Pulse)

House lawmakers’ return to Washington on Tuesday will kick off a two-week work period before members take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday — a sizable window that could see some movement on the USMCA. The thorniest outstanding issues are concerns with the pact’s labor standards and how to enforce those provisions. It’s possible that the differences are narrow enough that a handshake deal is within reach. (Politico)