Did you miss some news this week? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a collection of the top headlines in agriculture.

AFBF votes to expel Illinois Farm Bureau

The American Farm Bureau Federation has voted to terminate the membership of Illinois Farm Bureau, effective Dec. 20. In an email to state presidents, AFBF President Zippy Duvall wrote, “This action is based on IFB’s decision to allow its controlled affiliate company, Country Financial, to eliminate the Farm Bureau membership eligibility requirement for nonfarm insurance policyholders in Illinois.”

Prairie Farmer Editor Holly Spangler explains the chain of events leading to this decision, plus the lawsuit filed by Illinois Farm Bureau:

Tractor sales plummet year over year

U.S. sales of ag tractors decreased 14.2% in October 2024 compared to the year prior, according to new data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Sales of combines also fell during the month, dropping 34.6% compared to 2023. Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president, says the declines point to the soft ag economy after five years of positive results. – Association of Equipment Manufacturers

McDonald’s, Syngenta to create sustainable hamburger

McDonald’s USA announced a new effort to reduce the climate impact of its hamburgers. McDonald’s and Lopez Foods will scale the use of Syngenta’s Enogen corn as animal feed. The partnership is expected to help deliver more than 164,000 metric tons of emissions savings per year, and ranchers who work with Lopez will receive incentives for adding the corn to their feed rations. – Agriculture Dive

Bayer's shares sink to 20-year low

On the company’s 2025 outlook call, Bayer said its earnings are likely to fall further next year due to weak agricultural markets. Chief Executive Bill Anderson has started cutting jobs, speeding up decision-making and slashing red tape in a bid to turn around the embattled industrial group, while putting plans to break up its diversified businesses on hold.

"We're in the midst of a big agriculture downturn. And that's very frustrating for people ... We understand the investor sentiment, but we remain very optimistic that we've got a strong future," Anderson said. – Reuters

Costco’s butter recall – explained

The Food and Drug Administration recently issued an ongoing recall for almost 80,000 pounds of butter. Why? The label was missing the “contains milk” allergen statement. The products include Kirkland Signature Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter and Kirkland Signature Salted Sweet Cream Butter. Both products list cream as an ingredient. – FDA

Who will Trump pick for secretary of agriculture?

President-elect Donald Trump revealed a number of cabinet picks this week, but his nomination for secretary of agriculture is still a mystery. There’s plenty of chatter out there, and Joshua Baethge, Farm Progress policy editor, reviews a few names on the radar to replace Tom Vilsack at USDA. – Farm Progress

Mississippi River levels lift export opportunity

With farmers’ financials under pressure as grain prices hover near four-year lows, news this week that the U.S. Coast Guard lifted barge restrictions on the lower Mississippi River came as welcome news to soybean industry leaders. Barge shipments rebounded in recent weeks. During the week ended Nov. 2, downbound corn and soybean barge movement totaled nearly 749,000 tons, up from about 479,000 tons two weeks earlier. – Farm Futures