Spring is in the air, and planters are beginning to roll in some areas of the country. Another week is in the books, and we’re here to share a roundup of agriculture headlines you can’t miss.

USDA’s prospective planting report

For only the third time in U.S. history, farmers are going to plant more soybeans than corn in 2022. USDA’s prospective plantings report found soybean acreage will rise 4% from last year to 90.955 million acres – beating the previous record high set in 2017 of 90.2 million acres.

As early as January, Farm Futures had predicted soybean acres would eclipse corn acres for only the third time on record, thanks to input and analysis from our exclusive grower surveys. For more insights, watch the recording from the Farm Progress 365 live event where grain market analyst Jacqueline Holland dug in to share what the numbers mean for your risk management plan. – Farm Futures

USDA finalizes organic dairy rule

USDA’s National Organic Program will oversee the new Origin of Livestock Rule, which determines which animals can be considered organic and produce organic milk. The final rule requires that milk and milk products come from dairy animals that have been managed as organic since before birth, with a one-time exception for the transition of a conventional dairy herd to organic production under a specific set of conditions. – Farm Progress

Partnership sends robots to the field

GROWMARK is partnering with tech company Solinftec to advance scouting efforts using autonomous solar-powered robots. The robots will monitor fields, sending weed and insect alerts to a cloud-based program called ALICE, which then leads to a precision application from an ag retailer. The robots will roll out commercially in 2023. See the robot in action! – Farm Futures

March sees record cattle on feed

Dry conditions in parts of the country are forcing producers to put cattle on grain sooner. The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report revealed a record number of cattle in feedlots on March 1 since 1996. The report cites 12.16 million head on feed, up 1.4% from a year ago. – BEEF

EPA gives Enlist green light

The Environmental Protection Agency has reinstated grower access to Enlist One and Enlist Duo. EPA identifies the products as important tools to control weeds with resistance to multiple herbicides. Enlist can now be used in all counties of Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota, and in select counties of Texas. – Farm Progress

The hunt is on for eggs

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza within the U.S. layer flock is adding strain to the U.S. egg supply, which has not fully recovered from disruptions brought on by the pandemic. Bird flu continues to spread in the U.S., and at least 11 million layers have been lost in recent weeks. Consumers are likely to absorb some of the cost increases as they seek to fill their baskets with eggs prior to Easter. – Feedstuffs

Prop 12 gets day in court

After nearly two months of waiting, the U.S. Supreme Court announced they would hear the case brought by the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation challenging California’s Proposition 12. The state law seeks to ban the sale of pork from hogs that don’t meet the state’s arbitrary production standards, even if the pork was raised on farms outside of California. – Farm Progress

And just for fun…

Favorite farm dog of 2022

It’s that time of year again: Prairie Farmer is honoring the farm dogs that make our farms more like home — herding livestock, greeting visitors, riding shotgun and making our farm lives richer and fuller. Meet the furry friends entered in this year’s contest and vote for your favorite! – Prairie Farmer