Today’s Harvest Blog

Today’s Harvest is a valued, timely resource for stories, news, tips and information relevant to Northeast agriculture and our customers.
Farm tractor in a field during the fall harvest

Latest From Today's Harvest Blog

Business Tips and Tools

Key Updates to H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates for Northeast Agricultural Employers

Austin Weaver

On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a new Interim Final Rule (IFR) that significantly revises how Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) are calculated for H-2A guestworkers. AEWRs set the minimum hourly wages that must be paid to H-2A workers and those in corresponding employment. This rule introduces major changes affecting wage structures across Farm Credit East’s eight-state region, with important implications for farm operations and labor management.

November 4, 2025

Farm workers harvesting vegetables in a field near a red tractor with a wagon

Latest Tax Talk

male farmer working on a laptop computer on his truck hood in front of a cow pen
Tax Talks
Maximizing Your Farm’s Bottom Line: Income and Expense Reporting

Filing farm taxes doesn’t have to be confusing. The IRS requires you to report all income unless specifically excluded, and only deduct expenses that are both ordinary—common in farming—and necessary—helpful for your business. Understanding these basics can save you time and stress.

October 27, 2025

Today's Harvest Blog

Pregnant woman visit doctor at hospital or medical clinic for pregnancy consultant.
Business Tips and Tools
NYS Paid Prenatal Leave: Effective 1/1/25

Starting January 1, 2025, the New York State Paid Prenatal Leave Law requires all private sector employers in New York State to provide their employees with 20 hours of Paid Prenatal Leave each year.

January 16, 2025

Corn chopping machine and feed truck in cornfield during harvest
Business Tips and Tools
2025 Grain and Oilseed Industry Outlook Summary

With record soybean and corn harvests, profitable storage options and recovering export demand, the landscape is shifting for U.S. grain and biofuel markets. How are ethanol production, renewable diesel demand and challenges from trade policies and global competition influencing the market?

January 14, 2025

legislative info
Public Policy
Washington Update: New Year, New Congress

As 2025 begins, the 119th Congress faces a busy start. Senate committees will hold nomination hearings for 24 cabinet-level positions, while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns of hitting the debt limit. The American Relief Act, 2025, extends government funding through March 14, 2025, and includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill. Brooke Rollins is nominated as Secretary of Agriculture, amidst hopes of passing the Farm Bill early in the year to address the decline in farm income.

January 09, 2025

Austin Weaver on a dairy farm visit
Farm Credit
The Value of Connections

As a relationship lender, connecting with our customers and our communities is at the heart of everything we do. It’s those relationships that we’ve had with customer businesses for generations that have allowed Farm Credit East to be successful for more than 100 years. CEO Mike Reynolds reiterates the importance of these connections in today's blog.

January 07, 2025

Meet the Authors

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