The Indiana Farm Bureau says the large surplus of soybeans and corn, paired with the impact of Chinese tariffs, is forcing farmers to tighten their budgets.

As agricultural technology continues to develop, some are trying to find ways to get ahead of possible threats.

The ordinance approved last week by Delaware County Commissioners was prompted by a proposed 10,560-head hog farm that's currently tied up in court.

The most recent United States Department of Agriculture census, taken in 2012, shows women in Indiana represent only about a fourth of Hoosier farmers.

All FSA offices shut down Dec. 28 and those staff were furloughed without pay. A few offices re-opened for limited hours and services on Jan. 17.

The dairy farm has been the subject of a lawsuit between the county and the Hoosier Environmental Council since September.

Indiana regulators have a granted a key permit for an organic dairy farm that could become home to more than 4,000 cows in Newton County.

The rules made it harder for farmers to put large amounts of antibiotics in livestock feed or water without going through a veterinarian.

Farmers are worried the partial federal government shutdown might further delay a proposal to allow gasoline with 15 percent ethanol to be sold year-round.

Some of the priorities this session include rural school funding, insuring deployment of expanded broadband, tax values, hemp, confined feeding and township government.