With Trump, oil refiners ‘will be back in the driver’s seat’ on RFS, says analyst
The incoming Trump administration is likely to be unfriendly to biofuels if it repeats the record of the president-elect’s first term in office, said biofuels analyst Scott Irwin of the University of Illinois on Wednesday. There could be the liberal approval of waivers exempting small refiners from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), he said, as well as efforts to whittle down the ethanol mandate.
Democrats in Congress propose $10 billion in economic aid to farmers
With Congress due to adjourn in 10 days, Democrats proposed $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers nationwide to buffer the impact of lower commodity prices. Senior farm-state Republicans have said substantial aid is needed — $15 billion was mentioned on Wednesday — but House GOP leaders reportedly objected to the offset Democrats would use to pay for the aid.
Two thirds of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology, says report
Some 68 percent of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology that generates information that aids decision-making by operators, such as yield monitors, yield maps, and soil maps, said the USDA on Tuesday. The annual "Farms and Ranches at a Glance" report showed higher-volume farms are heavy users of the technology, notwithstanding earlier reports showing a low usage rate by farmers nationwide.
U.S. proposal would protect monarch butterfly as threatened species
The orange-and-black monarch butterfly, known for migrating thousands of miles, would be protected as a threatened species under a proposal by the Interior Department on Tuesday. The monarch population has dropped by 80 percent since the 1980s due to loss of habitat, exposure to pesticides, and climate change.
Equipment sales falter as farm income slows, tariffs a concern, say regional Feds
Farm equipment sales are slowing alongside the downturn in farm income, creating a headwind to overall U.S. investment activity, said the Beige Book, a summary of economic conditions in Federal Reserve Bank districts. In discussing agriculture, the St. Louis Fed said some businesses were building inventory in anticipation of potential tariffs on imported goods.
Reports of three new human cases of bird flu include California child
Arizona health officials said two workers employed at poultry farms have recovered from mild cases of bird flu while the public health agency in Marin County, north of San Francisco, said it was investigating a possible bird flu infection of a child. If confirmed by the CDC, the U.S. total for bird flu infections would rise to 61 people in eight states this year.
USDA orders testing nationwide for bird flu virus in milk fresh from the cow
Farm groups prod Congress for economic relief
With two weeks left in the congressional schedule for this year, time is running out for lawmakers to provide financial relief to agriculture, said two farm groups. "It is imperative that they address the well-defined and fully substantiated needs of farmers just trying to hold on for another season," said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
FDA is doing ‘not much’ against diabetes and obesity epidemics, says Sanders
The Food and Drug Administration ought to take on the food industry to protect Americans from ultra-processed foods loaded with salt, fat, and sugar, said Senate Health committee chairman Bernie Sanders on Thursday. “That is your job,” Sanders interjected when FDA commissioner Robert Califf said improvements in the U.S. diet will require societal consensus over the long term.
One mutation could make H5N1 a greater threat, researchers say
While there has been no sign of person-to-person spread of bird flu, researchers said on Thursday that a single mutation in the H5N1 avian influenza virus could enhance the virus’ ability to attach to human cells. That could potentially increase the possibility of transmission among humans, said the study, led by a team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute.
Negotiate before applying tariffs, Farm Bureau says
The largest U.S. farm group would prefer negotiation, rather than a salvo of tariffs, as the first step in resolving U.S. disputes with other nations, said the American Farm Bureau Federation’s chief economist on Wednesday. “I think it’s important, when we’re talking about friends like Mexico and Canada, that we talk first,” said economist Roger Cryan. “And think about shooting later.”
Raw Farm recalls all unpasteurized whole milk and cream products
A Fresno dairy recalled all of its unpasteurized whole milk and cream products following “multiple bird flu detections in the company’s milk and dairy in the past week,” said the California Department of Public Health. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed the 32nd human case of bird flu in the state.
Strong livestock revenue slows decline in U.S. farm income
Farm income is down for the second year in a row, with receipts from corn and soybeans — the two largest field crops — off by a combined $23.5 billion from 2023 levels, but higher than expected livestock revenue is a counterweight, said the Agriculture Department on Tuesday. It estimated net farm income, a broad measure of profits, at $140.7 billion this year, down by $6 billion from last year but still the fourth-highest level on record.
Judge overturns USDA rule on genetically engineered plants
The Agriculture Department shirked its duties in a 2020 rule that exempted genetically engineered plants from pre-market review if they were unlikely to pose an environmental risk, ruled U.S. district judge James Donato on Tuesday. Donato overturned the rule, issued during the first Trump administration, and told USDA to reconsider it.
A ‘Trump bump’ on the farm, with a dollop of trade war anxiety
As it did eight years ago, Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election has ignited a surge of enthusiasm among farmers, although two-fifths of them say there is a risk of a damaging trade war, said a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. The Ag Economy Barometer, a gauge of farmer confidence, surged 30 points to its highest reading since May 2021.
Boozman calls for ‘significant’ farm aid this year
Congress should authorize "significant economic assistance" to farmers before the end of this year to offset lower commodity prices and high production costs, said the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday. "Federal assistance must support agricultural producers facing market losses and it needs to happen quickly," said Arkansas Sen. John Boozman with Congress scheduled to adjourn in three weeks.
Imports own the olive oil market in the United States
Domestic production of olive oil, based mostly in California, is six times larger than it was 20 years ago but it amounts to less than 2 percent of the U.S.'s steadily growing consumption, forecast to be more than 400,000 metric tons this year, say USDA analysts. Drought in Europe, the major producer, drove import prices to record highs but they are projected to decline in the year ahead as production recovers.
‘Tariff man’ Trump picks trade hawk to run USTR
President-elect Donald Trump, who declared, "I am a tariff man," in 2018, selected Jamieson Greer, an important figure in the Sino-U.S. trade war, to serve as U.S. trade representative (USTR) in his second term. Trump announced the choice during a string of days in which he threatened high import duties on a dozen countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
Fundamentals suggest decline in farmland values in 2025
Voracious U.S. demand means biggest food and ag trade deficit ever
Americans are consuming ever-larger amounts of imported fruits, vegetables, wine, alcohol, coffee, and beef, an appetite that will drive the food and ag trade deficit to a record $45.5 billion this fiscal year, estimated the Agriculture Department on Tuesday. Imports would be a sizzling $9.3 billion larger than in just-ended fiscal 2024, while food and ag exports decline for the third year in a row due to lower commodity prices.