First increase in U.S. cattle inventory in eight years
The U.S. cattle inventory is up for the first time since 2007, an indication of the long-awaited turn-around in herd numbers. In its semi-annual Cattle report, USDA said there were 89.8 million cattle and calves in the country on Jan 1, up 1 percent from the previous year.
More than a third of winter wheat is in drought
Some 37 percent of the winter wheat area, mainly the southern Plains, mid-South and inland sections of the Pacific Northwest, is under drought, says a monthly summary by USDA chief meteorologist Brad Rippey.
The label says “GMO free” but no uniformity on certification
While lawmakers argue over labeling food made with genetically modified organisms, "products certified as containing no genetically modified organisms are proliferating on grocery shelves without any nationwide mandatory regulations," says the New York Times.
“The most challenging year” for crop insurance
One of the top lobbyists at the American Farm Bureau Federation says budget-cutting pressure means that, "This is probably the most challenging year for crop insurance in a long time," AgWeb reports in a story from the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau meeting.
Fertilizer management, filtering can cut runoff by 45%
Nitrogen runoff could be reduced by 45 percent in the Mississippi River basin - the heart of U.S. grain farming - with adoption of practices that reduce fertilizer waste and conversion of as little as 3.1 million acres of farmland to filter and hold nutrients that now flow downstream, says a research paper. Nitrogen runoff from farms and other sources is blamed for the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunny crop outlook, big stockpiles temper food prices
The world Food Price Index, on a downward path since last April, fell by 1.9 percent in January, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. "Lower prices reflect strong production expectations," said FAO.
Sister strain of virulent Ug99 wheat stem rust found in Kenya
Wheat growers in Kenya are battling a variant of the Ug99 rust fungus, which chokes nutrients in the wheat stem and prevents wheat kernels from forming properly.
Ryan says TPP could exclude Japan or Canada if necessary
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says the United States should complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement without Japan or Canada if those nations are unwilling to reduce their trade barriers, said Agri-Pulse.
Rural housing, a silent crisis
Affordable housing often is a debate heard amid gentrifying neighborhoods or high-cost cities, notes the Atlantic. "But cities aren’t the only places that are lacking when it comes to adequate housing at affordable prices.
Monsanto experiments again with GE wheat
More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.
“A lot” of rural schools struggle with lunch rules – Roberts
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts said his lunch of teriyaki bits, brown rice and green beans at a high school in Shawnee, Kan, was an example of food at a model school.
Agriculture coalition says fix immigration system first
An umbrella group of agricultural employers, worried about its workforce, warned lawmakers there would be "a devastating impact" if an identity-check system is mandated "in the absence of a legislative solution for agriculture's labor needs."
How about a robotic cultivator that does hand weeding?
A project at UC-Davis aims to develop a robotic cultivator that can do the equivalent of hand weeding, excising weeds as they sprout among rows of newly emerged crops.
EPA proposes framework to keep Bt corn seed effective
Corn growers would use crop rotation and "stacked" seeds to prevent corn rootworm from developing widespread resistance to Bt corn under a framework proposed by EPA and open for public comment until March 16.
Low petroleum prices will reduce cost of food production
Oil prices are likely to stay low throughout this year, says Rabobank, and should eventually benefit consumers through lower food prices, according to Farm Futures.
Climate change to adjust storms’ intensity but not number
Atmospheric physicists at the University of Toronto say global warming will increase water evaporation from the oceans but will not increase the number of storms per year.
Paltry snowpack, dry January point to dry year in California
The snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada is 25 percent of normal for late January, "on par with some of the worst years on record," says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Roberts to see what’s cooking in Kansas school cafeteria
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts plans to eat lunch at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kan, today to see "what works and what doesn't" in the school food program.
When it comes to farming, a “medium” can sound large
A mid-size family farm in the United States averages 1,582 acres - 2.4 square miles - in size and rings up $645,000 in annual sales, says the Agriculture Department's "Farm Typology" report. There are 118,340 mid-size farms, predominantly grain and soybean operations, although more than 40 percent also raise cattle and 5 percent have hogs. Only 5.6 percent of the 2.11 million farms in the country meet USDA's criteria for a mid-size family farm, which is from $350,000 to $1 million in gross cash farm income (GCFI).
Japan is willing to reduce beef and pork tariffs, reports say
Japanese news media reported that the government would reduce its high import tariffs on beef and pork and relax slightly its restrictions on U.S. rice imports as part of the proposed 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact, said Reuters.