Largest U.S. farm group opposes ‘make allowance’ proposal as unfair
The Agriculture Department should insist on comprehensive reform of U.S. dairy pricing rather than considering a piecemeal approach from dairy processors for an increase in the so-called make allowance, said the American Farm Bureau Federation on Wednesday. “We urge you to reject the current proposals that risk further burden to America’s dairy farmers,” wrote AFBF president Zippy Duvall in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Biden trade strategy: Stronger ties with like-minded countries
The Biden administration is writing “a new story on trade” that emphasizes cooperation with allies because countries such as China have abused open markets and low tariffs, U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said in a speech on Wednesday.
Avoid crop insurance ‘add ons’ in farm bill, say analysts
If it wants them, Congress should act directly to include goals such as climate mitigation in the farm bill rather than resort to crop insurance "add ons" that could meddle with the soundness of the federally subsidized program, said two analysts on Tuesday. Crop insurance is the largest federal support to agriculture, with an estimated cost of $15.5 billion this year.
Farmers expect a revenue payoff from growth in renewable diesel
Farmers are far more bullish about the chances of expansion of the renewable diesel industry than in ethanol, the dominant "green" fuel in rural America, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. The telephone survey for the monthly Ag Economy Barometer also found nine of 10 farmers expect higher soybean prices at the farm gate as more and more renewable diesel fuel reaches the market.
Dwindling funds imperil the ‘slow magic’ of agri-food research
In the early days of USDA, half of the department's budget was directed to agricultural research and development. Nowadays, its share is 1.8 percent and the nation trails competitors that include China, said economist Philip Pardey of the University of Minnesota in calling for a hefty increase in funding.
EPA faces deadline on CAFO clean-water petition
In an appellate court order, the EPA agreed on Monday to decide by Aug. 15 if it would tighten water pollution standards for large livestock and poultry farms, a goal pursued for years by environmental groups. Only three in 10 of the largest factory farms are regulated at present, said Food and Water Watch.
U.S. farmers lean into corn, soy and wheat in 2023
American farmers will plant 7.6 million more acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, the "big three" crops of modern U.S. agriculture, this year than last, according to USDA estimates. With normal weather and trend-line yields, the result could be the largest soybean crop ever and the biggest corn crop since record production in 2016.
Cost-share grants for rural renewable energy
The USDA will award up to $1 billion in grants to help farmers and rural small businesses install renewable energy systems or make energy-efficiency improvements to their property, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
House spending leader says USDA’s wings should be clipped
The Biden administration cannot be trusted to spend tax dollars prudently, and Congress ought to block the USDA’s access to the $30 billion reserve fund it used to launch a climate mitigation initiative, said the chair of a House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday. The Republican-controlled Congress restricted Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s access to the fund for five years during the Obama administration.
Announce summer waiver for E15 soon, asks ethanol group
To prevent the disruption of fuel supplies, the Biden administration ought to announce an emergency waiver soon for the sale of E15 throughout the summer, like it did last year, said an ethanol trade group on Thursday. “We ultimately need a federal fix to air pollution laws to ensure year-round availability of the fuel,” said Emily Skor, chief executive of Growth Energy, during a teleconference.
FAPRI: Farm income to soften as commodity prices weaken
After two record-setting years in a row, U.S. net farm income will decline sharply in the near term, pulled down by lower crop and livestock prices, though it will remain well above its 10-year average, said FAPRI on Wednesday. The University of Missouri think tank said food inflation would drop to 4.4 percent this year — less than half of last year’s rate — and run at 2 percent in following years.
Senate votes to overturn Biden’s ‘waters of the United States’ rule
The Senate joined the House on Wednesday in voting to overturn the Biden administration’s “waters of the United States” regulation, which spells out the upstream reach of water pollution laws. The White House said earlier this month that President Biden would veto the Republican-sponsored resolution of disapproval if it reached his desk.
In a farm bill preview, farm-state Republicans attack SNAP
The Biden administration is spending too much on SNAP and is unwilling to restrict access to food stamps, farm-state Republicans told Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday. They called for stricter work requirements for SNAP and said, without evidence, that millions of migrants might be receiving benefits. “Absurd,” responded Vilsack.
McCarthy seeks stronger work requirements for able-bodied adults seeking federal assistance
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy asked for another face-to-face session with President Biden over the federal debt limit on Tuesday and said trillions of dollars could be saved through steps such as stronger work requirements for able-bodied adults seeking government benefits. The upcoming farm bill is another arena where work requirements could be discussed.
Cover crops and no-till planting pay off, says AGree
The financial and risk-reducing benefits of conservation practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage are increasingly evident, said the AGree Initiative on farm policy in a report on Tuesday. "Further, ecosystem services markets may provide farmers with new economic opportunities to diversify their income," said the report, aimed in part at farm lenders.
One in seven on House ag panel collected farm payments
Eight current members of the House Agriculture Committee received farm subsidies at some point since 1998, said the Environmental Working Group on Tuesday. Seven of the eight describe themselves on their congressional websites as farmers or the offspring of a farm family.
U.S. dominance in ag export race is softening
The United States lost its place as the world's largest wheat exporter a decade ago, and now its leadership in exports of corn, cotton and tree nuts is being challenged, said a new USDA report. "Changes in global patterns of production and agricultural markets affected U.S. export competitiveness during the last two decades," said the Economic Research Service.
Beef and pork prices retreat while grocery prices climb
Grocery prices will rise 7.8 percent this year, three times the usual pace for food inflation albeit slower than in 2022, said USDA economists in the monthly Food Price Outlook.
U.S. will not allow endless negotiations on GMO corn, says Tai
With a corn-state senator demanding speedy action, U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said on Thursday that she would not allow a dispute with Mexico over genetically modified corn “to go on indefinitely.” A 30-day period for technical consultations between the nations, arguably the last chance to avert a USMCA trade complaint, expires on April 7.
Put ‘the food back into food aid,’ say grain millers
The 2023 farm bill should reverse the international trend toward cash donations for hunger relief, said the North American Millers Association on Thursday. In a three-page list of farm bill priorities, NAMA said it supports putting “the food back into food aid” programs.