Farmland values soar despite pandemic
Fueled by strong commodity prices and continued pandemic assistance, farmland values are skyrocketing, up by 14 percent in the central Midwest and by 10 percent in the central Plains, said the Federal Reserve banks in Chicago and Kansas City on Thursday.
Land prices zoom to record highs in Indiana
Despite the pandemic, farmland values soared to record highs in Indiana, up by as much as 14 percent this year, according to agricultural professionals surveyed by Purdue University. "Surprisingly, many of the current economic forces put upward pressure on farmland prices," said Purdue on Tuesday.
We want a voice, too, say Republican senators
The 11 Republican members of the Senate Agriculture Committee asked chairwoman Debbie Stabenow on Thursday to open up the decision-making process on how to spend a potential windfall of $135 billion.
Committee clears Biden nominee Moffitt for vote in Senate
Prudent regulation, national registry sought for gene-edited products
With gene-edited products nearing the marketplace, six major consumer and conservation groups called on Wednesday for "effective, science-based government regulation" of the sector, including a national registry of gene-edited plants and animals. By contrast, they said, the USDA has "substantially deregulated gene-edited plants and proposed a similarly minimal oversight system for gene-edited animals."
Carbon credit market needs better standards – report
Senate confirms Moffitt as agriculture undersecretary for marketing
California state agriculture official Jennifer Moffitt, who pledged to give farmers more leverage in dealing with meatpackers, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as agriculture undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. She was the first Biden nominee approved by the Senate for a sub-cabinet post at the USDA.
Lawsuit would overturn Trump-era rules on genetically engineered crops
Prices surge for carryout and restaurant food
Meals at full-service restaurants cost 4.3 percent more than a year ago and prices at fast food outlets soared by 6.6 percent, said the Labor Department's monthly report on inflation. The increases were the largest for either category since record-keeping began on them in 1996, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
USDA awards $167 million for broadband access
Projects in 12 states will receive a combined $167 million in USDA grants and loans to deploy broadband infrastructure in parts of rural America lacking sufficient access to high-speed internet service, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday.
ERS: Nearly $58 billion to farmers in pandemic year
When crop insurance indemnities and unemployment benefits are counted, the government sent $57.7 billion to farm operations and farm households in 2020, while the pandemic sent the U.S. economy into recession, said a working paper by USDA economists. It was the highest estimate yet of federal assistance to farmers last year and the most inclusive.
Food inflation to slow in 2022, says USDA
After two years of higher-than-usual inflation rates, food prices will rise by a near-normal 2.5 percent in 2022, said the USDA in its first estimate of food costs in the coming year. High prices for meat and fresh food are forecast to drive the food inflation rate to 3 percent this year.
Senate Democrats will apportion USDA bonus funds by themselves
Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees routinely say the panels are the least partisan in Congress, even if the harmony is strained from time to time. In the weeks ahead, the infighting over President Biden's two-part infrastructure package will test that comity on the Senate panel.
USDA nominees Bonnie and Torres Small are cleared for Senate vote
Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said the Senate Agriculture Committee is making progress on stocking the USDA with President Biden's choices for sub-cabinet posts. The committee advanced two nominations to the floor on Tuesday, creating the possibility of confirmation votes before the Senate adjourns for its summer recess.
Party-line committee split may not halt vote on BLM nominee
President Biden's choice to run the Bureau of Land Management will face a confirmation vote in the Senate without the committee endorsement given to nearly all nominees. After a heated debate that one senator called "a skunk fight," the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee split, 10-10, along party lines on whether to recommend Senate approval of Tracy Stone-Manning as director of the Interior Department agency.
Senators question slow pace of pandemic payments to farmers
Big coronavirus increases in SNAP and farm spending
The food stamp program will cost $145 billion this year, more than double its pre-pandemic total, due to expansion to combat the pandemic, estimated the CBO in updating its budget outlook. Mandatory agricultural spending was forecast at $48 billion this year, an increase of $17 billion from 2020.
As globe warms, risk of agricultural drought rises, says climate report
Big boost for USDA in Senate budget proposal
Republicans oppose ag labor bill as ‘amnesty’
Senate Republicans threw up barriers on Wednesday to a House-passed bill that would give legal status to undocumented farmworkers and streamline the H-2A guestworker program. They called for action first to tighten control of the U.S.-Mexico border and vowed to vote against "amnesty" for undocumented farmworkers, who are estimated to make up half of the agricultural labor force.