Pandemic aid to farmers at $7 billion as USDA pro-rates timber payments
The USDA will pro-rate its final round of pandemic payments to timber harvesters and haulers to stay within the $200 million limit for the aid program, officials said on Thursday. Meanwhile, USDA data showed disbursements of $6.98 billion in coronavirus relief to farmers and ranchers this year.
Burst of USDA top-up pandemic payments to farmers
Farmers have received $4.8 billion in long-promised payments of $20 an acre on crops that range from corn, soybeans, and wheat to sorghum and sugar beets, said USDA data on Monday. It was the largest disbursement of coronavirus relief funds since the Biden administration took office.
Coronavirus payments to farmers near $18 billion
Farmers get $1.96 billion from new coronavirus program
In the two weeks since the USDA began accepting applications for coronavirus relief, it has paid $1.96 billion to farmers and ranchers through the so-called CFAP2, according to data released on Thursday. The average payment was $20,639 on the 94,959 applications approved for assistance.
Report: California paraquat use concentrated in poor, Latino communities
Between 2017 and 2021, 5.3 million pounds of the herbicide paraquat were sprayed on California fields, with 66 percent of it in five Central Valley counties whose residents are predominantly poor and Latino, according to a new Environmental Working Group analysis.
White House creates Office of Environmental Justice
On Earth Day, President Biden signed an executive order making environmental justice — the fair treatment of all people in the development and enforcement of environmental policies — part of the everyday work of federal agencies.
Biden links climate change, jobs and environmental justice
Introducing his climate team, President-elect Biden said his administration would respond to the existential threat of climate change "by building a modern, climate-resilient infrastructure and a clean energy future" that would put millions of Americans to work. "And we are committed to facing climate change by delivering environmental justice."
USDA should stop environmentally risky ‘depopulation’ methods, advocates say
The Department of Agriculture should restrict certain animal disposal methods used by farmers who euthanize herds during the Covid-19 pandemic, and make information about those “depopulation” events public, says a coalition of environmental groups that petitioned the agency Monday.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
USDA puts $394 million into infrastructure in rural areas
Some 2 million people in small towns and rural communities will benefit from projects to improve housing, health care and infrastructure in eight states and Puerto Rico, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Vilsack announced $394 million in grants, loans and loan guarantees for 52 projects through the Rural Partners Network.
Rural electric co-ops take role in solar energy initiative
More than 90 member-owned rural electric cooperatives in 16 states committed to install community solar projects by the end of 2017, said the White House in announcing an initiative to expand solar power and improve energy efficiency across the nation.
USDA awards $2.1 billion in rural electric loans
Some 77 utilities and cooperatives in 31 states from Florida to Montana will receive a total of $2.3 billion in loans to improve rural electric service, said the USDA. The loans would support work ranging from building new transmission lines to constructing solar farms and adding "smart grid" technology to reduce costs.
Obama selects McBride to lead Rural Utilities Services
President Obama selected Brandon McBride, a Senate Agriculture Committee staff worker, to serve as administrator of USDA's Rural Utilities Services, the White House announced.
Prospects rise for strong El Niño that peaks this winter
Drought blossoms in upper Midwest and northern Plains
Most of Minnesota -- 88 percent -- is in moderate drought, a dramatic expansion from 6 percent a week ago, says the Drought Monitor. Record-high temperatures accelerated dryness.
Winter outlook-Drought in Plains, California and Northwest
Drought will persist or intensify during winter in Washington state, Oregon and the northern two-thirds of California as well as the wheat-growing southern Plains, forecasts the National Weather Service.
Wetter than normal outlook for Farm Belt, Northwest
The National Weather Service forecasts more precipitation than usual in the Midwest, the Plains and the Pacific Northwest for late April, which could delay spring planting but relieve dry conditions in the western Corn Belt and the central and southern Plains.
USMCA panel rules Mexico ban on imported GMO corn violates trade rules
A day after losing a USMCA decision on GMO corn imports, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico would enact a law against the planting of transgenic corn in order to protect the country's biodiversity and cultural heritage. A three-member USMCA panel ruled unanimously in favor of the United States that Mexico's 2023 ban on imported GMO corn was an unjustified trade barrier. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Presidential election in Mexico could change corn policy, says Vilsack
Mexico might review, and potentially remove, its ban on imports of genetically modified white corn following its presidential election on June 2, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Sunday. "That would be my hope," said Vilsack. The new president, likely to be a woman for the first time, would take office on Oct. 1.
U.S. files USMCA challenge to Mexico’s corn import rules
Putting its warnings into action, the Biden administration officially accused Mexico on Thursday of violating North American trade rules by prohibiting imports of genetically modified white corn used in making tortillas, a staple of the Mexican diet. Mexico, the birthplace of corn and a top U.S. trade partner, said it was ready to defend its ban before a USMCA dispute panel.
U.S. ratchets up corn dispute with Mexico
The Biden administration asked for USMCA consultations with Mexico over its ban on imports of GMO corn for human consumption, the last step before filing a trade complaint in the long-running dispute.
Rural poverty rate is stable, says Census Bureau
Household income edged downward in rural America in 2022, but the poverty rate held steady at 15 percent, said the Census Bureau on Tuesday. Median household income in rural America was more than $21,000 lower than in metropolitan areas, helping to explain why rural poverty rates are higher than the U.S. average.
Rural-urban poverty gap narrowed over past decade
The rural poverty rate has exceeded the urban rate ever since the government began tracking both in the 1960s. The difference, 4.5 percentage points in the 1980s, has narrowed to an average of 3.1 points over the past 10 years, said the USDA in updating its rural poverty and well-being webpage.
Rural poverty rate is 3.3 points higher than in town
The poverty gap between rural and metropolitan areas was just as wide in 2019 as the year before, said the Census Bureau on Tuesday. Poverty rates declined across the board last year, but analysts said the pandemic has made the improvements meaningless with the country now in a deep recession.
Poverty rate returns to pre-recession level in rural America
Trade agency approves tariffs on imported phosphate fertilizer
U.S. fertilizer companies are "materially injured" by imports of subsidized phosphate fertilizer from Russia and Morocco, said the U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday, so it approved, on a 4-1 vote, the imposition of countervailing duties on the imports.
Sarasota officials oppose EPA aquaculture pilot project
The city commissioners of Sarasota, Florida, decided Monday to send a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing an aquaculture pilot project that sought to farm fish about 45 miles off the city's coast. In the letter, signed by Sarasota mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch, the commissioners file "strong and formal opposition" to the project.
Monsanto to study sage brush restoration to mitigate mine project
The world's largest seed company, Monsanto, says it will research restoration of habitat for sage grouse on 320 acres of its corporate ranch in Idaho, reports Capital Press. The work would mitigate the impact of a Caldwell Canyon phosphate mine that Monsanto intends to open.
Swine virus can survive trans-Pacific trip
The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus that killed more than 6 million piglets in a U.S. outbreak that began in 2013 "could survive a trip around the world, if it catches the right ride," reports Harvest Public Media.
USDA slow off the mark during hog epidemic
After examining USDA's handling of an epidemic that killed millions of pigs across the country, the Government Accountability Office said the department needs a stronger plan for dealing with disease threats. In a report, GAO faulted USDA for a lackluster response when the swine enteric coronavirus diseases were detected in May 2013.
U.S. hog inventory hits a record high
Two years after Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea killed 7 million piglets and drove up pork prices, hog farmers have rebuilt their herds. The quarterly Hogs and Pigs report says there are a record 68.3 million hogs on the farm, "the highest inventory of all hogs and pigs since quarterly U.S. estimates began in 1988."
The mystery of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea
Less than two years ago, a deadly virus swept across U.S. hog farms and killed millions of piglets, starting a chain reaction that led to record-high pork prices in grocery stores.
Lower livestock prices darken expectations in farm country
Crop and livestock producers are less optimistic about the economic outlook for the farm sector, according to the Ag Economy Barometer sponsored by Purdue and the CME Group. The chief reason was a decline in cattle prices during May, said Purdue economist Jim Mintert.
U.S. farm income to plummet by one-third in 2015
U.S. farm income will drop to its lowest level in six years under the weight of sharply lower crop prices and a plunge in milk prices, according to a forecast from the Agriculture Department. Net farm income, which reflects earnings from production in the current calendar year, would fall by 32 percent from 2014 levels. The USDA said another measure of the farm sector, net cash farm income, would slump by 22 percent, a smaller decline because it includes revenue from stocks carried over from last year.
Farm sector stronger than expected in a down year
Record livestock prices and bumper crops are blunting greatly a downturn in the farm economy, said the Agriculture Department in its semiannual Farm Sector Income forecast. USDA says net cash farm income, a measure of the ability to pay bills, will drop by 6 percent this year instead of the 22 percent plunge forecast in February.
For corn, soy and wheat, ‘no quick price recovery’
Farm-gate prices for corn, soybeans and wheat, the three most widely planted crops in the country, "have declined sharply from record levels set in recent years and no quick price recovery is expected," says the University of Missouri think tank FAPRI in an update of its agricultural baseline.
One-fifth of farmers have yet to make ARC/PLC choice
More than one-fifrth of farmers have yet to tell the USDA which crop-subsidy plan they want under the 2014 farm law, the insurance-like Agricultural Risk Coverage or the traditionally styled Price Loss Coverage. The deadline for action is Tuesday. Some 77 percent of grain and oilseed growers made the ARC/PLC selection by March 19, says the USDA. "We expect these numbers to continue to increase significantly by the end of the month," said Val Dolcini, head of the Farm Service Agency, during a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing.
Sugarcane aphid, voracious sorghum pest, heads northward
"It sounds like the plot of a cheesy 1950s sci-fi movie," says Delta Farm Press in a story about the rapid spread of the sugarcane aphid, which can cause huge losses in sorghum yields.
Low market prices could mean $6-$8 billion in corn subsidies
Two agricultural economists say corn subsidies could cost $6 to $8 billion for this year's record-large corn crop, says Reuters. The estimates are based on the projected U.S. average price of $3.50 a bushel for the crop, the price guarantees of the farm bill and...
Slaughter cattle set record price, feedlot total drops
Bids for slaughter cattle hit a record $170 per 100 pounds last week amid limited supplies in Kansas, Texas, Nebraska and Colorado, says Beef Today. Cash prices were up $6 per 100 pounds on live cattle.