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Today’s Topics
cropland
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Cropland values soar 33 percent in three years

After years of stagnation, cropland values rose an average of $1,300 an acre in the three years since the pandemic hit the United States, according to the Agriculture Department. Values mushroomed 33 percent at the same time farmers enjoyed back to back years of record-high farm income, with income forecast to be the third-highest this year.

Ready cash sends farmland values higher

Higher commodity prices are putting cash in farmers' pockets and as a result, farmland values are headed upward this year, said economist Brent Gloy. "The question most are considering is, 'How high will farmland values adjust?'" asked Gloy in a blog.

Farmland values constrained by falling income, pandemic

Farmland values across the Midwest and Plains are steady or lower than they were last June under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic and fears of declining farm income, said the largest U.S. farm management and real estate sales company. (No paywall)

Pulled by western states, U.S. cropland values edge upward

milkweed
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Monarch butterfly population drops by 14 percent

For the second year in a row, the number of monarch butteflies spending the winter in Mexican forests has declined, said Alejandro Del Mazo, Mexico's commissioner for protected areas.

Western monarch butterflies on verge of extinction, says study

Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains are facing extinction, as the number wintering in California has plummeted by more than 90 percent since 1980, says a study published by the journal Biological Conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is debating whether to grant endangered species status to the insect.

U.S. to decide by mid-2019 whether monarch butterfly is endangered

Under terms of a settlement, the Interior Department will rule by June 30, 2019, whether the monarch butterfly, which has suffered a huge drop in population, deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act, said two environmental groups. The groups say without help, the well-known orange-and-black insect is at risk of extinction.

The monarch butterfly’s problems are more than milkweed

Two researchers at Cornell say the factors behind the decline in monarch butterfly populations are wider spread than the loss of milkweed, their summertime food source. They say the list includes sparse nectar sources in the fall, adverse weather and fragmentation of habitat.

Conservation Reserve
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House Republicans embrace ‘pretty radical’ farm bill ideas — Vilsack

Most of the Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee — 21 of 29 — support "pretty radical" farm bill proposals at a time when only a bipartisan bill is sure of enactment, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. "It just underscores the difficulty of getting to a farm bill" when control of Congress is almost evenly divided, he said.

USDA accepts more than 1 million acres for Conservation Reserve

The USDA will accept more than 1 million acres of the land that was offered for entry into the land-idling Conservation Reserve during the recent signup for large tracts of land, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Contracts expire on 2 million acres of land in the reserve this fall and enrollment of 23 million acres is well below the ceiling of 27 million acres.

Boost Conservation Reserve, hold steady on working lands assistance, say green groups

If Congress follows the farm bill recommendations of the Conservation Coalition, it would revive a $5-an-acre discount on crop insurance premiums for farmers who plant cover crops. The coalition, an alliance of farm, land stewardship, and environmental groups, also said on Wednesday that the 2023 farm bill should raise the enrollment cap for the land-idling Conservation Reserve.

High commodity prices shift conservation lands to crop fields

fertilizer
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USDA announces $235 million in disaster relief

Payments totaling $235 million are being issued this week to producers hit by natural disasters, including Hurricane Milton in Florida, said the Agriculture Department. The payments make up the bulk of $375 million in spending announced for various USDA programs on Wednesday.

Farm bill should insist on stewardship — Des Moines Register

"Congress needs to take the plunge" in the new farm bill and "insist on conservation practices where it has, up until now, asked for cooperation while dangling a bit of cash," said the Des Moines Register, published in the No. 1 corn and hog state. USDA's soil and water conservation programs traditionally have relied on voluntary cooperation from farmers, aided by cost-sharing funds, but progress is unacceptably slow, said the newspaper in an editorial.

Second round of USDA awards aims to expand domestic fertilizer production

Seventeen new projects will receive funding from a $900 million grant program created to expand U.S. fertilizer production in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Fertilizer prices soared on fears of wartime disruptions in shipments from Russia, the world's largest fertilizer exporter.

A ‘pretty flat’ outlook for farm exports in 2023

After reaching a record high in 2022, U.S. farm exports will plateau amid a world of uncertainties, said the USDA chief economist on Tuesday. The strong dollar and slower economic growth worldwide will be a drag on exports, now forecast by USDA at $193.5 billion this fiscal year, down slightly from the estimated record of $196 billion in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30.

Pope Francis
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Pope Francis: ‘Drastic’ steps needed to mitigate climate change

The world may be near the breaking point as global warming inflicts drought, intense storms, and heat waves on more and more people, said Pope Francis on Wednesday, calling for a worldwide commitment to reining in human-caused damage to the environment.

Ag lender Rabobank joins UNEP in $1-billion sustainable-agriculture initiative

In conjunction with World Food Day, agricultural lender Rabobank announced a global program, "Kickstart Food," to encourage sustainable food production, beginning with a $1-billion "facility" for land restoration and forest protection. The facility was launched in partnership with the UN Environment Program.

Pope calls for ‘courageous actions’ against climate change

In a speech to a joint meeting of Congress, Pope Francis said the United States must play an important role in mitigating climate change.

Encyclical discusses benefits, risks of agro biotech

In his encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis devotes a section to genetic modification (GM) of crops and livestock. "The risks involved are not always due to the techniques used, but rather to their improper or excessive application," says the pope.

Ethanol production
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U.S. appellate court overturns EPA denial of RFS exemptions

The EPA will have to take a new look at requests for three dozen "hardship" exemptions from the ethanol mandate under a ruling by the U.S appeals court in Washington. Ethanol makers, "extremely disappointed" by the ruling, said they were considering a response, "which may include seeking further review of today's decision."

A bee researcher’s bees kept dying. The culprit was a nearby ethanol plant.

In FERN's latest piece, and the last from our special food issue with Switchyard magazine, reporter Dan Charles takes us through an agricultural mystery that leads, disturbingly, to a regulatory failure that threatens bees and other pollinators still today.

Squeeze on supplies drives global sugar prices to 12-year high

A combination of factors, including the El Niño weather pattern, congested Brazilian ports, export limits in India and Thailand, and expanded use of biofuels, has propelled global sugar prices to their highest level since 2011, said two analysts with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on Tuesday. Sugar supplies "will likely shrink further if production impacts from El Niño worsen, putting continued upward pressure on prices," they said in a blog.

racial justice
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A historically Black California town fights for water

In the Central Valley, Allensworth holds the distinction as the first town in California founded by African Americans, but it has been battling for water access for more than a century. Now, initiatives are underway that may finally ensure it has access to safe drinking water, reports Teresa Cotsirilos in FERN's latest story, produced in partnership with KQED's The California Report.

USDA names equity panel members; former union leader will be co-chair

The congressionally approved Equity Commission that will address racial discrimination at the USDA will have Arturo Rodriguez, former president of the United Farm Workers union, as one of its leaders, announced the Agriculture Department on Thursday.

Equity Commission to examine USDA programs and policies for bias

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Jewel Bronaugh will co-chair a congressionally approved Equity Commission to address racial discrimination within the USDA and its programs, announced the Agriculture Department. The USDA has been called "the last plantation" because of racial bias in its operations; it paid $2.2 billion to Black farmers and their descendants in the so-called Pigford settlements of 1999 and 2010.

Temp-agency food workers should be prioritized for vaccine, advocates say

Workers in food distribution, production, and logistics who are employed by temporary staffing agencies and other subcontractors should be prioritized for early access to the Covid-19 vaccine alongside other food system workers, argues a new report focused on the Chicago labor force. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>

FERN Talks & Eats
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FERN event examines restaurant industry’s #MeToo problem, and what to do about it

Allegations brought as part of the #MeToo movement have revealed the abusive behavior of several high-profile chefs and restaurateurs, sparking a national conversation about sexual harassment and gender inequity in the restaurant industry. But for many women working in that industry, the revelations came as no surprise. On Monday, FERN hosted a panel in Brooklyn of top woman chefs and food activists to discuss the problem, and how to work toward a more equitable and inclusive future. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>

Ruth Reichl sees ‘pivotal moment’ ahead for women

Ruth Reichl has been an influential chef, writer, and editor for four decades, including ten years as the editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine. She edited the 2018 edition of The Best American Food Writing, which includes several essays about harassment and sexism in the restaurant industry. We chatted with Ruth in advance of her appearance at FERN Talks & Eats in Brooklyn on October 1. She will be appearing on our panel to discuss #MeToo, inclusion, and equity in the restaurant industry.

FERN event preview: For Ashtin Berry, activism is key to hospitality

Ashtin Berry wears many hats: food and beverage activist, consultant, writer, speaker, teacher. From her home base of New Orleans, she encourages conversations about inclusion, equity, and how the restaurant and beverage industry can improve its treatment of marginalized customers and workers. We caught up with her in preparation for her appearance at the FERN Talks & Eats event in Brooklyn on Oct. 1. <strong>No paywall</strong>

Science Daily
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Wetlands have role in methane production

A study by a University of Guelph researcher, published in Global Change Biology, says wetlands are the likely source of a recent and surprising increase in emissions of methane.

Eat less meat, reduce climate change gases

The executive summary of a European study, "Nitrogen on the Table," says if Europe reduced its meat consumption, it "would reduce nitrogen air and water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, while freeing up large areas of farmland for other purposes such as food export or bioenergy."

Study casts doubt on corn stover as biofuel feedstock

Using corn residues - stalks, husks and cobs - to make biofuels appears to create more carbon dioxide over their life cycle than the target set by federal standards, says research at the University of Nebraska.

Food quality dips as greenhouse gases increase

Science Daily says a field test conducted by the University of California-Davis "has demonstrated that elevated levels of carbon dioxide inhibit plants' assimilation of nitrate into proteins, indicating that the nutritional quality of food crops is at risk as climate change intensifies."

Latino
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Food insecurity eases, but remains stubbornly high for Black and Latino households

Food insufficiency remains above pre-pandemic levels for all Americans, but among Black and Latino households the problem is particularly acute, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

Ben & Jerry’s signs major agreement to protect dairy workers

In a first for the dairy industry, the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s has signed an agreement to eventually buy all of its milk from Vermont dairies that uphold rigorous standards for treatment and pay of employees. The standards, known as Milk with Dignity, were devised by the workers themselves and based on the Fair Food Program established by tomato workers in Florida under the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW).

California bill would protect ‘socially disadvantaged’ farmers

A new bill in California aims to better support the state’s minority and female farmers. The Farmer Equity Act of 2017 “applies to producers that have been federally classified as ‘socially disadvantaged,’ which includes people in groups whose members have been subject to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice,” says Civil Eats.

If it’s a bad night for GOP, Dems may have a chance in Central Valley

Two Republican-held House seats in the heavily agricultural Central Valley of California could be ripe for picking by Democrats if voters are riled by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's criticism of Hispanics and immigrants, says the Los Angeles Times. Rep. David Valadao, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees USDA and FDA funding, represents a district that is 71 percent Latino, and Agriculture Committee member Jeff Denham has a district that is 26 percent Latino.