Owning land, not farming it (Des Moines Register): Iowa has nearly 30 million acres of farmland and nearly 60 percent of it is owned by people who don’t farm it themselves, according to an “ownership tenure” report by Iowa State University.
Tariff war already felt in Utah ag (KSL-TV): Neal Briggs’ primary crop is alfalfa but he also grows a lot of wheat, so he is worried about the month-long decline in grain prices that followed China’s threat to retaliate if the Trump administration puts duties on its high-tech exports.
The budget squeeze on cover crops (farmdoc Daily): Cover crops are a popular idea for reducing farm runoff, but they add from 2-7 percent to operating costs.
Canada to U.S.: ‘Here’s some tariffs, eh?’ (The Globe and Mail): On Canada Day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted his government’s decision to retaliate against U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum by putting duties on a long list of U.S. products, including ketchup, whiskey, herbicides and pizza. For Canada’s list of products subject to the tariffs, click here.
Second case, second verdict against a hog farm (News & Observer): Jurors in North Carolina awarded more than $25 million to a couple who filed a nuisance suit against Smithfield Foods, for the hassle of insects, noise and odor from a large hog farm. It was the second trial and second verdict against Smithfield in cases brought by neighbors.
One in six GMO foods exempt from labeling (EWG): More than 10,000 items made with GMO ingredients would be exempt from the GMO labeling law, says an EWG analysis, because the USDA would not require labels on foods that contain highly refined sugars and oils from GMO crops.