Skyrocketing farmland values: Farmland values in the five-state district of the Chicago Federal Reserve are 18 percent higher than a year ago, aided by low interest rate, large federal payments and higher-than-normal farm incomes; they are up by 14 percent in the Kansas City Fed district. (AgLetter)
Perdue didn’t pay: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue left office in January without reimbursing the government for misuse of federal funds when he promoted the re-election of President Trump during a supposedly nonpartisan trip, said the Office of Special Counsel. (The Hagstrom Report)
RMA leader named: Marcia Bunger, a South Dakota farmer, was appointed administrator of the Risk Management Agency, which oversees the federally subsidized crop insurance system. (USDA)
Tyson earnings soar: Tyson Foods, one of the largest meat processors in the world, reported a net income of $3.06 billion for fiscal 2021, nearly $1 billion above 2020, due to strong consumer demand for meat. (Tyson)
Tribal homelands initiative: The Biden administration announced a “tribal homelands initiative” to strengthen the role of tribal communities in federal land management; the Interior and Agriculture departments manage millions of acres previously owned by Native Americans. (Interior)