Organic adviser at USDA: Marni Karlin, chief lawyer at the Organic Trade Association, was appointed USDA senior adviser for organic and emerging markets, and Linda Delgado, returning to a post she held during the Clinton era, was named senior adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. (USDA)
Shrinking stockpile: The U.S. corn stockpile was at 1.236 billion bushels, its lowest level in seven years, on Sept. 1, the traditional start of the new harvest season. That was still 49 million bushels larger than the USDA’s estimate in early September. (USDA)
Cash rent reigns: In a seemingly unstoppable trend, cash rental has become the dominant form of leasing agreement in Illinois, accounting for more than half of the land rented in the state’s central and southern parts and three-quarters of leased land in northern Illinois. (Farmdoc Daily)
‘You’re always behind’: Sheep dairies account for fewer than 200 of the 40,000 dairy farms in the United States, a number that is unlikely to increase soon because of a lack of infrastructure for the industry and the limited milk production of sheep. (Modern Farmer)