USDA cash shower for ‘red’ counties: Preliminary data from a farm subsidy database say $9 of every $10 in USDA’s trade-war payments went to counties that voted for President Trump in 2016, partly because rural Americans voted in landslide numbers for Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. (Washington Post)
Farmworkers sue over chlorpyrifos exposure: Lawyers plan to file nearly 90 lawsuits against Corteva, manufacturer of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, along with cities and pesticide applicators, saying exposure to the chemical in the San Joaquin Valley of California resulted in health problems for farmworker families. (Fresno Bee)
Derecho yields vary widely: There is a vast range in yields in the 3.6 million acres of Iowa corn that were hit by the August derecho, depending on corn variety, the equipment, and the harvest technique used by each farmer. “You gotta put an asterisk next” to any attempt to generalize about it, says agronomist Ben Hollingshead. (Harvest Public Media)
California organic tops $3 billion: Organic farmers grow more than 360 commodities in California with annual sales worth $3.1 billion, led by milk, strawberries, carrots, wine and table grapes, says an updated statistical review of the sector. (University of California)
Stable land values ahead: Land prices are likely to hold steady in the year ahead, according to 60 percent of respondents in a straw poll of farm sector participants conducted by text message; 28 percent expect farmland values to rise and 12 percent expect them to fall. (Farm Journal)