farmland
Farms are eating up pollinator habitat, says study
Wild bees are disappearing in the country’s key farmlands from California to the Midwest to the Mississippi Valley, say researchers at the University of Vermont in the first study to map U.S. wild bee populations. The study found a 23-percent decline in wild bees in the contiguous U.S. between 2008 and 2013.
Farm confiscation in spotlight as political tool
"Prized farms are at the center of heated political infighting in Zimbabwe," says the New York Times, with the tactic, used against white landowners in the past, now a lever in the struggle over succession of President Robert Mugabe. At the same time, political opponents are under threat of losing their land, the Mugabe administration promises reforms, including recognition of land ownership, to obtain financing from the international Monetary Fund.
Farmland rental rates in Iowa fall for third year in a row
Cash rental rates for corn and soybean land in Iowa are down a cumulative 14.7 percent since 2013, according to a survey by Iowa State University. The average rate for this year, $230 an acre, is down 6.5 percent from last year's $246 an acre.
Brazil to end ban on foreign ownership of farmland
The new administration of President Michel Temer in Brazil plans to end the ban imposed in 2010 on foreign ownership of farmland, said Reuters. Brazil barred foreign ownership during a wave of concern that countries such as China would invest heavily in farmland but the rules boomeranged to an extent by making credit harder to obtain.
Denver company now major Midwest landowner
Farmland Partners Inc. says it has closed on a previously announced purchase of 22,100 acres of farmland near Paris in east-central Illinois in a deal valued at $197 million.
Big buyer plans long presence as farmland owner
Chief executive Paul Pittman of Farmland Partners says his company's purchase last week of 120 farms in Illinois with a combined 22,300 acres is part of an expansion drive. "We think we can keep growing very substantially and target doubling in acreage and value every year," Pittman told DTN.
California dairy farms try nuts
A handful of dairy farms have sold their cattle and converted to tree nuts, such as almonds, and many other California dairy producers are diversifying into orchards to improve their revenue, says Capital Press. It quotes Rabobank senior analyst Vernon Crowder as saying, "Most of our customers have diversified and are growing some type of nut."
Lack of future farmland bad news for beginning farmers
The USDA’s new rental survey showed that access to land is increasingly becoming a barrier for beginning farmers.
Ag-sector strains weigh on economic outlook in some states
With farm income suffering from low crop prices and livestock producers facing tighter margins, more operators are borrowing money to cover short-term needs and some are having trouble repaying the loans, according to Federal Reserve banks in the Farm Belt. Agricultural bankers expect farmland values in the Midwest and central Plains to soften or hold steady through June. Land is a farmer's greatest asset.
U.S. tally of farms dips by nearly 1 percent, to 2.084 million
The government estimates there are 2.084 million farms in the country, down nearly 1 percent from last year due to a drop in the number of the very smallest farms, those with less than $10,000 in annual sales.
Older farmers control one-third of U.S. farmland
The largest bloc of U.S. farmers, those aged 65 and over, owns or leases one-third of the 980 million acres of farmland in the country, writes economist David Widmar, adding, "How the land held by older producers is transferred, and the timing, will have major implications for the industry."
When it comes to farming, a “medium” can sound large
A mid-size family farm in the United States averages 1,582 acres - 2.4 square miles - in size and rings up $645,000 in annual sales, says the Agriculture Department's "Farm Typology" report. There are 118,340 mid-size farms, predominantly grain and soybean operations, although more than 40 percent also raise cattle and 5 percent have hogs. Only 5.6 percent of the 2.11 million farms in the country meet USDA's criteria for a mid-size family farm, which is from $350,000 to $1 million in gross cash farm income (GCFI).
Hillside erosion is 100 times faster when land is cleared
Soil erosion occurs 100 times faster on hillsides that are cleared of trees and converted to farmland, based on studies of 10 large river basins in the U.S. Southeast, says research led by a University of Vermont geologist.
Latin American plan to restore degraded farm and forest land
Eight countries in Latin America announced a project to restore 20 million hectares - 77,000 square miles - of degraded forest and farmland, says Reuters. The land would be used to store carbon in vegetation and cut emissions of greenhouse gases.
More conservation benefits if land-idling formula is revised
The government could idle more environmentally fragile cropland if it alters its management of the Conservation Reserve to maximize the benefit achieved per dollar instead of aiming for the greatest benefit per acre, says a study by the think tank Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. Created in 1985, the Conservation Reserve, which pays landowners to idle fragile cropland for 10 years or longer, is the largest U.S. land set-aside program ever with an annual cost of $2 billion.
A bit more water for Central Valley farmers
With California seeing its first major rainstorm of the season, the Los Angeles Times said, "Scientists have yet to determine whether the Eastern Pacific is falling into an El Niño pattern and will produce a wetter than average year...
Slight decline in farmland prices likely after 10-year rise
A Purdue agricultural economist says land prices are likely to fall under the weight of low crop prices and rising interest rates. "We are looking at about a 5-10 percent correction over each of the next three years," says Michael Langemeier in a Purdue news release.
Nebraska tops US in irrigated land, California in water use
Some 55.3 million acres of U.S. farmland are irrigated, says the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey, drawn from USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture.
Farmland loss in Midwest: 1.6 million acres in 20 years
The Midwest lost 1.06 percent of its farmland in the two decades ending in 2021; development accounted for half of the loss, said three Ohio State University analysts on Monday. "The role of large urban areas is paramount, as 81 percent of land lost to development in the eight states occurred within metropolitan statistical areas," which are regions with a core city of at least 50,000 people and strong ties to its surrounding communities.