USDA
In low-price era, farmers spurn new USDA revenue plan-CBO
With years of low commodity prices ahead, U.S. corn and wheat growers will stick to traditional crop subsidies, forecasts the Congressional Budget Office. In its annual economic forecast, CBO estimates only 37.5 percent of corn land and 28 percent of wheat land will be enrolled in the new Agriculture Risk Coverage subsidy offered by the 2014 farm law; the bulk will be put into the Price Loss Coverage program, which has the familiar structure of price guarantees.
USDA offers $20 million to aid new markets for carbon credits
Up to $20 million is available in grants to "facilitate the creation of new, innovative markets for carbon credits," USDA announced. It says carbon markets provide additional revenue sources for producers who practice soil and water conservation.
Beef prices to rise twice as fast as U.S. food inflation rate
Retail beef prices are forecast to climb by 5.5 percent this year, double the overall rate for food inflation, says USDA's monthly Food Price Outlook. "Most retail beef prices, on average are...at record highs, even after adjusting for inflation," said USDA.
Food stamps – short-term aid and and long-term support
For many people, food stamps, the premiere U.S. anti-hunger program, provides assistance during a fairly brief stretch of hard times, such as unemployment. For millions of others - foremost, the elderly and disabled - the program is a long-term support, says a new Agriculture Department report, Dynamics and Determinants of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation from 2008 to 2012. Food stamps were renamed SNAP in 2008 but the original name remains in use.
California turkey flock is first commercial case of bird flu
The highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza virus was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Stanislaus County, in the heavily agricultural Central Valley of California, said the Agriculture Department.
Big in some regions, ag is small potatoes in much of U.S.
Agriculture is a major industry in the Plains, Midwest, South and California, USDA data show, and the obverse holds too - in many congressional districts, farming and ranching is a minor economic factor. USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture says there are fewer than 5,000 farms in 57 percent of the 435 congressional districts. In 62 percent of congressional districts, the market value of agricultural products sold was less than $500 million; in 77 percent of them, sales were less than $1 billion.
Nanopesticides, the next, miniature step in agriculture
"The first nano-formulations of pesticides are quietly making their way onto agricultural fields," says Modern Farmer in a story by Susan West into the likely benefits of the technology and potential adverse effects.
USDA proposes stricter limits on pathogens in poultry meat
The government proposed tougher standards on disease-causing bacteria in chicken and turkey meat, saying the result would be 50,000 fewer cases a year of food-borne illnesses.
US, China give priority to ag biotech regulation
At the end of annual trade consultations, officials from China and the United States say they will give attention to their approval processes for genetically engineered crops, said Reuters.
Two strains of bird flu found in Washington state
Two types of highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N2 and H5N8, were found in Washington state outside of commercial poultry farms, said USDA.
Lawmakers press USDA for tighter rules on farm subsidies
Six lawmakers wrote USDA in support of strong rules on who qualifies for farm subsidies on the grounds of being "actively engaged" in farming.
Moran is chair of Senate panel on USDA and FDA funding
Kansas Sen Jerry Moran is chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture for the next two years. "Subcommittee memberships are being determined and will be announced as soon as possible," said the Appropriations...
Countdown to the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the government's tips on healthful diets, will be issued in the new year, says the Health and Human Services Department.
USDA: 13 avian influenza cases found, “we anticipate” more
Thirteen cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed in the Northwest U.S. since Dec 8, including three cases on Jan 16, said the Agriculture Department. None were in commercial flocks. "Because the H5N2 and H5N8 avian influenza strains are currently circulating in migratory birds in the Pacific flyway, we anticipate our active surveillance will result in additional findings in both wild birds and in backyard flocks with access to the outdoors," said USDA.
Beef and dairy prices – one will go up, one down, in 2015
The record-high beef prices of 2014, averaging nearly $6 per pound, are the starting point for increases this year, says USDA - "Average annual retail beef prices in 2015 are expected to be slightly higher than they were in 2014."
USDA research imposes “a steep cost” on animal welfare
USDA's Meat Animal Research Center in the Nebraska plains is re-engineering cattle, pigs and sheep "to fit the needs of the 21st Century...animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise," says a front-page New York Times story.
Murmurs of China action on Syngenta corn, no official word
Based on comments from industry officials, two news outlets said China has approved Syngenta's biotech MIR 162 corn but Reuters says there was no official word to the U.S. government.
US corn crop down 7 percent this year, KSU estimates
After back-to-back record crops, U.S. corn production will drop to 13.2 billion bushels this year, says an estimate by Kansas State University. That would be down 7 percent from, and 1 billion bushels smaller than, the 2014 crop but still the third-largest on record. KSU forecasts corn plantings will shrink by 2 percent and yields by 5 percent. The corn yield was a record 171 bushels an acre in 2014. Low commodity prices make soybeans more attractive to plant this year.
Ten RECs get $4.4 billion in New ERA clean energy funding
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $4.37 billion in grants and loans to 10 rural electric cooperatives on Thursday for clean energy projects that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.1 million tons a year. With the awards, the USDA has allocated nearly $9 billion of the $9.7 billion available in the Empowering Rural America program.