USDA
First APH yield exclusion policies go to 2015 spring crops
Farmers will be able to buy crop insurance polices for crops planted in spring 2015 that allow them to get higher yield coverage by excluding catastrophic losses when they calculate average production, the government said.
Low jobless rate in Plains states – a silver lining with a cloud
Unemployment rates in the Plains state are lower than the U.S. average during the continued slow recovery from recession, says the Daily Yonder, which summarizes a USDA report on the matter.
USDA awards $4 million for obesity and nutrition centers
Cornell, Purdue, North Carolina and Colorado State universities will establish research centers on nutrition education and obesity prevention with $3.4 million in funding from the Agriculture Department.
By far, CHS is No 1 agricultural cooperative
The two biggest agricultural cooperatives in the country are based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but there's no question who is No 1. It's CHS, a grain handler, farm supplier and energy producer, best known in the Plains and upper Midwest.
“Diverse tactics” for weed control other than herbicides
On the same day EPA approved the new Dow herbicide, USDA listed four steps it will take in response to the spread of herbicide resistant weeds.
Near-record canola imports despite bumper US crop
U.S. growers will harvest a record 2.5 billion pounds of canola this season, thanks to above-average yields and near-record plantings, says USDA in its Oil Crops Outlook report.
Smallest rice crop in drought-hit California in 16 years
While U.S. rice production is zooming, California will see its smallest crop in 16 years, said USDA in its Rice Outlook report. The harvest was forecast at 36.4 million hundredweight, down 24 percent due to drought that restricted plantings.
EPA approves Dow weedkiller combo of 2,4-D and glyphosate
The EPA cleared the Dow weedkiller Enlist Duo, which contains the herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D, for use on genetically engineered corn and soybean in six Farm Belt states. "This action provides an additional tool for the agricultural community to manage resistant weeds," it said. EPA will decide later whether to register the weedkiller for use in the rest of the major corn and soybean states. On Sept 17, USDA approved the GE corn and soybean strains created by Dow to tolerate the herbicide.
Global warming could condense U.S. milk production
Milk production at the average U.S. dairy farm could fall by as much as 1.4 percent due to the addition heat stress on dairy cows from global warming in 2030 when temperatures could be 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher, says an Agriculture Department study.
World cotton prices are lowest in five years
With China scaling back on its imports of cotton, world prices "dipped below 70 cents in early October, a level not seen in five years," said USDA, forecasting a 6 percent cent increase in global cotton stocks this marketing year.
After record harvest, US crop plantings may decline
Corn plantings could decline by 3 percent next year without pinching the U.S. supply, swollen by the second record-setting crop in two years, says economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois.
A record corn crop in Europe means fewer imports
Like the United States, the European Union is reaping a record corn crop this year, says USDA, estimating the European crop at 71 million tonnes.
Glum price outlook as farmers face crop subsidy decisions
Farmers will sell this year's record-setting corn and soybean crops for the lowest season-average price in eight years, the government forecast in a new look at crop output and usage. USDA says the corn and soybean crops are marginally larger than it estimated a month ago. Supplies will be the largest in years, holding down prices for the year ahead.
Third vaccine for deadly PEDv is near approval
A third vaccine against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, which has killed 8 million piglets since mid-2013, is on the horizon, says the New York Times. It says MJ Biologics of Mankato, Minn, hopes to get USDA approval for its vaccine soon.
Crop insurance inefficient but popular, says analyst
The federally subsidized crop insurance program is an inefficient way to support growers and a drain on taxpayers, says a critique in Choices, the journal of agricultural economics.
Record-setting US crops to get bigger, analysts say
The government will raise its estimates of the record-setting corn and soybean crops on Friday, according to two surveys of analysts ahead of the monthly crop report and the companion WASDE report on world crops.
“It’s hard to avoid” GE foods, says consumer group
The vast majority of U.S. corn and soybeans are genetically engineered varieties - 93 percent of corn and 94 percent of soybeans this year, according to a USDA report - and Consumer Reports magazine says its tests show they are abundantly present in many processed foods.
Consumer groups press for catfish inspection
Four consumer groups and the United Food workers union asked the White House to expedite the creation of the catfish inspection program, now six years past due.