Farmers Can Expect Higher Interest Rates/Tighter Credit in 2018

Farmers looking to borrow money this year will likely see higher interest rates and a tighter credit environment. Gary Crawford has the details. Farmers Can Expect Higher Interest Rates-Tighter Credit in 2018 Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant …

NRCS Helping People Help the Land

For more than 80 years, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been a pioneer in conservation, working with landowners, local and state governments, and other federal agencies to maintain healthy and productive working landscapes. NRCS Acting Chief Leonard Jordan says NRCS continues Helping People Help the Land. NRCS Helping People Help the Land Image: Courtesy of USDA/NRCS-The Soil Conservation Act …

Florida Growers Reminded about FAWN Cold Protection Toolkit

The recent cold snap is a good time to remind growers across Florida about the Florida Automated Weather Network’s (FAWN) Cold Protection Toolkit, which is designed to help you make decisions when using irrigation for cold protection. The toolkit basically provides a “step-by-step guide” to help with making decisions on cold nights. And many growers may be familiar with “My …

Curbing Food Waste Helps Our Planet

Cathy Isom has a few great tips about how to help out the planet by curbing a global problem. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Curbing Food Waste Helps Our Planet Food waste is second largest component of our waste stream, just behind paper. It encompasses about 18 percent of the material handled by our waste management system every …

NAFTA ‘Nervousness’ Dominates Senate Confirmation Hearing

NAFTA ‘nervousness’ dominated a Senate confirmation hearing for two Trump Deputy U.S. Trade Representative nominees, as concerns about a possible North American Free Trade Agreement pull-out continued to surface. Senate Ag Chair Pat Roberts told fellow Kansan C.J. Mahoney, tapped by the president to be a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative with a portfolio including NAFTA talks, that it’s the wrong …

Cargill Enters Plant-Based Protein Market

Cargill has signed a joint venture agreement with the largest North American producer of pea protein, stepping into the plant-based protein market. The agreement with Puris, is called a “game changer in terms of taste and vertical integration” in plant-based protein, according to Cargill officials. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports Cargill’s financial backing and market reach will drive significant expansion …

Brazil Considers Dropping Tariff on U.S. Ethanol Imports

Brazil is considering removing a 20-percent tariff on ethanol imports from the United States. An agriculture official from Brazil said Wednesday the decision could depend on the U.S. lifting a ban on fresh beef exports from Brazil, according to Reuters. Brazil imposed the ethanol tax last year on U.S. imports that exceed a 600-million-liter annual quota to protect local producers. …

Organics Encourage Support for Livestock Rule

The organic food sector is drumming up support for the recently ditched organic livestock rule. Leading the charge, Organic Valley cooperative of Wisconsin says the group is demanding that the Department of Agriculture stop interfering with the public process that created the rule. The coalition, which includes the National Farmers Union, published a paid open letter in the Washington Post …

Trump Falling Behind on USDA Nominees

President Donald Trump has nominated just seven of the 13 Agriculture Department positions that require Senate confirmation. The Senate has confirmed just four nominations, being Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Deputy Secretary Steve Censky and Undersecretaries Ted McKinney and Greg Ibach. The undersecretary nomination of Bill Northey remains on hold by Senator Ted Cruz, and one Trump nomination, Sam Clovis, withdrew …

Canada Official: U.S. Direction on NAFTA Like Following a Pinball

An agriculture official from Canada says trying to determine the U.S. direction for the North American Free Trade Agreement is like “following a pinball.” Ron Bonnett, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture president, was attending when President Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention last week. Bonnett told an Ontario, Canada-based newspaper that he is still optimistic that …