Cathy Isom has some great ideas for some earth-friendly ways of making and wrapping your holiday gifts this year. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Earth-Friendly Wrapping for Holiday Gifts This year in the spirit of the season why not try giving back to Mother Earth by doing things a little different when it comes to giving gifts. …
Foreign Ag Service Contributes to Export Success
International trade was an economic driver for rural America in 2017. U.S. farm and food exports totaled $140.5 billion for the fiscal year, which is the third-highest number on record. USDA Foreign Ag Service Acting Administrator Holly Higgins says she’s proud of the role her agency plays in promoting exports. “Those exports generate 20 percent of U.S. farm income, stimulate …
Hops Industry Toasting This Holiday Season
There’s an awful lot for the hops industry to be toasting to this holiday season. The USDA Economic Research Service released numbers this week showing that hops production in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington jumped 20 percent this year to a record 104 million pounds. While there are other states that produce hops, those three states account for the bulk of …
Infrastructure Overhaul Talks to Begin in January
South Dakota Republican John Thune, Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, will be very involved with President Trump’s $1 billion plan to overhaul the nation’s infrastructure in January. A Pro Transportation report says Thune, a rural-state senator, has valuable insights on what farmers and Ag businesses will be looking for in infrastructure investments. Thune says there were few problems with …
Groups Want Tax-Extender Bill Passed in 2017
More than 50 groups representing a wide scope of businesses sent a letter this week to Congress asking for approval of a multi-year extension of a series of expired tax credits. The groups attaching their names to the letter represent energy, agriculture, business, transportation, and real estate. The groups, which include the American Farm Bureau and National Biodiesel Board, say …
Setting Aside Money In Case of NAFTA Failure?
A Politico report shows just how worried some lawmakers are about the potential failure of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. Officials began talking on Tuesday about putting together a potential bailout of sorts for farmers. During a conference call Tuesday morning, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said he was going to ask U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer …
Agri View: Eating Out Enjoying Wild Game Sandwiches
Everett Griner talks about some restaurant establishments offering various types of wild game sandwiches in today’s Agri View. Although it is headquartered in the southeast, one of the nation’s largest restaurant chains is doing something different in the west. In Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, you can order an elk sandwich. This is not so shocking in other parts of the …
Christmas Tree Farming Seen Ups and Downs
Christmas tree farming is similar to other types of agriculture in many ways. Tree farming has seen ups-and-downs in production levels and prices. There are currently at least a few Christmas tree farms in every state in the union. Many are small choose-and-cut farms, while all of the country’s farms are run by families. However, Doug Hundley, seasonal spokesperson for …
Tax Bill Passage Means Lower Taxes for Farmers
Congress is providing farmers and ranchers with a last-minute holiday gift: lower tax bills in the future. A tax code overhaul passed by both the House and Senate this week makes many changes to the tax code that will benefit farmers and ranchers. American Farm Bureau Federation tax specialist Pat Wolff says the bill includes lower individual tax rates. Tax …
Citrus Money Passes House but Could Stall in Senate
Federal relief for Florida citrus growers cleared the U.S. House on Thursday, but its fate remained unclear in the Senate, which may not take up the package until January. Before the House vote, leaders separated an $81 billion disaster-relief package that includes citrus money from a short-term funding resolution needed to keep the government open through mid-January. The move drew …