Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, and ranking member Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, reintroduced the Farm to School Act to expand the Farm to School Grant Program. The program promotes the use of home-state agriculture products in school cafeterias. The bill would increase school eligibility and reduce barriers for farmers to participate. It also would allow broader …
Florida Farmers Brace for Irma
Hurricane Irma is threatening havoc in Floria farmlands. Bloomberg says the hurricane is threatening a negative impact on $1.2 billion dollars worth of production in America’s number one grower of tomatoes, oranges, green beans, cucumbers, squash, and sugarcane. Florida has a huge influence on the American food supply as the number two producer grower, second only to California. Almost 10 …
U.S. Cropland Value Holds Steady
The USDA’s 2017 Land Values Summary shows that the average acre of American cropland is worth $4,090. That’s unchanged from last year and the third-highest in history. Pastureland values increased by $20 from last year to a national average of $1,350. That’s the highest value for pastureland USDA has ever recorded. The Southern Plains states of Texas and Oklahoma saw …
White House Suspends Discussions on Ending KORUS
White House officials have temporarily halted discussions on the possibility of terminating a free trade agreement with South Korea. A senior White House official told Reuters on Wednesday night that the deal could still be terminated but there were no immediate plans to do so. President Trump had been talking with his senior advisers about the possibility of withdrawing from …
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
House lawmakers began debating bills on Wednesday to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says the funding would be for all of the fiscal year 2018 and be part of a package of eight government spending bills. The ag appropriations bill would set aside $20 billion in discretionary funding for …
Agri View: Energy to Produce Food
Everett Griner talks about how much and the types of energy it takes to produce food and feed people in today’s Agri View. Once a month the electric bill is paid. Most Americans have little interest in energy use. A lot more than energy involved in energy production. You see, food production uses over 12 percent of …
Funding to Recruit and Educate a More Diverse Agricultural Workforce
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $945,400 in available funding to help foster the next generation of multicultural scholars in agricultural sciences. Funding is made through NIFA’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP). “The Multicultural Scholars Program seeks to help young people reach their potential in the agricultural sciences,” said NIFA Director …
Cattlemen Launch Month Long Media Campaign for Comprehensive Tax Reform
NCBA Launches new website: CattlemenForTaxReform.com The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association kicked off a media and advertising campaign that will shine a spotlight on how various federal tax provisions impact America’s cattle and beef producers. The campaign, which will focus heavily on the death tax, aims to build support in Washington for comprehensive tax reform that makes our tax code fair …
Farm Income Projected to Increase Slightly
The recent projections of farm income released by USDA’s Economic Research Service in their 2017 Farm Sector Income Forecast suggest that while farm income may have hit rock bottom in 2016, there will be an uptick in both net farm and net cash income in 2017 American Farm Bureau. Federation Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young says livestock sales are driving …
USDA Urges People to Be Prepared Ahead of Hurricane Irma
Have a Plan for Yourself, Your Pets and Your Livestock The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is urging everyone in the potential path of Hurricane Irma to prepare now – not just for yourselves, but also for your pets and your livestock. APHIS works to support the safety and well-being of pets …