New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows that less than one percent of farm estates created in 2022 must file an estate tax return. Created in 1916, the federal estate tax is a tax on the transfer of property to a person’s heirs upon death. In 2022, the Federal estate tax exemption amount was $12.06 million per person, …
Atypical BSE Case Detected in South Carolina
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last week announced the finding of an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The approximately five-year-old or older beef cow tested positive following routine surveillance protocols at a slaughterhouse in South Carolina. The animal possessed a radio frequency identification tag associated with a herd in Tennessee. USDA APHIS and state animal …
Bill Incentivizes Use of Cover Crops
A new bill would give farmers more incentive to use cover crops. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and several state representatives introduced bipartisan legislation to incentivize farmers to plant cover crops to help boost environmental conservation. The Conservation Opportunity and Voluntary Environment Resilience Program (COVER) Act would provide farmers who plant cover crops …
Nation’s Forests Topic of House Ag Subcommittee Hearing
The nation’s forest systems, wood industries, and wildfires were the topic of a hearing last week in the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry with Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Randy Moore. The hearing largely focused on wildfire management and prevention. “We have a number of forests across the US that are really maximizing their opportunities to use the tools …
USDA: More Peanut Acres to be Planted This Year
Peanut farmers are busy in the field planting for the season. USDA has estimated the peanut acres to be planted. Tyron Spearman gives a breakdown of the report, and what the prediction is for the acres to be planted. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher …
Around the State with Commissioner Pate
In our “Around the State with Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate”, the Department of Agriculture and Industries touches the lives of each Alabamian every day. Commissioner, would you like to share about one of the services the department provides to farmers and home gardeners? That’s our weekly Around the State with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Commissioner, Rick Pate. …
Mango Industry Seeing Unprecedented Growth
Big growth in the mango industry. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The mango industry is having record volume of high-quality fruit arriving in the U.S. this year. Mango volume for the past three weeks has topped the charts at 4.4M, 5.1M and 4.6M boxes per week. The National Mango Board has engaged its growers, importers, and retailers …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 05-19-2023
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended May 19, 2023, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions, for the week ended May 19, 2023, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 13,900 head compared to 11,001 last week and …
NCBA Endorses Legislation Protecting Animal Health
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced its support of the Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation would continue making critical investments in foreign animal disease response programs currently overseen by USDA. “The threat of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the U.S. represents an existential threat to every cattle producer,” says …
Food Spending Decreased Unevenly Across States in 2020
Trends in food spending across the U.S. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States disrupted the food industry in 2020, according to fresh data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). Inflation-adjusted total U.S. food expenditures were 6.6 percent lower in 2020 than in 2019. However, individual states experienced varying degrees of food …