feral swine

USDA Announces $35 Million to Combat Feral Swine

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced $35 million available in response to the growing threat that feral swine have on American agriculture landscapes and human and livestock health. According to a press release by the USDA, quote, this partnership opportunity is part of a broader $105 million investment for the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, where USDA’s …

specialty crop

Specialty Crop Imports Threaten American Crops

Specialty crops in Georgia and Florida are being under attack with imports from Mexico and it’s causing a major problem. Tyler Harper, the Commissioner of Agriculture for Georgia, said as produce imports from Mexico continue to rise, American farmers face strong competition pressure all the time. He said in a letter he sent to the negotiator that it raises significant …

land grants

Land Grants Helped Build America’s Army and Agriculture

Land Grants: An Early Incentive That Strengthened a Young Nation During the American Revolutionary War, the newly forming United States faced enormous challenges, including building an effective military to fight for independence. According to Mark Oppold’s American Agriculture History Minute, one unique solution connected military service directly to the nation’s agricultural future. Rather than offering a traditional cash enlistment bonus, …

eradication

USDA’s Approach to NWS Eradication

The battle against the new world screwworm isn’t being fought with insecticides or fences. Instead, USDA is deploying an unusual weapon, millions of sterile flies. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s a proven strategy called the sterile insect technique or SIT. The idea is simple. Scientists raise screwworm flies in specialized facilities and expose them to gamma radiation, making …

agricultural

Agricultural Organizations Write to Washington on Behalf of Farmers

The American Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations have sent a letter to Washington urging them to help farmers currently. They said a combination of poor commodity prices, record high production costs, and shrinking margins have left many farm families with substantial uncovered losses and little working capital to fall back on for the next year. Farmers are still contending …

Edwin Budding

Edwin Budding’s Lawnmower Changed American Farm Life

A Simple Invention That Made a Lasting Impact Many people recognize agricultural inventors such as Cyrus McCormick, John Deere, and Eli Whitney for revolutionizing farming through innovations in harvesting, equipment, and cotton processing. However, another inventor deserves recognition for creating a tool that transformed life on farms and in communities around the world. English engineer Edwin Budding invented the first …

U.S. dairy

U.S. Dairy Industry Backs Administration in Support of Canadian Market Access

The U.S. dairy industry is applauding the Trump administration’s latest effort to challenge Canadian dairy trade practices and defend market access promised under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. The White House announced this week it will impose a 50% tariff on dairy imports from Canada, invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Administration officials say the action is …

heat

Temperatures to Rise Soon

Grain traders have shown reluctance to build additional weather premium into futures at this point, but temperatures returning to 100 degrees or more this weekend and into next week can certainly change that. Bottom line analysts say December corn needs consecutive closing over $4.76 to keep the upward momentum in place. August is soybean month, but another forecaster is holding …

irrigation

How Irrigation Revolutionized American Farming

Water has always been one of agriculture’s most valuable resources, but the methods used to deliver it to crops have changed dramatically over time. From ancient civilizations to modern center pivot irrigation systems, the history of irrigation reflects farmers’ constant drive to improve crop production and adapt to challenging growing conditions. According to Mark Oppold’s American Agriculture History Minute, the …

Federal Reserve Board

Federal Reserve Board Concludes Meeting

The Federal Reserve Board concludes their two-day July meeting a week from today, with no move expected in interest rates. CME FedWatch Tool shows an 83% chance the Fed will leave rates unchanged, still a 17% chance of a small rate hike. Now, the Fed doesn’t meet in August. CME, though, is looking for some action at the September 15th-16th …