A new study links soil health and farm profitability. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Soil Health Institute (SHI) and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the results of a nationwide study showing how improving soil health can improve a farmer’s profitability. The study shows farmers can build resilience across a diversity of soil types, …
Excellent First Half for U.S. Pork Exports; Beef Exports below Record Pace
According to new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), U.S. pork exports concluded an excellent first half of 2023 with another strong performance in June. As for beef exports, while well below the record pace established in 2022, June exports topped $900 million in value, pushing first-half export value to …
NASS Releases 2023 Land Values Summary
The U.S. farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $4,080 per acre for 2023. That’s up $280 per acre, or 7.4 percent, from 2022. The U.S. cropland value averaged $5,460 per acre, an increase of $410 per acre, or 8.1 percent, from the previous year. The U.S. pasture value averaged …
Resurgence in State Fair Attendance
Many State Fairs across the country have been seeing a resurgence in attendance. Mark Oppold has more details.
Funding Available for Rural Broadband
An unprecedented amount of federal funding is available to expand broadband connectivity across rural America. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Rick Cimerman is vice president of state affairs for NCTA – The Internet and Television Association. He says federal investments can be used most wisely to help close the digital divide that still exists. “I think there …
Various Factors Could Affect August Crop Report
We told you yesterday that private estimates concerning row crops are coming in this week, ahead of Friday’s August Crop Report. But as Mark Oppold reports, there are a variety of factors that could affect those numbers.
Large Pork Producers Don’t Favor Overturning Prop 12
Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would overturn California’s Prop 12. Reuters says some of the country’s biggest pork producers who’ve already spent money to comply with the California requirements don’t favor throwing out Prop 12. The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would curb states’ ability to regulate agricultural products sold within their borders. The bill was introduced …
Georgia Beef Producers Approve the Continuation of Georgia’s Beef Commission Assessment
(GDA/Atlanta, GA/August 8, 2023) — Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced that Georgia’s beef producers approved a continuation of a one-dollar market order assessment, which helps support the Georgia Beef Commission. Voting on the assessment continuation occurred in June of 2023 and passed with eighty-two percent support of beef producers. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) administers the fourteen farmer-funded …
Senator Boozman Says No Mandatory Conservation Programs
Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator John Boozman (R-AR) doesn’t mince words when it comes to conservation programs in the farm bill. “We talk about what needs to be included or excluded in the farm bill and that is a red line for me. We’re simply not going to get ourselves in a situation where we have a …
NCBA President Slams Regulatory Onslaught by Biden Agencies
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson recently slammed administration overregulation during a recent NCBA Beltway Beef podcast. Wilkinson says Biden agencies from the EPA to the Bureau of Land Management are trying to take away the cattle industry’s freedoms. He cites recent EPA statements that it can make minor changes to its Waters of the U.S. rule after the …