Cotton Growers Asked to Complete Survey

Dan Cotton, This Land of Ours

There’s a request for information from cotton growers around the U.S. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Cotton Incorporated is asking all U.S. cotton producers to take the 2023 Natural Resource Survey. This survey will guide Cotton Incorporated’s future research priorities and help document U.S. cotton production improvements. The online survey should take 25 to 35 minutes to …

Manure Recycling on the Farm

Dan Beef, Biofuels/Energy, Cattle, Dairy, Environment, Equine, Fertilizer, Greenhouse Gas, Livestock, Pasture, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats, This Land of Ours

It’s another type of recycling on the farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Farmers who utilize manure as a fertilizer mostly get the aromatic livestock byproduct from their own operations. New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows most manure applied to U.S. cropland, 78 percent, comes from animals raised on the same operation. Meanwhile, 14 percent …

USDA Investing in Urban Agriculture

Dan Agri-Business, Funding, This Land of Ours

The USDA is investing in urban agriculture. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. USDA announced a series of investments that will increase market access and revenue streams for producers while strengthening the food system. The investments will also give consumers better access to locally-grown foods and healthier choices. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small …

U.S. Consumers’ Food Spending Hit Record High in 2022

Dan Economy, This Land of Ours, USDA-ERS

Consumers spent a record amount on food last year. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) shows consumer spending on food reached a record in 2022. Real, or inflation-adjusted, annual food spending in the United States increased steadily from 1997 to 2022, except in 2008 and 2009 during the Great Recession …

Lawmakers Introduce Women in Agriculture Bill

Dan Agri-Business, Legislative, Regulation, This Land of Ours

Lawmakers introduce the Women in Agriculture Bill. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), and Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico-At-Large) introduced bipartisan legislation to support women farmers and ranchers in Maine and across the United States. These lawmakers recently introduced the Women in Agriculture Act. The legislation would establish a research priority …

USDA Requests Input on GHG Measurement Plans

Dan Agri-Business, Funding, This Land of Ours

The USDA wants the public’s opinion on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. USDA is requesting public input on the draft “Federal Strategy to Advance Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Monitoring for the Agriculture and Forestry Sectors (.pdf).” The draft Federal Strategy outlines a framework for enhancing greenhouse gas measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification within …

U.N. Says More People Facing Hunger

Dan Agri-Business, This Land of Ours

There’s an increase in the number of people facing hunger. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Over 122 million more people around the world are facing hunger since 2019 due to COVID-19 and repeated weather shocks and conflicts like the war in Ukraine. That’s according to the latest “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report …

Land Sales Slowing, Prices Remain High

Dan Agri-Business, Economy, This Land of Ours

Ag land sales are slowing but the prices are staying high. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The agriculture real estate market entered a period of de-escalation beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022. The market experienced a reduction in both sales volume and value growth since that time, as interest rates increased, and inflation pressures became more …