The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday (1-8-18) in a long-running water battle between Florida and Georgia. The crux of the issue: Florida contends that Georgia is siphoning too much water in northern parts of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, damaging the Apalachicola River and the oyster industry in Franklin County’s Apalachicola Bay. But a special master appointed by the …
Pressing Congressional Business May Slow Farm Bill More
Work on the 2018 farm bill is already some three-months late, and with other pressing Congressional business, likely to get even later, according to farm lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Farm bill work was sidelined last year by the GOP tax bill. Now, keeping the government funded, healthcare, immigration and security issues are immediate concerns for Congress. American Farm Bureau Federation …
Marijuana Operation Seeks Farm Status in Washington State
A Washington State marijuana grower argues his farm should be exempt from the state’s Clean Air Act because it is an agricultural activity. An appeals panel will tour the operation this month to help decide whether smells from the harvest of marijuana should have the same leniency as odors from raising livestock and other agricultural activities, according to the Capital …
Report Shows 2014-15 HPAI Impact
A new report by the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service found the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States was not as big an effect as the closing of key export markets. The report studied the poultry industry during the 2014-15 HPAI outbreak, and concludes that trade restrictions during and after the outbreak affected all …
USDA Survey Shows Millennials Prefer Fruits, Vegetables
A recent Department of Agriculture report shows that millennials prefer fruits and vegetables over grains and meats. The USDA report analyzed food-buying data by generation. Agri-Pulse reports that millennials spend the smallest share of their food budgets on grains, white meat and red meat. Millennials, those born between 1981 and the mid-2000s, are now the largest, most diverse living generation, …
Index Shows Farmer Optimism Increasing
A survey of farmers shows optimism is increasing in the Midwest farm country, despite continued low prices. The latest DTN/The Progressive Farmer Agricultural Confidence Index found increasing optimism, posting an overall score of 113, up 9 points from August and 15 points higher than the “Trump Bump” survey of a year ago. The so-called “Trump Bump” represented an increase in …
2018 Crop Prices Outlook
A University of Illinois economist expects 2018 crop prices to remain below high levels seen earlier this decade due to global inventories. Economist Todd Hubbs explains that global economic growth continues to build on the momentum seen over the last year, offering some limited upside for demand. Growth in China and emerging markets in Asia is projected to remain strong …
KORUS Talks Set for Washington This Week
The U.S. and South Korea will hold formal trade talks starting Friday regarding the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, known as KORUS. Officials from Korea and the U.S. will meet in Washington, D.C. Friday to discuss “potential amendments and modifications” to the five-year-old deal, according to Politico. The two nations met last year to discuss concerns surrounding the trade agreement as …
Produce Safety Rule Implementation Nearing
The Produce Safety Rule, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, will go into effect January 26 for farms with $500,000 or more in revenue. The Food and Drug Administration has emphasized the first year will focus less on regulation and compliance and more on education and readiness. Regardless, AFBF economist Veronica Nigh says produce growers need to be ready …
U.S. Crop Acreage Still Moving to Soybeans
Farmers in the United States have been slowly switching their cropland to just two field crops. Corn is king in the United States. Soybeans have been on a swift move upward. And wheat acreage has been on the decline for about 40 years. About half-way through those four decades two important things happened. Congress passed the 1996 farm bill – …