The National FFA Organization selected 16 students from throughout the United States as finalists for its 2018 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience. The American Star Awards represents the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. The award recognizes FFA members who …
Survey Shows US Chicken Consumption Remains Strong
More than nine in ten consumers purchase chicken regularly U.S. chicken consumption remains high, and consumers are hungry for more information about the chicken they purchase, according to a new research presented at the 2018 Chicken Marketing Summit, in Orlando, Florida. In the two weeks leading up to the survey, 86 percent of consumers ate a chicken meal or snack …
Keith Gray Named USDA Risk Management Agency Chief of Staff
Alabama native Keith Gray has been appointed chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) by the Trump administration and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Gray has decades of political experience on and off Capitol Hill and formerly served as National Affairs director for the Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance. Previously, he was …
Senate to Hold Trade Hearing This Week
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be the only witness to give testimony during a hearing this week before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee. Lighthizer is one of the key Trump administration members at the center of the president’s trade strategy that’s led to retaliatory tariffs from China, Mexico, Canada, the European Union, and others. Many of those tariffs are hitting …
Republicans Introduce New Immigration Bill in House
Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a new immigration bill that they say will benefit agriculture. A Pro Farmer report says the Agriculture and Legal Workforce Act would take the place of the current H-2A visa program. It would require farmers, as well as all employers, to use the E-Verify Program to make sure that all their workers …
Farm Bill in Senate’s Court
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are expected to appoint their members of the farm bill conference committee this week. Politico says the upper chamber will need to clear some procedural hurdles on the floor before that can officially happen. During the last farm bill debate, 12 senators, including seven from the majority and five from …
Large Livestock Loan Drive Rise in Farm Lending
The Federal Reserve’s Agricultural Finance Databook says lending activity in the agricultural sector increased slightly in the second quarter of 2018. The overall number of non-real estate farm loans was roughly two percent higher than at the same time in 2017. The slight increase was supported primarily by larger loans for livestock. In the short term, The Kansas City Fed …
Continued Drought Could Lead to Cattle Culling in Southern States
A Texas A & M AgriLife Extension expert says southern beef producers should be planning ahead when it comes to the size of their herds, should the drought continue. Jason Banta says a shortage of forage and hay might mean producers would need to reduce their herd sizes. A plan to cull their herds could save producers money in both …
Farmers Express Frustration Over Trump Trade Tactics
American farmers are carrying the burden of trade tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump and they were in Washington this week to discuss it during a congressional hearing. Farmers shared concerns that included shrinking export markets, rising costs, and bankers who would be more reluctant to loan money for operating costs. Scott VanderWal, American Farm Bureau vice president, …
Navarro Discounts Trade War Impact on Ag
White House Trade Adviser Pete Navarro downplayed the impact tariffs are having on the ag economy, calling the impact of the trade war between the U.S. and China “a rounding error,” compared with either country’s economic output. “My point is that it’s much less disruptive than these headlines would suggest,” Navarro told CNBC. “It’s also much more constructive as we …