Livestock producers are heading into 2018 with both increasing production and demand. However, exports are critical to keep that trend moving. Mike Zuzolo (Zoo’-zuh-low) of Global Commodity Analytics says for beef producers, the path of least resistance for market prices is lower. Beef International demand remains strong for pork, with U.S. production increasing. He says export demand and slaughter capacity …
New Questions in 2017 Census of Agriculture
As farmers and ranchers are filling out the 2017 Census of Agriculture, they will notice some new questions compared to the last questionnaire five years ago. The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Erik Gerlach, State Statistician for South Dakota, explains what’s new in the 2017 Census of …
Tax Reform Will Benefit Ag Community in Many Ways, Right Away
A U.S. representative from Washington State says the end of 2017 tax reforms will benefit agriculture immediately. Central Washington representative Dan Newhouse says there will be many benefits to the ag industry, and many, right away. Tax Newhouse added, while a few details have yet to be realized, and some of the benefits will not take place immediately, he’s confident …
World Meat Congress U.S. Bound In 2018
For the first time in more than 20 years the United States will host the World Meat Congress. The event will take place in Dallas, Texas, May 30th through June 1st. U.S. Meat Export Federation CEO Emeritus Philip Seng says the meeting, which occurs every other year, is a gathering of different trade associations, government officials as well as private …
Florida Georgia Water Battle to Supreme Court Monday
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 …