The House GOP released its budget this week, calling for $10 billion in spending cuts to agricultural programs through the next ten years. However, Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the plan doesn’t necessarily say how to go about getting to that number. It does recommend reigning in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending by promoting “state flexibility,” but it doesn’t go …
Congress Calls on Administration for Economic Assistance for Cotton Producers
A large, bipartisan block of 135 Senators and Representatives sent letters to President Trump strongly urging the Administration’s support, through USDA, to operate the Cotton Ginning Cost Share Program effective for the 2016 crop year and on an ongoing basis. The Senate letter noted, “In the past decade, the U.S. cotton industry has endured a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge, …
Young Farm Leaders Qualify for Statewide Award
Three finalists have been selected for Florida Farm Bureau’s 2017 Achievement in Agriculture Award and will compete in October for the top statewide honor at the Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Ponte Vedra. This year’s finalists are Brittany Lee (Alachua County), Jimmy Hancock (Pasco County) and Kelly Mosley (Clay County). The Achievement in Agriculture Award recognizes members of Florida …
Farm Bureau Responds to USTR’s NAFTA Objectives
The following statement may be attributed to Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation: “The North American Free Trade agreement has helped America’s farmers and ranchers make significant gains in U.S. ag exports to Canada and Mexico, and the administration’s negotiating objectives for the agreement will maintain and improve agricultural trade with our nearest trading partners. We look forward to …
Vaccine Bank Needed To Protect Food, National Security
Citing economic and food and national security concerns, an ad hoc coalition of more than 100 agricultural organizations and allied industries groups urged Congress to include in the next Farm Bill language establishing and funding a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank. FMD is an infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, and sheep; it is not a food safety or human …
Love for Bacon Pushing Pork Belly Prices to Record Highs
America loves its bacon, and that love is pushing pork belly prices to record highs. Prices for the part of the hog that’s used to make bacon have jumped roughly 80 percent higher this year. This comes in spite of frozen reserves at a low not seen in sixty years. Market research firm Nielsen says Americans bought 14 percent more …
U.S. Winter Wheat Harvest Forecast Improves
As the American wheat harvest rolls along, the government forecast last week calls for growers to bring in 1.28 billion bushels of winter wheat. The latest projection is two percent higher than the previous month’s forecast, but it’s still 23 percent lower than 2016. The forecast based on July 1 conditions projects a 49.7 bushel per acre average. Hard red …
China Purchasing Near Record Number of U.S. Soybeans
A Chinese delegation signed contracts on Sunday to purchase a large amount of U.S. soybeans. The contract is for the purchase of 460 million bushels of U.S. soy worth more than $5 billion. It’s a large increase from the $1 billion contract signed a year ago at this time. The delegation of Chinese buyers represents 11 different companies. China has …
Ag Lenders Pessimistic About Farm Profits
Farmers are still feeling the pressure of a lagging farm economy. A joint survey from the American Bankers Association and the Federal Ag Mortgage Corporation confirms the pressure. Nearly 90 percent of ag lenders report an overall decline in farm profitability over the last year. 84 percent indicate there are higher levels of operating leverage as a result. The survey …
Farmers Worried about the Future of Health Care
It may not be front and center in agriculture like the farm bill discussion is, but farmers have a lot to worry about as Congress debates the future of health care. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says farmers have been struggling for some time with low commodity prices and a sharp drop in farm income. In turn, that’s led to a …