Specialty crops are once again getting a special focus in congress with the bipartisan 2024 Congressional Specialty Crops Caucus. Co-chairs include Republicans David Valadao of California and David Rouzer of North Carolina, and Democrats Jim Costa of California and Elisa Slotkin of Michigan. Representative Slotkin, a former national security official, says U.S. specialty crops are vital to the nation. “So, …
Hoping for Better Market Performance This Week
Last week was pretty disappointing for many financial and commodity markets. Due to that, Mark Oppold notes traders are hoping for a better market performance this week.
USDA Seeks Nominees for Mushroom Council
Want to joint the national Mushroom Council. Now’s your chance. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The USDA wants nominations for the Mushroom Council to fill three seats with terms expiring on December 31, 2027, and one seat whose term will expire on December 31, 2025. Nominees may seek nomination to the council for all the open seats …
Watching Oats for Long Term Direction
When it comes to long-term direction in the grain markets, many traders are watching what happens with oats. Mark Oppold explains why.
Tracking Various Agricultural Commodities
Now that we’ve wrapped up the month of March, Mark Oppold looks at how some of the agricultural and energy commodities have done the first three months of 2024.
Risk Management Tool for Specialty Crop Producers
The RMA is making it easier for specialty crop growers to find crop insurance agents. The Risk Management Agency says finding the right risk management tools for specialty crops and smaller-scale farmers can be daunting. RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger says the agency has developed a new searchable directory to make it easier for those producers to find the right agents. …
U.S. Rice Growing in Demand
U.S. rice growers are seeing a growing demand for their products. Gary Crawford has more in today’s This Land of Ours report. Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.
Tracking Various Agricultural Commodities
We saw various agricultural commodities really struggle late last year. So, with the markets closed today for the President’s Day holiday, Mark Oppold takes time to look at how some of those are trading the first few weeks of 2024.
North America 2023 Potato Production Data Released by USDA
Last week, the USDA released the 2023 North American Potatoes report. These are numbers from the Agriculture Departments in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada reveals the 2023 North American Potato harvest data. Potato production for the U.S. and Canada combined in 2023 is estimated at 570 million per hundredweight, up eight percent from the 2022 estimate. The U.S. potato production …
USDA Provides over $75 Million in State and National Projects Regarding Agriculture and Natural Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its investment of more than $75 million to state and national projects regarding agriculture and natural resources. More than $5 million will be dedicated to the state of Florida and more than $70 million will be utilized towards protecting the United States from invasive plants and species. FLORIDA FUNDING The USDA’s Animal …