Producer sentiment lowered during August as the Purdue University/CME Group’s Ag Economy Barometer dipped eight points to a reading of 115. The month’s decline was driven by producers’ weaker perception of current conditions on their farms and throughout U.S. agriculture. The Current Conditions Index fell 13 points to a reading of 108. The Future Expectations Index also dropped by five …
USDA Invests in Conservation Innovation Grants
The USDA has announced the availability of $65 million through two funding opportunities to further natural resource conservation on private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is being directed to prioritize CIG On-Farm Trials projects that use diet and feed management to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants, as well as other projects that have climate …
What’s Ahead for the Farmland Market?
Recent farmland sale prices and values have increased to levels never before seen in the agricultural land market. Paul Shadegg, senior vice president of Real Estate Operations at Farmers National, says the momentum in the farmland market began building 25 years ago. But is it sustainable moving forward? There continues to be strong interest in buying ag land across the …
AgNet Weekly: EATS Act Part One
Things are heating up over the EATS Act. Supporters of the bill say the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would prevent states from regulating farmers and ranchers nationwide. But opponents turned up the fire this week when a bipartisan group of more than 150 lawmakers sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and ranking member …
USDA Publishes Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule
Ensuring the integrity of child nutrition programs. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Wednesday published a final rule on program integrity to ensure that child nutrition programs are properly operated and managed to protect federal funds and taxpayer dollars. The final rule impacts the National School Lunch …
Two Sides of the EATS Act
Things are heating up over the EATS Act. Supporters of the bill say the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would prevent states from regulating farmers and ranchers nationwide. “The EATS Act does two things. First, it prohibits the states, like California, from passing a law that would impact production practices in other states. And then in the event that …
Cammack Expects Tough Battle for Farm Bill
There’s just over a month until the current farm bill expires, and some lawmakers are gearing up for a tough fight. Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL) spoke at the Sweetener Symposium in California last week and said she’s expecting a battle over the farm bill. In an interview with us on Monday, she explained some of the issues she expects. …
FARM Act Would Guard U.S. Ag Land from Foreign Control
About three percent of agricultural land in the United States is owned by foreign entities. But U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, thinks even that may be too much. “One would think that’s not a very high percentage, but it’s obviously a lot of acres. And what’s more, probably somewhat alarming is how quickly in recent years …
Free Online Training for Phosphorus Management
A new program aims to help farmers manage phosphorus. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. A series of online training modules is now freely available to farmers, engineers, environmental consultants and others interested in designing on-farm systems to remove phosphorus from field runoff or subsurface drainage. Available on the Internet, the modules comprise seven narrated videos, starting with a …
Study Shows Positive Economic Impact of Soil Health
A new study links soil health and farm profitability. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Soil Health Institute (SHI) and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the results of a nationwide study showing how improving soil health can improve a farmer’s profitability. The study shows farmers can build resilience across a diversity of soil types, …