Month: October 2022

Biden says starvation will rise as Russia ends grain export deal UN and European leaders called on Russia on Sunday to revive the international agreement for grain exports from Ukraine, calling it crucial for stabilizing grain prices and keeping food flowing to tens of millions of people. Farmers say cover… Continue reading

U.S. is driest in a decade, as drought moves eastward More than six of every 10 acres in the continental United States is in drought, with arid conditions stretching from the Appalachians to the Pacific Coast, said the weekly Drought Monitor on Thursday. Conditions worsened in the Ohio Valley, as… Continue reading

Broadband projects nationwide get $759 million in USDA funds In the biggest USDA broadband announcement of the year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday that 49 projects will receive $759 million to bring high-speed internet access to rural communities from North Carolina to California. With the new funding, the… Continue reading

Persistent food inflation will extend into 2023, says USDA The high food inflation rate this year will bleed into 2023, said the Agriculture Department on Tuesday, raising its forecast for the new year to 3.5 percent. It was the first adjustment since USDA economists began inflation forecasts for 2023 in… Continue reading

Economy is top issue for rural voters, who expect worse to come — poll By far, inflation is the No. 1 issue in rural America ahead of the midterm elections, said the Daily Yonder Rural Poll on Monday. Six of every 10 of the likely voters in the survey said… Continue reading

Global deforestation slows but not enough for climate goals At the Glasgow climate summit a year ago, 145 nations agreed to reverse forest loss and land degradation by the end of the decade as part of a strategy to slow global warming. The rate of deforestation has slowed modestly, to… Continue reading

Drought in Plains and Southeast, says NOAA’s winter forecast Winter will be drier and warmer than usual for the central to southern Plains and the Southeast, said government forecasters on Thursday, suggesting there would be little drought relief in major wheat-growing states or precipitation to restore water levels in the… Continue reading

Set highest ethanol mandate ever, senators ask EPA The upcoming EPA regulatory reset of the Renewable Fuel Standard should push the corn ethanol target above 15 billion gallons for the highest annual mandate ever and allow E15 to be sold year-round, said farm-state senators on Wednesday. In a letter to… Continue reading

USDA earmarks $1.3 billion for debt relief to distressed farmers Financially distressed farmers have received $800 million of an anticipated $1.3 billion to reduce their debts on USDA farm loans, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday. “Today, I’ve got to think there are thousands of producers out there who… Continue reading

U.S. inflation fight darkens economic outlook The Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates into 2023, “and the outlook for the coming year grows increasingly gloomy,” said agricultural lender CoBank on Monday. The strong dollar “will pressure U.S. exports as the global economy struggles and U.S. goods remain expensive,”… Continue reading