World Pork Expo cancelled, ag census released and flood damage figures announced.
Need a quick catch-up on the news? Here are 7 ag news stories you might have missed.
1. The latest Census of Agriculture finds farms are getting larger, on average, as the total number of farmers decrease. There are now 2.04 million U.S. farms and ranches, down 3.2% from 2012 with the average farm size increasing 1.6% to 441 acres during that time. – Farm Futures
2. There was a moment, about 20 years ago, when farmers thought they’d defeated weeds forever. It was then that Roundup came into broad usage. Now, resistant weeds are a growing problem.- MPR News
3. The National Pork Producers Council cancelled World Pork Expo 2019 in an effort to keep African swine fever was spreading. There is no vaccine against the disease. – National Hog Farmer
4. Innovations in agriculture and promoting nutrition in food systems are priorities for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. – UN News
5. The Iowa Farm Bureau said the state may have more than $2 billion in damages from flooding in the state. Their figure is nearly $400 million more than the estimate from the governor’s office. – KCRG.com
6. In Iowa, farmers are buying nearly 8 of every 10 farms offered for sale. In a sampling of recent sales, a 105-acre parcel in Lyon County sold for $11,000 per acre. The farm has power poles running through the middle of the property. In Floyd County, 78 acres sold for $4,500 per acre. – Wallaces Farmer
7. Maple Leaf Foods and its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods SPC, plan to construct a $310 million plant-based protein food processing facility in Shelbyville, Indiana. It will be the largest facility of its kind in North America. The plant-based protein market is rapidly expanding, the company says. – Feedstuffs
And your bonus.
Tom and Harold Brosius invested $5 million to install seven acres of solar panels at their Pennsylvania farm, Marlboro Mushrooms, which dates to 1901. The solar panels have reduced their electricity bill by 80% a month and they estimate it has reduced their carbon dioxide emissions by more than 11,100 tons. That’s the equivalent of planting 2,300 trees or not driving 23 million miles, the Brosiuses say. – Philly.com
