In pandemic year, cropland values in Farm Belt are steady to slightly lower The coronavirus pandemic may be the defining event of 2020, driving the United States into a recession and pummeling commodity prices, but cropland values in the Farm Belt have been relatively unaffected — stable to slightly softer,… Continue reading
Block dicamba until weedkiller is under control, says report The herbicide dicamba is too risky to use on row crops such as soybeans and cotton until independent research shows it won’t evaporate and harm nearby crops and plants, said a report from three conservation and environmental groups on Wednesday. Dicamba… Continue reading
Coronavirus fears ease, but many farmers expect a worse year financially An unusually large portion of U.S. farmers and ranchers expects worse financial performance on their farms this year than last, said a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday. And although producers are less worried by the coronavirus pandemic than… Continue reading
Glitches in aid program obscure need for more relief during pandemic, say ag leaders Farm groups are arguing for a massive new round of cash for agriculture in the coronavirus relief bill being negotiated by Congress and the White House, even though billions of dollars in an ongoing USDA aid… Continue reading
P-EBT program lifted millions of children out of hunger The Pandemic-EBT program, created by Congress to help low-income families buy food for their children during school closures, “is hitting its target,” said researchers at the Brookings Institution. “We find that Pandemic EBT reduces food hardship faced by children by 30… Continue reading
After record corn sale to China, Perdue expects ‘a big shipping season this fall’ China is far short of meeting its “phase one” commitment to buy huge amounts of U.S. food and ag exports, but Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, “We expect a big shipping season this fall.” On Thursday,… Continue reading
EU dabbles in agricultural protectionism, says Perdue European barriers to some U.S. food and ag exports — derided as “hormone beef,” “chlorine chicken,” and GMO “Frankenfoods” — smack of protectionism and could color already acrimonious U.S.-EU trade relations, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue during a transatlantic discussion on Wednesday. … Continue reading
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning Americans not to plant unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to be arriving from China.States stretching from Washington to Virginia have also told residents not to put the seeds in the ground, after they arrived in the mailboxes of people who did not… Continue reading
Senate bill would block faster line speeds at meat plants during pandemic In the name of worker safety, seven Democratic senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to block the USDA from allowing faster line speeds at meat plants during the pandemic and to suspend line-speed waivers it already has issued…. Continue reading
Perdue gets $20 billion blank check for ag aid in GOP bill Senate Republicans proposed $20 billion in additional aid to agriculture in their new coronavirus package on Monday, leaving it to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allot the money. The proposed increase in farm aid came as the USDA… Continue reading
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