Author: The Farm Report

Soy stockpile to tumble by one-third by next fall   Three years of bumper crops collided with the Sino-U.S. trade war to create the largest U.S. soybean stockpile ever, a price-depressing 1 billion bushels at the start of this month. But by next Sept. 1, the so-called carry-over will be… Continue reading

In goodwill gesture, Trump delays higher Chinese tariffs for two weeks   Hours after complimenting China for waiving tariffs on some U.S. products, President Trump announced on Wednesday a two-week delay, until Oct. 15, of higher tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese-made goods. On social media, Trump called the… Continue reading

Poverty rate returns to pre-recession level in rural America   But the growth in household income that accompanied four years of declines in the poverty rate nationwide has slowed, and anti-hunger groups warned that poverty was sure to increase if Trump administration policies are adopted.   In Nebraska, fight over… Continue reading

USDA, doubling pay limit, offers growers up to $500,000 in disaster aid   Farmers are eligible for up to $500,000 apiece for the hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other disasters they faced in 2018 and this year, including Hurricane Dorian last weekend, said the USDA on Monday, with $3 billion in… Continue reading

Court: EPA must consider environmental impact when setting ethanol mandate   The U.S. appeals court in Washington unanimously ordered the EPA to reconsider its Renewable Fuel Standard for 2018 because it failed to account for the potential impact of full-throttle corn production on endangered species and habitat. The Sierra Club,… Continue reading

Heartland would be hit hard by proposal to tighten SNAP eligibility, says report   The Trump administration should withdraw its proposal for tougher eligibility rules for SNAP because of the harmful effects it would have on vulnerable families, said the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on Thursday. An estimated 1.9 million… Continue reading

A decade later, food insecurity rate returns to pre-recession level   Some 11.1 percent of U.S. households are food insecure, meaning they did not have enough food at times during 2018 due to a lack of money or other resources, said the USDA on Wednesday. It was the lowest food… Continue reading

Farmer confidence plunges as trade war expands   Although most producers say Trump tariff payments will “completely or somewhat” relieve the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war on their operations, farmer confidence is plummeting, according to a Purdue University poll released Tuesday. The Ag Economy Barometer, a gauge of the… Continue reading

Amid trade war, farmers to collect largest federal payments in 14 years   Farmers and ranchers will receive a projected $10.7 billion in Trump tariff payments this year, the major reason that direct federal payments will amount to 22 percent of net farm income, say USDA economists.   Hurricane Dorian… Continue reading