Category: Farm Report

Christopher Columbus and Agriculture (AG Insider 2024) When Christopher Columbus and his crew arrived in the New World, two biologically distinct worlds were brought into contact. The human, animal, plant, and bacterial life of these two worlds began to mix in a process called the Columbian Exchange. The results of… Continue reading

More Bird Flu on CA farms On the same day the CDC confirmed the third human case of bird flu in California, state officials said Wednesday that they had identified two more possible infections, also farmworkers in the Central Valley. In less than six weeks, California has become the U.S…. Continue reading

Vilsack said, “Odds favor a new farm bill by end of year” Time is running out for Congress to agree on the new farm bill, now a year overdue, but a “common sense, reasonable, practical” package is still possible, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday, declaring himself an optimist…. Continue reading

Hurricane Helene wallops Georgia cotton crop Three out of every 10 acres of cotton in Georgia, the No. 2 cotton-growing state in the country, was in poor or very poor condition following Hurricane Helene, said the USDA on Monday. Before the hurricane, just one in 10 acres fell into those… Continue reading

USDA suggests bird flu strategy is winning, but not everyone agrees Although California reported outbreaks of bird flu in 12 dairy herds last week, most states have gone weeks without new cases being discovered, including those with high levels of scrutiny, according to USDA data. Agriculture deputy undersecretary Eric Deeble… Continue reading

Agriculture losses from Helene are significant The USDA will work with farmers and rural communities to help them recover from “significant” losses caused by Hurricane Helene, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday. As an example, he said, “We’re working with crop insurance companies now to expedite payments so farmers… Continue reading

USDA doubles down the funding for climate mitigation projects, to $5.7 billion The Biden administration allotted $5.7 billion for climate mitigation work through USDA’s conservation programs in the coming 12 months, double the amount offered in the just-ended fiscal year. There is record interest in USDA’s stewardship programs “and we’re… Continue reading

Corn and soybean stockpiles are biggest in four years, expected to grow larger U.S. grain bins and warehouses held the largest corn and soybean reserves in four years at the beginning of the fall harvest, said the Agriculture Department on Monday. The stockpiles were expected to grow larger still due… Continue reading

Falling income drives farmer confidence to lowest level in years Farmer confidence tumbled by 21 percent in the past two months to its lowest level since 2016, with three of every four farmers saying they expect bad times for the agricultural economy in the year ahead, said Purdue University on… Continue reading

Republicans ‘just don’t have the votes’ for farm bill The Republican-controlled House has not advanced a new farm bill because “they just don’t have the votes” to pass a bill that is $33 billion over budget, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack over the weekend. Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow was… Continue reading