Biggest problem facing agriculture is lack of labor
Congress must reform the guestworker program to ensure there are enough workers on the farm to produce America’s food, said the president of the largest U.S. farm group on Sunday. “It’s the biggest limiting factor that American agriculture has,” said president Zippy Duvall at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Salt Lake City.
Nutrient runoff is widespread waterway stressor
Four of every 10 miles of U.S. rivers and streams are in poor condition because of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, said the EPA in its latest National Rivers and Streams Assessment.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Unfair fertilizer subsidies: After a court-ordered review, the U.S. International Trade Commission reaffirmed its 2021 decision that domestic fertilizer producers are harmed by imports of phosphate fertilizer subsidized by Morocco and Russia. (ITC)
River ran dry legally: Several miles of the Merced River in California ran dry for four months in 2022, apparently due to farmers legally drawing irrigation water in an episode that pits the state’s system of water rights with its drought controls. (New York Times)
Meat inflation surges, slumps: Prices for pork, poultry, dairy, and eggs climbed faster than the overall U.S. inflation rate in 2022, but the surge cooled faster in 2023 than the slowdown in inflation economy-wide. (USDA)
Timely land reports needed: The USDA needs to improve its system of tracking foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land “and developing a real-time data system would help,” said the Government Accountability Office. (GAO)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
American Farm Bureau Federation holds 105th annual convention, through Wednesday, Salt Lake City. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to announce “major investments” in agricultural input production and clean energy infrastructure during a speech on Monday at 1:45 p.m. ET.
International Dairy Foods Association hosts Dairy Forum 2024, through Wednesday, Phoenix.
Christina Tucker of the Center for Digital Agriculture speaks at luncheon meeting of The Chicago Farmers, 12:30 p.m. ET, Chicago.
Tuesday
The National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates host joint winter conference, through Friday, Washington.
Wednesday
Senate Budget Committee hearing, “Warming seas, cooling economy: How the climate crisis threatens ocean industries,” 10 a.m. ET, 608 Dirksen.
Ohio State University economist discusses food influencers as part of the 2024 Economic Outlook and Policy Webinar Series.
USDA releases annual Coffee report and monthly Cold Storage reports, 3 p.m. ET.
Thursday
USDA releases monthly Food Price Outlook, 9 a.m. ET. In its most recent report, the USDA said grocery prices during 2024 would be 0.6 percent below the 2023 average.
Friday
American Seed Trade Association holds 63rd Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference, through Jan. 30, Monterey, California.
Sunday
Farm Credit Council annual meeting, through Jan. 30, Washington.
