Bird flu slows for the summer
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry and dairy cattle have dropped off sharply in recent weeks, according to USDA databases. There was a similar but longer lull a year ago in bird flu, which has become the largest animal disease event in American agriculture, killing nearly 101 million birds in domestic flocks since it appeared in the United States in February 2022.
Grocery inflation expected to be at its lowest since 2019
Grocery prices will rise a modest 1.2 percent this year and 1.1 percent in 2025, the smallest increases since 2019 but modestly higher than previously forecast, said USDA economists. Beef prices were expected to rise 5.6 percent this year, faster than its usual annual increase, but slow down in the new year.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Seniors don’t get SNAP: Only three of 10 Americans over age 65 who are eligible for SNAP benefits are enrolled in the program, says a report from the National Council on Aging and the Urban Institute. (Axios)
‘Spectacular’ soybean crop: Farmers will harvest a record 4.74 billion bushels of soybeans this year, 3 percent more than USDA forecast earlier this month, but the corn crop will be 14.979 billion bushels, 1 percent smaller than the USDA estimate. (Farm Journal)
Surge in water violence: Researchers counted 347 incidents of water violence worldwide last year, compared to 231 in 2022, a list that includes attacks on water systems, unrest and disputes over access to water, and use of water as a weapon of war. (Pacific Institute)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, assuring women’s suffrage. The day also is celebrated as Women’s Equality Day. The campaign for the vote began at the Seneca Falls convention — the world’s first women’s rights convention — in upstate New York in 1848. “I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate and continue to build on our country’s progress toward gender equality and to defend and strengthen the right to vote,” said President Biden in proclamation of today as Women’s Equality Day.
American Soybean Association holds “ASA farmer forum: Building your conservation program and profit potential,” 2 p.m. ET, Ankeny, Iowa. The ASA said it chose the date and location to coincide with the annual Farm Progress Show in nearby Boone, Iowa.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
USDA issues quarterly Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade, 3 p.m. ET. The report will make the first forecast of agricultural trade in fiscal 2025, which begins on Oct. 1, and update the forecast for this fiscal year. The agricultural trade deficit is expected to be a record $32 billion this year but to improve in the new fiscal year.
Farm Progress Publications holds annual Farm Progress Show, “the nation’s largest outdoor ag show,” through Thursday, Boone, Iowa.
Wednesday
USDA releases semi-annual U.S. and Canadian Hogs report, 3 p.m. ET.
Thursday
USDA releases Census of Agriculture report on American Indian reservations, noon ET.
USDA releases annual Citrus Fruits report, 3 p.m. ET.
Friday
USDA issues monthly Agricultural Prices report, 3 p.m. ET.
Sept. 2
Observed on the first Monday of September, Labor Day was designated a federal holiday by President Grover Cleveland in 1894 to honor the contribution of American workers. Local and statewide observances began in the late 19th century. Creation of the “workingmen’s holiday” can be viewed as an attempt by Congress to repair ties with unionized workers following riots during the Pullman strike in summer 1894. The government sent troops to Chicago to try to break this strike. “On July 7, national guardsmen, after having been assaulted, fired into a mob, killing between four and 30 people and wounding many others,” says Britannica.com. Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer.
