Budget is roadblock for farm bill
Agricultural leaders in the House and Senate are negotiating quietly over elements for the new farm bill, already four months overdue, said the president of the largest U.S. farm group on Tuesday. “We feel they are putting pen to paper now,” said Zippy Duvall of the American Farm Bureau Federation, although the legislation must wait for a congressional resolution of the prolonged struggle over funding the government.
Growers stick with corn; bumper 2024 crop likely
Contrary to expectations, U.S. farmers say they will plant enough land to corn this year that the corn harvest will be nearly as large as the record 2023 crop, according to an email survey conducted during early winter. The huge crop could result in the largest corn stockpile in decades unless there is larger domestic and global appetite for corn, said Farm Futures magazine.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Farmland values hold steady: Although commodity prices have softened, the land market is holding onto the sharp increases of the past three years, aided by strong demand for good-quality cropland in the Midwest, said Farmers National Company, a large farm management and real estate company. (Farmers National)
Urban tree-planting grant: The USDA awarded $1 million from its urban forestry program to the Church of God in Christ, the fourth-largest Protestant denomination in the country, to plant trees and expand access to green spaces at its local congregations. (USDA)
Meatpackers critique wastewater plan: A meat industry trade group said an EPA proposal to reduce water pollution from processing plants would put “a very heavy financial burden” on plants and potentially force some of them to close. (Meat and Poultry)
Farmers, ranchers in Congress: There are 31 “farmers, ranchers, or cattle farm owners,” an owner of an almond orchard, a nursery owner, a forester, a fruit orchard worker, and a horse trainer serving in Congress this year, says the Congressional Research Service. (CRS)
Protesting farmers block roads: French farmers carried their protests into a second week, saying they are carrying the burden of the government’s drive for lower retail food prices; farmers are also targeting environmental regulations. (Reuters)
