Farm Income Dropping – March 7, 2019

Farm income below $70 billion — a new average for U.S. agriculture?

The USDA forecast net farm income of $69.4 billion this year. If accurate, the total would be the third year of net income below $70 billion since 2015. “We’re starting to see … a new average coming out here,” said USDA economist Carrie Litkowski on Wednesday.

After Nebraska governor steps in, community board OKs a Costco-linked CAFO

Last week, a Nebraska county board reversed its decision to block a poultry CAFO from coming to a small town. The reversal came soon after Gov. Pete Ricketts had expressed his support for such operations and challenged the county to better serve farmers. It also arrives as a new piece of right-to-farm legislation aims to restrict lawsuits against farming operations

GAO urges more government attention to food safety

Congress may need to intervene to assure the high-level coordination of food safety efforts, said the Government Accountability Office on Wednesday in a report listing three dozen “high-risk” areas throughout the government.

Ethanol exports set a record of 1.7 billion gallons

Roughly 11 percent of U.S. corn ethanol was exported in 2018, a record 1.7 billion gallons worth $2.7 billion, said ethanol trade groups on Wednesday. Exports were nearly 25 percent higher than the previous record of 1.4 billion gallons, set in the preceding year, said the groups.

TODAY’S QUICK HITS

Farmers Union won’t back Green New Deal (DTN/Progressive Farmer): At the National Farmers Union’s annual convention, delegates rejected the Democrats’ climate change proposal, citing the plan’s “[appeal] to an urban voter base” and lack of recognition of “the essential contribution of rural America.”

Bye, Batali (New York Times): Disgraced chef Mario Batali will no longer profit from any of his restaurants. The chef sold his shares in the eateries more than a year after being accused of sexual harassment and assault by several women.

China talks ‘moving along well’ (FERN’s Ag Insider): In impromptu remarks, President Trump said that trade talks with China “are moving along well,” although he added, “They’re either going to be a good deal or it’s not going to be a deal.”

Gray wolf to lose protection (The Hill): The Interior Department will propose a rule to remove endangered species protection from the gray wolf and put management in the hands of state and tribal governments. There are about 5,000 gray wolves in the continental United States.

Dicamba dominates regulators’ attention (DTN/Progressive Farmer): At a meeting of state pesticide regulators, the common expectation was that they will be devoting a great deal of their time to complaints alleging damage from the weedkiller dicamba.

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