Surge in yields brings biggest U.S. soybean crop ever
The U.S. soybean hit parade, with record production in 2016, 2017, and 2018, will continue this year with the largest crop ever, the government forecast on Tuesday with the harvest in full swing. A late-summer surge in likely yields per acre prompted the USDA to say the crop will be 2 percent larger than its previous estimate.
Project will measure carbon on idled U.S. cropland
A $10 million project will sample, measure, and monitor the amount of soil carbon in environmentally fragile cropland idled as part of the Conservation Reserve, said the USDA on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the agency said it would harness the reserve to mitigate climate change by paying landowners to implement climate-smart practices.
Orange production plummets in Florida and California
The U.S. orange crop will plunge to 3.88 million tons this year, down 12 percent from last season, said the USDA on Tuesday in its first forecast of the new crop. Both of the leading orange states would see large reductions: Florida down by 11 percent and California down by 13 percent.
Today’s Quick Hits
USDA state directors: President Biden announced the appointment of a dozen state directors of the USDA’s rural development and farm service agencies. The first batch of appointees included former Rep. Bobby Etheridge of North Carolina. (White House)
Most feel climate change: At least 85 percent of the world’s population is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as floods, crop failures, and heat waves, said research published in the journal Nature Climate Change. (Washington Post)
Machinery costs rise: The cost of operating or buying farm equipment is substantially higher than it was two years ago, due mostly to increases in the list price of tractors, combines, and other equipment. (Farmdoc Daily)
‘Do fewer things’: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats that the emerging consensus in scaling back the $3.5 trillion “build back better” bill is “to do fewer things well” to help families and address climate change. (Pelosi)
