Drought eases and growers plant more winter wheat Growers are expected to sow the largest amount of U.S. land to winter wheat in nine years, encouraged by strong market prices, in part a result of warfare in Ukraine, and forecasts of better growing conditions in the drought-hit central and southern… Continue reading

Reformers call for farm bill ‘guardrails’ on crop insurance Congress should make the wealthiest farmers pay a larger share of the cost of taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance and hold the line on crop subsidies in the new farm bill, said a half dozen think tanks, budget hawks, and environmental groups on… Continue reading

Capitol Hill logjam, funding shortage shift farm bill target to December On Tuesday, leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees made it official: December is the new target for passage of the farm bill. The 2018 farm law expires on Sept. 30, but there is little peril until dairy… Continue reading

Senate has no appetite for House funding bill House Republicans wrote a one-sided, “slapdash and reckless” bill to keep the government running after Sept. 30, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday. House passage of the GOP package, which called for an 8 percent cut in discretionary spending from… Continue reading

Russia benefits from throttling Ukrainian grain traffic Russia’s months-long drive to shut off Ukraine grain exports has produced both financial and diplomatic gains for President Putin, said a Washington think tank. “Securing ample and low-cost export routes for Ukrainian grain and increasing investments to rebuild Ukraine’s agricultural sector are crucial… Continue reading

Some consumers okay with higher prices if Prop 12 is the reason While price is the key concern for grocery shoppers at the meat case, a Purdue survey indicates that consumers are more willing to accept higher pork prices if they are the result of meeting animal welfare standards such… Continue reading

USDA awards $1.1 billion to seed urban forestry projects Groups across the United States will receive a total of $1.1 billion to plant and maintain trees in cities and towns to combat extreme heat and mitigate climate change, announced the Biden administration on Thursday. “We’ve never had the opportunity to… Continue reading

Bet the farm on Prop 12? NPPC leader isn’t. The president of the National Pork Producers Council, which fought California’s Proposition 12 animal welfare law all the way to the Supreme Court, said on Tuesday he won’t convert his Missouri hog farm to satisfy the California rules. Scott Hays told… Continue reading

Farm bill ‘is not the only tool available’ to expand ag economy The Biden administration is broadening the U.S. agricultural economy through climate-smart and bioproduct initiatives while Congress is seemingly stymied over the new farm bill, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. He warned against raiding conservation funding to… Continue reading

India reduces import tariffs on U.S. turkey and duck meat In the second breakthrough in three months, India said on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting that it would reduce import duties on frozen U.S. turkey and duck meat. Lower tariffs will give U.S. exports a chance to win… Continue reading