GOP senators call for higher crop insurance subsidies Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee proposed a $4 billion injection into the crop insurance program so that the government would pay a larger share of the premiums on policies offering the highest levels of coverage. “We need more farm in the… Continue reading

Among major growers, wheat yields in Germany were highest Wheat yields per acre in Germany were twice as high as on comparable U.S. farms, according to an analysis that looked at production, costs, and profits for representative farms in major wheat-growing regions. “The typical farms in Australia, Germany, Poland, and… Continue reading

Farm bill odds growing longer There is little reason for optimism that Congress will pass the new farm bill this year, wrote farm policy expert Jonathan Coppess on Thursday as part of an analysis showing that farm program payments favor Southern growers. “The chances of farm bill reauthorization in 2024… Continue reading

CDC: Bird flu virus lacks changes to make it a greater threat to people Samples of the H5N1 bird flu virus that has infected dairy cattle and a dairy worker retain avian genetic characteristics and “for the most part lack changes that would make them better able to infect mammals,”… Continue reading

USDA confirms bird flu in 12th dairy herd, is testing more USDA scientists confirmed the bird flu virus in a dairy herd in Idaho on Tuesday — the 12th herd in five states — with Ohio appearing for the first time on the list of states with “presumptive positive” results… Continue reading

Bird flu spreads from cattle to human in Texas A Texas patient tested positive for the bird flu virus after exposure to dairy cattle believed to be carrying the disease — the first known instance of cattle-to-human transmission in the United States, said public health officials on Monday. The patient… Continue reading

Bird flu found in dairy herds in five states Bird flu, which killed more than 82 million birds in U.S. domestic flocks in the past two years, has appeared in dairy herds in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas, said federal officials. The outbreaks, affecting a relatively small number… Continue reading

U.S. farmers lean into soy but pull back on corn and wheat in 2024 Farmers are expected to plant an estimated 86.5 million acres of soybeans this year, up 3 percent from last year, and dial back their corn acreage by 5 percent and their wheat acreage by 4 percent,… Continue reading

“People’s Tribunal” in NYC to talk policy & goals Farmworkers and labor organizers from across North America will convene in New York City this weekend for a “people’s tribunal,” where they plan to produce a list of overarching priorities that will guide their organizing efforts going forward. TODAY’S QUICK HITS… Continue reading

California paraquat use concentrated in poor, Latino communities Between 2017 and 2021, 5.3 million pounds of the herbicide paraquat were sprayed on California fields, with 66 percent of it in five Central Valley counties whose residents are predominantly poor and Latino, according to a new Environmental Working Group analysis. AFR… Continue reading