Largest ethanol maker closes Indiana plant, blames EPA waivers At the same time that POET, the largest U.S. ethanol maker, said it was forced to shut down an Indiana plant due to EPA “mismanagement” of the ethanol mandate, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said that “farmers feel the… Continue reading

Vacancy at the top of USDA as Perdue gains a full-time deputy for nutrition After two years with a title that suggested he was a placeholder, Brandon Lipps formally became deputy undersecretary for nutrition at the Agriculture Department on Monday. The Trump administration has not filled the top nutrition post… Continue reading

‘Digital divide’ persists, though 53 percent of farms conduct business on internet More than half of U.S. farm operators say they do business over the internet, a 13-point increase in six years, as ownership of computers and access to the internet blossomed, according to USDA. Nonetheless, the Pew Research Center… Continue reading

Profitability of many midwestern corn, soy farms ‘will almost surely fall’   Farmland values are falling for the fifth year in the Midwest, and one factor in the decline is “muted expectations for farm income” this year, said the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank on Thursday. “The profitability of many corn… Continue reading

Export sales to Japan aren’t fake news, wheat growers tell Trump   A day after President Trump scoffed at wheat exports to Japan — “They don’t even want our wheat,” he said — U.S. wheat growers called out the president for maligning an important trade relationship. It was one of… Continue reading

As Trump delays tariffs, he says China wants to buy U.S. ag exports   China intends “to buy a lot of farm product,” said President Trump on Tuesday. At the same time, the White House announced it would delay 10 percent tariffs on electronics such as cell phones, laptop computers,… Continue reading

Trade war limits outlet for smaller-than-usual U.S. corn and soy crops U.S. farmers will harvest their smallest corn and soybean crops since 2013, but the trade war will constrain exports of America’s two major crops for the second year in a row, forecast the USDA on Monday. Soybeans would sell… Continue reading

Farm and ethanol groups ask Trump to intervene on RFS waivers   President Trump, who campaigned for election as a friend of corn ethanol, ought to stop the EPA from issuing “hardship” waivers that free refineries from complying with the so-called ethanol mandate, said ethanol and farm groups. The EPA… Continue reading

Rise in commodity prices slows decline in farm income, say bankers Agricultural lenders expect farm income, which weakened in the spring, to continue to decline this summer, although a recent rally in corn, soybean, and wheat prices will act as a stabilizer, said Federal Reserve banks in Kansas City, Minneapolis,… Continue reading