Few farm groups speak out on George Floyd’s death or protests that followed   The National Farmers Union was the first major farm group to call for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day. A handful of groups said this… Continue reading

Record USDA support flowing, but farmers say more federal assistance will be needed   With signup underway for $16 billion in coronavirus payments, farmers overwhelmingly say more federal aid to agriculture is needed this year, according to a Purdue University poll released on Tuesday.       Fruit-packing workers strike,… Continue reading

China pauses buying U.S. ag exports, then sputters ahead   On the same day that Beijing reportedly told state-run trading houses to pause purchases of U.S. farm exports, the companies bought a small amount of U.S. soybeans on Monday, according to unnamed sources. The saber-rattling pause was a sign that… Continue reading

  Covid-19, ‘this global tragedy,’ flattens U.S. ag exports   Throttled by pandemic, U.S. farm exports this year will barely exceed last year’s totals, wiping out hopes of a speedy recovery from trade-war losses, said the USDA. Sales to China are rising but slower than projected when the “phase one”… Continue reading

Hog farms in coronavirus crisis need more aid, say producers   More federal aid is needed if hog farmers are to survive the coronavirus pandemic, said pork industry leaders on Thursday. They urged the Senate to approve compensatory payments for hogs that are culled and an additional round of cash… Continue reading

As U.S. hog backup tops 2 million head, Iowa says it will help pay for carcass disposal   The persisting coronavirus slowdown at pork plants has stranded 2 million hogs on the farm with no buyer, and the backlog is growing, said economist Steve Meyer on Wednesday, suggesting that some… Continue reading

China buys more, but will it be enough for ‘phase one’?   The “phase one” trade agreement with China, one of President Trump’s top trade achievements, calls for Beijing to buy huge quantities of U.S. food, agricultural and seafood exports. But an Iowa think tank predicts China will buy only… Continue reading

Grocery prices rising at highest rate since 2012   Prices at supermarkets are rising at the highest rate in eight years, as the coronavirus constricts meat production and grocery chains limit sales, said the USDA in a monthly forecast. Grocery prices will rise by a higher-than-average 2.5 percent this year,… Continue reading

Papaver rhoeas, also known as the common poppy, corn poppy and red weed, among other names, is considered a nuisance plant by European farmers and often grows in areas where the soil has been disturbed.   In the warm spring months beginning in 1915, with World War I in full… Continue reading