USDA triples funding for climate-smart ag projects Showered by “amazing” proposals, the Biden administration will put $3.5 billion — three times more than originally planned — into pilot projects to mitigate global warming and create markets for climate-smart commodities. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the demonstration projects would put the… Continue reading

Farm income, at record high, to moderate through 2027 War in Ukraine and record-large ag exports to China will drive U.S. net farm income to a record $148.3 billion this year, twice as high as five years ago, said the FAPRI think tank on Monday. Income would decline in 2023… Continue reading

Ohio is hit hardest as bird flu returns to the Midwest After a summertime lull, bird flu is back in the Midwest, the heart of U.S. egg and turkey production, with outbreaks at commercial poultry farms in Minnesota and Ohio since Sept. 1. Some 43.85 million birds have been culled… Continue reading

Southeast’s peat bogs have carbon storage superpowers Rewetting drained coastal evergreen shrub bogs in the Southeast that were once used for farming could make a small but significant contribution to reducing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent study. The bogs, known as pocosins, can absorb and hold extraordinary… Continue reading

Food insecurity held steady overall in 2021, but decreased among families with children About one in 10 American households was food insecure at some point in 2021, according to USDA data released on Wednesday — a slight, but not significant, decline from 2020 and 2019, when the rate was 10.5… Continue reading

Pandemic aid helped families’ nutrition and well-being Temporary increases in federal aid during the Covid-19 pandemic had a “highly positive impact on overall family well-being” and made it easier for low-income families to afford sufficient and healthy food, according to two reports released on Tuesday by Hunger Free America. But… Continue reading

U.S. should increase aid to farmers and food assistance programs — survey More than 60 percent of consumers across the political spectrum support increasing government support for both farmers and food assistance as a response to inflation, according to a survey released last week by the University of Illinois. Gov…. Continue reading

The first Labor Day celebration was a big parade held on September 5, 1882 in New York City. Organized by trade unions to impress employers and politicians, it overlooked farmers even though 49 percent of American workers were employed on farms at the time. In 1894, Labor Day became a… Continue reading

Were you busy attending the Farm Progress Show this week in Boone, Iowa with other farmers and ag professionals? Or, perhaps you were busy polishing up your equipment and making last-minute repairs before harvest? Either way, we’ve put together a roundup of the top headlines in agriculture from the past… Continue reading

USDA projects farm income to rise around 5 percent in 2022 The USDA said Thursday it expects farm income for 2022 to rise 5.2 percent, to $147.7 billion, from a year earlier, with cash receipts for agricultural commodities at a record level. But higher production expenses and lower government Covid-19… Continue reading