After reaching ‘peak cotton,’ a declining role for China Rising costs and increasing competition will, in coming years, reduce the dominance that China has enjoyed in the cotton industry since joining the WTO in 2001, said an Agriculture Department report. China is the world’s largest cotton grower, importer and consumer… Continue reading

U.S.-China ag trade endures amid rancorous rivalry China was far and away the top customer for U.S. food and ag exports, despite rising tensions between the nations and the still-unresolved trade war, according to government data released on Monday. Agricultural economist David Widmar said China was on track to break… Continue reading

Senate approves additional $20 billion for voluntary conservation practices The climate, tax and healthcare bill passed by Democratic senators on Sunday included $20 billion to ramp up USDA’s voluntary land stewardship programs, a potential windfall for climate mitigation ahead of the 2023 farm bill. “We are equipping farmers, foresters and… Continue reading

Fast Facts About Agriculture & Food (AG Insider) 2 million farms dot America’s rural landscape, and 98% are operated by families – individuals, family partnerships or family corporations (America’s Diverse Family Farms). One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad. The global population is expected to… Continue reading

What Does ‘Rural Prosperity’ Mean to Members of Congress? (AG Insider) Among the political class, how to slice-and-dice complex issues with buzzwords, messaging, and slogans comes with the territory. Every public official, candidate for office, policy wonk, journalist, advocate, organizer, or campaign worker has to sort through the rhetoric and… Continue reading

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet (AG INSIDER) For many households in the US, vegetables have long been considered a side dish to main meat dishes such as steak, chicken, or pork. Yet diets in the US are changing rapidly, partly due to growing awareness of the many negative consequences of… Continue reading

The Importance of US Farmers (AG Insider) Agriculture is one of the original foundations of US society and has played a key role in North American history. Farmers today play an essential role in the US economy, providing food for domestic consumption and agricultural commodities for international export. Farm products… Continue reading

1) Fed hikes interest rate: Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates by 75 basis points for the second straight month on Wednesday. Chair Jerome Powell says a similar move is possible again. The back-to-back June and July increases are the biggest rate hikes since the early 1980s. Bloomberg Economics thinks… Continue reading

Ag trade nominee’s plan: ‘Break down the barriers’ Doug McKalip told senators that if he’s confirmed as U.S. chief agricultural negotiator, “it will be my duty to break down the barriers” to U.S. food and ag exports. During a friendly and relatively brief confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Senate… Continue reading

House panel votes to expand child nutrition programs More children would be eligible for free school meals and the WIC program would cover children up to age 6 under legislation approved on a party-line vote by the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday. While the bill’s Democratic sponsors claimed… Continue reading