Farmers, hit by supply chain delays, expect higher input costs
Supply-chain disruptions “haunt the nation’s agricultural sector,” with four of every 10 large-scale farmers and ranchers reporting difficulties in buying inputs ranging from fertilizer to farm equipment parts, according to a Purdue University survey released on Tuesday. Operators also increasingly expect to pay dearly for the goods.
Deere to market fully autonomous tractor for farm tillage
The world’s largest farm equipment maker, Deere and Co., said on Tuesday it will begin sales later this year of a “fully autonomous tractor that’s ready for large-scale production,” but limited for the moment to tillage.
Today’s Quick Hits
SNAP boost for Kentucky: An estimated 14,000 low-income households in Kentucky may be eligible for a month of food stamps under a SNAP initiative for people living in disaster areas, said the USDA. (Food and Nutrition Service)
An unfair California healthy soils program?: A program that helps farmers adopt sustainable soil practices “is ‘massively disadvantageous’ to small-scale farmers with diversified operations, as well as to those who can’t speak English fluently,” says a sustainable agriculture advocate. (InsideClimate News).
Rep. Bobby Rush retires: Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said he will not run for an 11th term. The former Black Panther is the 24th House Democrat who will not seek re-election this year. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Expedite ag exports: The Port of Oakland will open a 25-acre off-terminal container yard as part of an effort to speed up farm exports and end a year-old shipping crisis. (Port of Oakland)
New SOAR chair: Barbara Schaal, a former first vice president of the National Academy of Sciences, was named chair of Supporters of Agricultural Research, a non-partisan coalition that advocates for public research funding for agriculture. (SOAR)
Organic Week rescheduled: The annual Organic Week gathering in Washington will be held from March 28-30, rather than the originally scheduled Jan. 31-Feb. 2, said organizers, who pointed to the surge in Covid-19 cases. (Organic Trade Association)
