Smallest number of U.S. farms since 1850, says ag census
The United States, one of the agricultural powers of the world, has the smallest number of farms — 1.9 million — since 1850, when there were only 31 states and four territories, said the USDA Census of Agriculture on Tuesday. Nearly four of every 10 farmers were over the age of 65 in 2022, when the data was collected, an abrupt surge from the 2017 census, when one in three farmers was at retirement age.
Food inflation below 3 percent for third month in a row
The food price inflation rate edged lower, to 2.6 percent, in January, the third month in a row that food inflation was below 3 percent, said the Consumer Price Index report on Tuesday. The overall U.S. inflation rate was higher than expected at 3.1 percent.
Farm Bill
We need a farm bill for farmworkers
Farm work has long been among the most dangerous jobs in America. But while Congress has had many chances to bolster labor protections in the 18 versions of the farm bill it has passed since 1933, it has largely ignored the needs of the workers who plant, tend, harvest, and process the nation’s food. As climate change worsens, this disregard for the food system’s “essential workers” is increasingly hard to justify. Several studies have associated extreme heat with excess cardiovascular deaths. The legislation has long supported farm owners, through federal crop insurance and other programs; when things go wrong for farmers, the government is there to help. Yet Congress continues to treat labor as being outside the legislation’s purview.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Bird flu death in Cambodia: A nine-year-old boy has died of bird flu in northeastern Cambodia, and his 16-year-old brother has tested positive for the virus; it was the first avian influenza death in Cambodia this year. (Associated Press)
No plan? It’s okay: An Iowa state Senate subcommittee advanced a bill that would allow feedlot owners to spread manure on fields even if they were waiting for state approval of their nutrient management plans or appealing a rejection. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Global pork slowdown forecast: Early signs point to a contraction in the number of breeding sows kept in herds in key regions of the world, including China and the United States, and a slowdown in global pork production, said a Rabobank report. (Meat and Poultry)
Ukrainian farmers favor oilseeds: A farmer survey by the Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry found growers intend to expand plantings of oilseed crops, such as soybeans, by 11 percent this year and reduce corn area by 9 percent. (AgriCensus)
