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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
The 2022-23 soybean marketing year starts officially on Thursday, and signs indicate exports will get off to a strong start. USDA data shows China is buying heavily, but marketing and education efforts by U.S. farm groups are paying off as demand is also growing in places like Egypt.
USDA is going to use the upcoming Census of Agriculture to find out where farmers are using precision agriculture methods and to identify parts of the country where there are gaps in high-speed internet access.
The USDA Tuesday raised its forecast for ag exports in fiscal year 2022 to $196 billion, but the department also predicted the value of overseas shipments will fall in FY 2023.
Seven western agricultural groups are pressing the Bureau of Reclamation to quickly determine how it plans to spend $4 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding to incentivize water conservation in drought-stricken areas.
Some farmers could face foreclosure on USDA loans as soon as this fall, so the department may begin providing some newly authorized debt relief through a phased-in approach in order to address the immediate need for help, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.
The Senate Finance Committee plans to vote Sept. 7 on whether to send the nomination of USDA adviser Doug McKalip for chief agricultural trade negotiator to the full Senate for confirmation.
More than a year after courts forced the Agriculture Department to shut down a debt forgiveness program for minority farmers, Congress is set to give USDA wide open authority to aid borrowers of all races while providing additional aid to victims of past discrimination.
The average value of American cropland across the country rose sharply by about 14% in 2022 as strong commodity prices and inflation eclipsed rising input and other production costs. It was the second straight year farmers saw substantial increases in the value of their land, with some of the biggest jumps in the Northern Plains, Corn Belt and Lake States, according to new USDA data.
A revised climate funding package Democrats are pushing through the Senate this weekend scraps a debt relief program for minority farmers that was blocked by the courts and replaces it with new programs earmarked for “distressed” USDA borrowers as well as farmers the department has discriminated against.
