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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
U.S. beef exports saw their highest export value since June 2023, reaching $900 million in May, while pork exports trailed in both volume and value compared to a year ago, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Grasshoppers and Mormon crickets are posing a significant threat to Western U.S. agriculture, causing considerable damage to rangelands and forage. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that these pests result in $318 million in crop losses annually.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s broad measure of global food commodity prices was unchanged in June, although vegetable oil prices rose 3.1%, driven in part by strong biofuel demand.
The monthly Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer reported a five-point decline in farmer sentiment in June, three points lower than in May.
Worker layoffs in Iowa agribusiness have extended to the meat processing industry with Smithfield Foods' closure of its ham boning facility at Altoona, and intensified in farm equipment manufacturing, as John Deere cut another 300 jobs.
New climate standards that would require railroads to switch to zero-emission locomotives could reduce market competitiveness and increase food costs, significantly affecting the Midwest.
This presidential debate will hardly be remembered for the policy. The talk around the country today is almost certainly going to be about the relative performance of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, not the positions on issues.
The Agriculture Department will compensate dairy farmers for 90% of the value of milk production lost due to the H5N1 virus through use of its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program, or ELAP.
The House Agriculture Committee is holding a closed-door meeting today on child labor with legal experts and representatives of the meat processing industry.
The softening in grain markets that is pressuring row crop farmers has brought some welcome relief to dairy producers, but the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on dairy farms continues to weigh on the sector.