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For many commodities, market prices have been dismal and with years of declining farm income, many older farmers are calling it quits and walking away. 

Wild fires in California and other Western states have burned more than 1,000 square miles of timberland and grassland.

USDA’s Sid Abel and Doug McKalip just briefed me on the new regulatory framework that is shaping up for the oversight of plants modified by what they are now calling “plant breeding innovations.” 

Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator of the Andrew Wheeler recently announced their intent to reassess and correct the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.

Good news – ethanol exports are up 33 percent so far this year.

Their names almost make them sound like the villains in an old John Wayne movie: Palmer Amaranth, Tall Waterhemp, and Giant Ragweed.

I’m going to focus on some different issues today. Trade is in the spotlight.

It’s a challenging time for agriculture. Trade wars are brewing. Prices are down. Interest rates are going up.

The House and Senate Farm Bill conferees will soon begin work to align their versions of the 2018 Farm Bill.

The 2014 Farm Bill created the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to encourage public/private partnerships focused on cutting edge agricultural research and provided it with initial funding of $200 million.