Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase the transparency and oversight of foreign ownership in America’s agricultural industry. The “Farmland Security Act of 2023” builds on the “Farmland Security Act of 2022” by ensuring that all foreign investors, including “shell companies,” who buy American agricultural land report their holdings…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
USDA Accepts New Round Of CRP Acres
The USDA is accepting offers for nearly 2.7 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners in this year’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program signup. The program received a record-setting signup of 4.6 million acres in offers. The working lands program allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and furthering…… MORE
California Canning Peach Industry Research
California Farm Bureau says the rising cost of labor and a shortage of skilled workers to hand-pick fruit, has lead California canning peach growers to turn to science for help. Researchers are creating new varieties which are firm and flavorful, which could lead to widespread adoption of mechanical picking. A UC Davis geneticist says new…… MORE
Lawmakers Introduce Women in Agriculture Bill
The Women in Agriculture Act would establish a research priority for agriculture machinery and equipment designed to be used by women, and create a funding set aside for childcare facilities in rural areas. The bill also creates a Women Farmers and Ranchers Liaison position at the Department of Agriculture. Although the number of women in…… MORE
High Production Costs Continue Into Next Year
USDA’s first cost of production forecast for major field crops like corn, wheat, cotton, rice, and others shows that input costs are expected to remain elevated into the next growing season. The costs will likely be at the third-highest level of all time and only slightly lower than the record high in 2022. While some…… MORE
Growing California Dates With Less Water
California grows more than half of the nation’s dates, which mostly come from the Coachella Valley, according to California Farm Bureau. The crop is worth about $90 million dollars a year. But since that part of California is very dry and water is in tight supply from the Colorado River, University of California researchers are…… MORE
Tractor Sales Up
Total farm tractor unit sales in the U.S. turned positive for the first time in 2023, led by continued strength in large tractors and combines. The Association of Equipment Manufactures report gains in the U.S. market were led by 100-plus horsepower two-wheel-drive units, up 25.4%, closely followed by four-wheel-drive units, up 21.9%. However, a change…… MORE
USDA Spending Accountability Act Introduced
The bill was introduced by Republican Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Mike Braun of Indiana. The legislation would limit the disbursal of funds through the USDA’s financing institution, known as the Commodity Credit Cooperation, to be permitted only when authorized by Congress. The Secretary of Agriculture has broad discretionary authority…… MORE
Canned And Frozen Corn Industry Struggling
For those whose primary experience with corn is the butter-drenched cob variety, it might come as a surprise that other forms of sweet corn are in trouble. A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analysis shows sweet corn production for frozen and canned products has been steadily shrinking in the U.S. over the past 27 years,…… MORE
USDA Expands Risk Management Options
The USDA is expanding insurance coverage options for specialty crops and other actual production history crop programs. Through the Risk Management Agency, it will expand the availability of enterprise units to crops where they were previously not available, giving agriculture producers greater options to manage risk. An enterprise unit allows a producer to insure all…… MORE
