Representatives from 37 U.S. agribusinesses and farm organizations including 9 from California will join Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh for an agribusiness trade mission to London, June 22-24. Participants will engage directly with foreign buyers, receive in-depth market briefs from the Foreign Agricultural Service and industry trade experts, and participate in site…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
USDA Extends Comment Period on Fertilizer Supply Chain Issues
The Department of Agriculture extending the comment deadline regarding its “Access to Fertilizer: Competition and Supply Chain Concerns” Federal Register notice. USDA extended the comment deadline another month to July 15th. Andy Green, USDA’s Senior Advisor for Fair and Competitive Markets, says the new deadline allows “commenters to provide additional feedback regarding the role of…… MORE
Ag Tractor & Combine Sales Fall Below Five-Year Average
U.S. tractor and combine monthly unit sales in May 2022 fell below the five-year average for the first time since March 2020. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers released the monthly data last week, which shows U.S. total farm tractor sales fell 14.5% for the month of May compared to 2021, and U.S. combine sales for…… MORE
Smithfield Foods Closing Plant in California
Smithfield Foods says it will stop all harvest and processing operations in Vernon, which is in the Los Angeles area. The closure is expected to happen in early 2023 due to the rising cost of doing business in the state. At the same time, the company will align its hog production system by reducing its…… MORE
Farmer Outlook Sinks as Production Costs Skyrocket
The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer plummeted in May to a reading of just 99, the weakest reading since April 2020. The May 2022 barometer reading marked just the ninth time since data collection began in fall 2015 that the overall measure of farmer sentiment fell below 100. Agricultural producers’ perceptions regarding current conditions…… MORE
FFA Members Head to Washington, D.C.
For more than fifty years, FFA members from across the country converge in Washington, D.C., in the summer. After a two-year delay, the Washington Leadership Conference is back. More than 2,000 students are registered for the 2022 Washington Leadership Conference, the second-largest student experience the National FFA Organization hosts each year. FFA members can attend…… MORE
Cotton Trust Protocol Launches Streamline Enrollment
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol announced a new streamlined three-year grower enrollment for the 2022 through 2024 crops. The new process is designed to be quick, easy, and efficient, which allows a grower-member’s cotton to enter the supply chain sooner. Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, says they understand the high…… MORE
Census of Agriculture Sign-Up
Ag producers have until June 30 to sign up to receive the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The National Agricultural Statistics Service will mail ag census survey codes for responding securely online to every known U.S. producer in November. Hard copy questions will be mailed in December. The ag census has been conducted for more than…… MORE
USDA’s New Framework For Food Supply Chain
The Department of Agriculture unveils a new framework to transform the food system and supply chain. The framework seeks to provide more options, increase access, and create new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers. The announcement builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s war…… MORE
Ag Exports Support More Than One Million Jobs
The benefits of U.S. ag exports to the American economy far exceed the value of shipments alone. The production, processing, storage, transportation, and marketing of farm and food products headed for the export market support a large number of jobs throughout the U.S. The USDA’s Economic Research Service says in 2020, U.S. agricultural exports supported…… MORE
