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
Gov. Gavin Newsom Helps Revive Stalled Bill On Child Trafficking, Bill Passes Safety Committee
UPDATE: Senator Grove’s Human Trafficking Bill Passes Assembly Public Safety Committee SACRAMENTO – Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) released the following statement on the passage of SB 14 from the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a 6-0 vote and 2 abstentions. “Democrats on the Assembly Public Safety Committee today reconsidered the merits of Senate Bill 14…… 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
Authorities Identify 6 People Killed In Plane Crash In Southern California
MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have identified the six California residents who died Saturday when they were on a small plane that crashed after a flight that started in Las Vegas. A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, Mina Kaji, told The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California, that the Cessna C550 business jet took off from…… MORE
Police Search For Northern California Murder Suspect Who Fled A Hospital
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Police are searching for a California man accused of murder who fled from a hospital in a Sacramento suburb early Sunday morning, authorities said. In April, Eric Abril, 35, was arrested in the shooting of a California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages, killing one, in a park in Roseville, a…… 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
Fresno County Suing California Over Yokuts Valley Name Change, Asking Public Input
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Fresno County is suing the state of California over the Yokuts Valley name change and asking for the public’s input. In February, the California Board on Geographic Names changed Squaw Valley, considered a derogatory term for Native American women, to “Yokuts” which translates to “people.” Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB22 requiring…… MORE
