Latest News From Coronavirus

I don’t see anything that we could share with a farmer at a farm show that would help them gain economic security. We need to have conversations that give them confidence..." says Chris Haag.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will issue an Executive Order on June 12 canceling the Illinois and Du Quoin State Fairs for 2020. However, youth exhibitors will still have a chance to showcase their hard work in September.

A biotechnology company in South Dakota is using cows to produce human antibodies to fight SARS-CoV-2.

Countless fairs, festivals and expositions have been canceled for 2020 – but not the Missouri State Fair. It will be held as scheduled on August 13 to 23, however, organizers say it will look a little different. 

Optimism may be starting to sprout among farmers and ranchers, despite the impact COVID-19 is having on nearly every sector of agriculture, according to the latest Ag Economy Barometer.

MAGIE is one of the biggest outdoor farm shows dedicated to the ag retail and commercial applicator market.

One investment in their business that has paid off during the pandemic has been the digital customer portal, which was launched in 2019.

A new tracking tool developed at the University of Missouri provides a continuously updated 14-day snapshot of new cases of COVID-19 in every county in the nation.

USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey says actual ag losses from coronavirus could be three to four times the $16 billion appropriated for relief payments to farmers.

Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’ Lakes recently shared her thoughts on food production moving forward.  

The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has broken all the rules. What the world is facing is something economist David McWilliams likes to call a “pandession.”

The White House unveiled the "Farmers to Families Food Box Program." While many dairy groups praise the program, saying it hits all stops of the supply chain, some produce companies say it misses the mark.

The Management Consulting and Learning Services team at FLM Harvest has been digging into this challenge and developed the following strategies to guide our clients and their sales teams through this turbulent time.

Specific to COVID-19, the OSHA guidelines borrow a lot of language from the CDC guidelines, but they are specific to workplaces.

New data shows COVID-19 illnesses at the farm level are less than 1%. Purdue University teamed up with Microsoft to create an online Food and Ag Vulnerability map.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause economic pain and pessimism in rural America. The Rural Mainstreet Index sits at 12.5 for May 2020.

University of Minnesota economist Marin Bozic says the program will help avert disaster in the dairy industry.

Frozen 2 was projected onto the grain elevator at Landus Cooperative in Jefferson, Iowa, for 110 parked cars.

“This is about guiding the grower in the right direction,” says Worker Safety Lead, Lilly Reyes with GAR Bennett, LLC. “We want to reassure the grower and the employees that we will get through this together.”

How will the COVID-19 pandemic transform agriculture? David Kohl, professor emeritus of agricultural finance at Virginia Tech University, has a few ideas.

Here are three imperative considerations for businesses with 1 to 499 employees.

“Millions of people across the United States are struggling to find nutritious food and provide meals for their families during this unprecedented time,” said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF.

In rural America, lenders expect it to push their local areas into a recession, according to the Rural Mainstreet Index.

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer hit 96 in the April survey. 

Here are just a few of the ways COVID-19 is recasting the supply chain.

On May 1, ag retailers joined Clinton Griffiths on Farm Journals’ live daily webcast to discuss how the planting season of 2020 is progressing, particularly in light of doing business amid COVID-19.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) began accepting applications for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) exclusively for agricultural businesses on Monday.  

Farmers and ranchers are facing a time of unparalleled uncertainty and disruption. No one is left unscathed by the effects of COVID-19. Dealing with stress during a time of social distancing makes the challenge greater.

Today on Farm Journal Live, Clinton Griffiths will talk with seed dealers and a co-op manager about how they are keeping product flowing this planting season amid pandemic restrictions.

A poll during the last two weeks of April asked: “How big of an effect has COVID-19 had on your business this spring?” Of the 45 votes, 56% answered negative or very negative. 

A full-page ad in the New York Times this week sparked a nationwide question: Is the food supply chain actually breaking? Agricultural economists disagree.

The future will definitely look different from the past. In the long run, what opportunities could farmers harvest?

“This is the journey we are on right now,” says Matt Carstens CEO of Landus Cooperative.

Equipment manufacturers are being squeezed by plummeting demand and tightening access to cash, according to Kip Eideberg of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

“Courage recognizes the significant work of farmers, their families, farm communities and all who are engaged in feeding the world.”

See your banker today if you want Paycheck Protection Program money.

"As a global company, giving to the Red Cross is one of the best ways to reach people in need worldwide," Wilbur-Ellis President and CEO John Buckley says. 

Amy Asmus with Asmus Farm Supply, Harold Cooper of Premier Ag, and Henry Holloway of The Mill share their experience and takeaways from helping farmers get off to a strong start in 2020.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved $484 billion in relief for the U.S. economy and hospitals hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, sending the measure to the House of Representatives for final passage later this week.

A deal to replenish the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) under the coronavirus aid package has been reached, but had not yet been put to paper as of this afternoon according to Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

From fresh produce being plowed under to unharvested crops sitting untouched in fields, fruit and vegetable growers are the latest agriculture sector facing fallout from COVID-19.

Payment limits will limit the effectiveness of the $19 billion Coronavirus Food Aid Pla

Three trends are currently underway in the countryside.

Ag. Secretary Sonny Perdue talks with Farm Journal Editor and AgDay Host Clinton Griffiths about the nation’s food supply and efforts to stop the spread of the virus at these plants.

“Weather permitting, ag retailers are reasonably well positioned for an improved outlook on sales and services this spring.”

Jamie Kress, her husband, Cordell, and two children, like countless other farming families, will farm on as usual this year even in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

he Trump administration plans to buy milk and meat from U.S. farmers as part of an initial $15.5 billion effort to help them weather the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Because agriculture businesses are considered essential, the show must go on. As work continues, you need to make sure you keep yourself, your family and your employees safe.

The Andersons’ launch of the customer portal was moved ahead of schedule to best serve customers during the spring season as well as through these unprecedented times. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $15.5 billion in the initial phase of its plan to bolster the nation's food supply chain against the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.