U.S. Department of Agriculture
Soybean oil, food waste and leftover feedstocks and manure will be turned into bioproducts like asphalt and plastic, thanks to a USDA program aimed at increasing U.S. competition in global markets.
Funding will be drawn from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), a development that has caught lawmakers’ attention.
Grains mixed after WASDE. The only change USDA made to U.S. ending stocks was in corn by lowering exports. Brian Splitt of AgMarket.Net has analysis.
Data released by USDA on Monday shows the farm share of the U.S. food dollar hit an all-time low in 2021. However, USDA says the decrease doesn’t necessarily mean producers are making less.
USDA has announced additional disaster and pandemic assistance for farmers, plus there is more funding for climate smart ag on the way.
The Virginia farmers filing the suit allege repeal of the debt relief effort is a breach of contract by the government, arguing some farmers made financial plans based on the expectation of getting debt relief.
These funds—separate from the $500 million recently enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act—will be used for facility installation, retrofitting and pump upgrades, along with new equipment and buildings.
Have You Looked into NRCS Program Funding? New Opportunities Available in the Reconciliation Package
The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into action on Tuesday, triggering a stream of funds to ag, including conservation. USDA penned a press release to break down its plans for roughly $60 billion in new funds.
When adjusted for inflation, 2022 net cash farm income is forecast to increase by $13.5 billion (8.7%) from 2021 and be at its highest level since 2012.
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives is sounding the alarm about restrictions on the movement of H-2A workers within Mexico in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dollars tagged for such purposes are part of the Build Back Better program, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief plan.
Secretary Vilsack addresses issues in market disruptions, climate change, and animal disease prevention as well as how the Biden Administration plans to eliminate them.
Corn planted area for all purposes in 2019 is estimated at 92.8 million acres, while soybean planted area for 2019 is estimated at 84.6 million acres.
USDA released a slew of reports of Friday, initially sending markets lower.
USDA Chief Economist Dr. Robert Johansson will retire at the end of January and will be replaced by Dr. Seth Meyer.
Biden administration wants more total planted acres with a focus on soybeans and wheat. That is the clear conclusion from what the administration is proposing as part of its latest wish list for Congress.
According to Secretary Vilsack, these efforts will “increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally,” while building wealth in rural America.
There’s a stick, a big stick, with potentially big consequences for those involved in the value chain—all the way down to the farm gate.
An executive order on biotech and biomanufacturing was signed into law by President Biden on Tuesday. The order tasks Secy. Vilsack with reporting how the initiative can best benefit ag, but some funds are spoken for.
Corn and soybeans are pushing higher after some surprises in the September USDA Supply and Demand Report. Wheat mostly lower. Livestock mixed. Michelle Rook gets analysis with Matt Bennett of AgMarket.Net.
University of Missouri, South Dakota University and Iowa Soybean Association were named winners at the Farm Progress show in Boone, Ia. on Tuesday. Vilsack noted requests from over 1,000 applications topped $20 billion.
It will be a combination of cover crops, reduced nitrogen rates or split nitrogen applications as well as nutrient reduction wetlands, bioreactors, and saturated buffers Iowa farmers will use to meet their goals.
Sen. Joe Manchin went from being his party’s main holdout on major social policy, climate and tax legislation, to striking a domestic spending package deal that includes climate and energy programs and tax increases.
USDA raised its consumer food price forecast again, to 8.5% to 9.5% for 2022. The agency had initially predicted a 2% to 3% rise in prices. Eggs, fats and oils, and poultry prices are making the biggest gains.
According to the USDA, 2020 farming activities in the U.S. made up 11.2 percent, or 670 of 5,981 million metrics tons, of the U.S.’s total carbon contribution.
The CPI, an inflation gauge measuring what consumers pay for goods and services, rose 1.3% from May to June. Prices were up across the economy, with gasoline far outpacing other categories, up 11.2%.
The July WASDE report from USDA shows while soybean production this year is expected to fall due to fewer soybean acres planted across the U.S., USDA is also forecasting a drop in exports.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced agricultural producers have already received more than $4 billion through the Emergency Relief Program (formerly WHIP+), representing 67% of the $6 billion projected to be paid.
Soybean acres are estimated at 88.3 million, up 1% from last year. This is down from March’s estimate of 90.955 million and below the pre-report trade average of 90.446 million.
Transforming the U.S. food system by improving supply chains and addressing issues exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic was detailed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack during a speech at Georgetown University.