Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported this past weekend that “farmers who grow the crops being hammered the hardest by commodity market declines are hitting Capitol Hill this week, accompanied by ag bankers and Farm Credit lenders, to make a last-ditch push for a new farm bill.” “In an unusual lobbying move, teams of farmers representing the […]
Ryan Hanrahan
Ryan Hanrahan is the Farm Policy News editor and social media director for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked in local news, primarily as an agriculture journalist in the American West. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.S. Science & Agricultural Journalism). He can be reached at rrh@illinois.edu.
Human Bird Flu Case Not Linked to Animal Exposure Reported in Missouri
NPR’s Juliana Kim reported over the weekend that “health officials have identified a person in Missouri sick with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals — marking the first case of the virus in the U.S. this year not linked to farm work.” “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that […]
Farm Income To Fall Less Than Expected in 2024, USDA Says
Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman reported Thursday that “US farmers are poised to see a smaller-than-expected drop in income this year, down only 4.4% from 2023 even as prices of corn and soybeans — America’s two biggest crops — have plummeted.” “Growers are expected to see overall earnings of $140 billion, not including adjustments for inflation, according […]
EU Reflection Group Urges Overhaul of Ag Sector
Politico’s Paula Andrés reported Wednesday that “business as usual is no longer an option for European farmers and businesses if climate collapse and economic hardship are to be avoided.” “That’s the top line of a joint report presented to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, the result of seven months of intense […]
Corn, Soy Prices to Remain Near Pre-2020 Levels in Coming Years
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported at the end of last week that “after soaring at the start of this decade, season-average prices for the three major U.S. crops will drop to pre-pandemic levels and stay there for the near term, said a University of Missouri think tank on Thursday. Cattle would be the most notable […]
Brazil Soy Planting Growth Slowing, Argentina Accelerating
Argentina could see the largest expansion of soybean planting in more than a decade in the 2024-25 planting season, while Brazil’s soybean plantings are expected to grow at the slowest pace in a decade during the same time frame. Reuters’ Maximilian Heath reported that “Argentine farmers are likely to plant more soybeans in the current […]
Panama Canal Increasing Ship Traffic After Drought
Bloomberg’s Michael D McDonald reported on Tuesday that “the Panama Canal is lifting restrictions that caused a global shipping bottleneck as water levels normalize after a severe drought.” “The Panama Canal Authority increased the draft in the waterway to a maximum 50 feet and will allow 36 vessels a day to transit after recent rains […]
US Ag Trade Deficit Projected to Top $42 Billion
FERN’s Ag Insider reported earlier this week that “the U.S. food and ag trade deficit will soar to a record $42.5 billion in the fiscal year opening on Oct. 1, fueled by steadily growing consumer demand for imported fresh produce, alcohol, coffee, and sugar, said USDA economists on Tuesday. It would be the third year […]
Judge blocks Biden rule on H-2A workers unionizing
Reuters’ Daniel Wiessner reported Tuesday that “a federal judge in Georgia has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a rule that bars employers from retaliating against farmworkers who are in the U.S. on temporary H-2A visas and trying to form unions in 17 Republican-led states.” “U.S. District Judge Lisa Wood in Brunswick, Georgia, said on […]
Kroger-Albertsons Merger Trial Underway with FTC
Reuters’ Jody Godoy and Deborah Bloom reported that “the U.S. Federal Trade Commission kicked off a trial on Monday in its bid to block Kroger’s $25 billion merger with Albertsons, telling a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, that the deal would eliminate competition between the top grocery store chains and hit consumers’ wallets.” “The FTC […]
Pro Farmer Tour Finds ‘Spectacular’ US Soybean Crop
Pro Farmer Editors reported on Friday that “Pro Farmer estimates the U.S. corn crop at 14.979 billion bushels using an average yield of 181.1 bushels per acre. We estimate the U.S. soybean crop at 4.740 billion bushels at an average yield of 54.9 bushels per acre.” “The national estimates above reflect Pro Farmer’s view on […]
Canadian Government Orders Arbitration to End Rail Stoppage
The Associated Press’s Rob Gillies and Josh Funk reported Thursday evening that “freight trains in Canada could be running again within days after the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union Thursday, a move aimed at averting potentially dire economic consequences across the country and in the U.S. if […]
Democratic Platform Calls for Net-Zero Ag Emissions by 2050
Farm Progress’s Joshua Baethge reported Tuesday that “Democrats are vowing to reduce agriculture emissions to net-zero by 2050. The declaration is part of the party’s 2024 platform released Monday to coincide with its national convention. It calls for expanded federal programs to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners pursue ‘high-productivity, lower-emission, and generative agricultural practices,’ […]
EPA Finalizes Endangered Species Herbicide Strategy
Agri-Pulse’s Steve Davies reported Tuesday that “EPA’s final herbicide strategy, designed to protect more than 900 species listed as threatened or endangered, includes more options for growers and reduces the burden on applicators compared to the draft released last year, the agency said Tuesday.” “EPA identified a handful of mitigation measures that, when used on […]
Canadian Rail Stoppage Looms This Week
The Associated Press’ Tom Krisher reported this past weekend that “Canada’s two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the U.S.” “Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National railroads, which […]
VP Harris Calls For Federal Ban on Food Price Gouging
The New York Times’ Jim Tankersley and Jeanna Smialek reported this past Friday that “Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic agenda for her presidential campaign features an argument that blames corporate price gouging for high grocery prices.” “That message polls well with swing voters. It has been embraced by progressive groups, which regularly point to price […]
US Likely Undercounting Bird Flu Cases in Dairy Cattle
Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Thursday that “the U.S. bird-flu outbreak in dairy cattle is much larger than official figures suggest due to farmers’ reluctance to test their animals and risk the economic consequences of a positive result, according to Reuters interviews with dairy experts, veterinarians, and farmers in six states with known […]
California Proposes Credits Cap for Soy-Based Renewable Diesel
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Tuesday that “the California Air Resources Board is proposing to cap the amount of renewable diesel made from soybean or canola oil that would qualify for the state’s low carbon fuel standard.” “Proposed revisions for amendments to CARB rules for the California LCFS also would require feedstocks such as soybeans to […]
US Renewable Diesel Imports Up 29% This Year
FERN’s Ag Insider reported Monday that “the United States imported near-record volumes of renewable diesel fuel in each of the first five months of this year, averaging 30,000 barrels a day, said the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The imports, which were 29% higher than in the same period in 2023, came from one producer, Neste, […]
USDA Projects Record Soybean, Corn Yields
The USDA on Monday said that US farmers will grow a record soybean crop in 2024, while national average yields for both corn and soybeans will set record highs. In its Crop Production Report on Monday, the USDA said that the national average soybean yield is estimated at 53.2 bushels per acre — 1.3 bpa […]