Bloomberg’s Áine Quinn reported Tuesday that “dried out soils in Russia and Ukraine are threatening plantings for next year’s wheat harvest, yet another headache for farmers hit by weather setbacks and the ongoing war.” “Swaths of land across the nations, which together account for more than a quarter of all wheat exports, are too dry […]
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.
Lawmakers Consider Farm Aid as Farm Bill Remains Stalled
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Monday that “a senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee said Monday lawmakers are considering attaching a package of farm income support to a farm bill extension that could be enacted at the end of the year.” “Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, speaking at the annual Ag Outlook Forum presented by Agri-Pulse […]
Mississippi River Levels Falling At Harvest Time
The Associated Press’ Jim Salter reported this past week that “the water level of the Mississippi River is unusually low for the third straight year, forcing barge companies to put limits on how much cargo they can carry and cutting into farm profits. It was just two months ago that much of the Mississippi River […]
USDA Increases Corn Yield Estimate to New Record
Progressive Farmer Staff reported Thursday that “going against analysts’ pre-report estimates, USDA on Thursday raised corn production slightly as the yield was bumped up to a record level. Corn production was pegged at 15.186 billion bushels, up 39 million bushels from August. The yield was raised 0.5 bushels per acre to a record 183.6 bpa.” […]
Clean Fuels Tax Credit to Be Finalized By January, Ag Secretary Says
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported Tuesday that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday he is confident that a clean fuels tax credit program set to take effect in 2025 will be finalized by end of the Biden administration in January.” “The program would provide credits for the production of lower-emission transportation fuels, including sustainable […]
Low South American River Levels Hindering Crop Shipments
Rivers throughout South America have reached such low levels in recent days and weeks that shipments of grains and oilseeds have been hindered, though the effects at this time are not catastrophic for export levels as it is not peak trading season, ag groups have said. Water levels in the rivers that run through the […]
Final 2024 Farm Bill Push Underway on Capitol Hill
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 […]
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 […]