In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention late last week, former President Donald Trump made no direct mention of agriculture, but he touched on a number of issues — electric vehicles, clean energy and trade — that directly affect the agriculture industry. “Trump started the rambling 1½-hour speech on a unifying note and […]
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.
Low Commodity Prices Hurting Farm Income Outlook
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported Thursday that “farmers are on track to harvest some of their largest corn and soybean crops ever, but the ongoing decline in commodity prices is putting farm income in question, said the Beige Book issued by the Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday.” “Regional Fed banks in Chicago and Minneapolis said […]
Domestic SAF Production Capacity Could Increase by 1400% in 2024
Reuters reported Wednesday that “production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel in the United States could jump by 1400% in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.” “The EIA anticipates domestic production of (other) biofuels will increase by about 50% in 2024, led by rising SAF […]
Bird Flu Found in Oklahoma Dairy Cows
Reuters’ Tom Polansek and Brijesh Patel reported Monday that “Oklahoma has become the 13th U.S. state to detect bird flu in dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Monday, though the state said the infection happened months ago.” “The confirmation shows the outbreak was more widespread than U.S. authorities knew after the virus […]
Smithfield Foods Plans Public Stock Listing
Bloomberg’s Dong Cao reported Sunday that “the world’s biggest pork producer WH Group Ltd. is spinning off the US and Mexico businesses of Smithfield Foods Inc. and listing them in New York, it said in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing.” “The announcement confirmed a Bloomberg News report Friday, which said WH Group has picked […]
Farm Bill Hopes Continue to Dwindle for 2024
Farm Progress’ Joshua Baethge reported at the end of last week that “it’s hard to find anyone optimistic about passing a new farm bill this year. While the two political parties don’t agree on much, there’s a growing consensus that nothing is going to happen this year. All signs point to another (farm bill) extension […]
Senate, House Committees Advance Ag-FDA Spending Bills
Axios’ Victoria Knight reported Thursday that “the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Agriculture-FDA spending bill 27-0 Thursday.” “Both chambers of Congress have now approved their FY25 Ag-FDA funding bills out of the full committees,” Knight reported. “The bill was approved with little debate on the Senate side, with senators approving the bill and the accompanying […]
Some Ag Damage Reported from Hurricane Beryl
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported Tuesday that “it will take time to assess all the agricultural damage in Texas and other states from Hurricane Beryl and its remnants, but at least some grain infrastructure was knocked out by winds that reached 95 miles per hour in some areas.” “For farmers in areas such as Wharton […]
Grain Prices Hitting Lowest Levels Since 2020
Bloomberg’s Gerson Freitas Jr and Tarso Veloso reported Monday that “grain prices have slumped to the lowest level since the pandemic as Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to bring rains to the Midwest, potentially aiding yields at a critical time for crop development.” “The Bloomberg Grains Subindex, which tracks futures for corn, soybeans and wheat […]
Federal Ag Spending Bills to be Considered this Week
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Grace Yarrow reported Monday that “amid election controversy and campaign buzz, appropriations leaders will convene this week to start to hammer out key spending plans. The coming weeks are a critical time for lawmakers to push funding bills ahead of August’s recess. The Senate Appropriations Ag-FDA subcommittee will mark up […]
Colorado Dairy Worker Becomes 4th Human Bird Flu Case
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported last week that “public health officials in Colorado on Wednesday announced an adult man had tested positive for avian flu after reporting mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, or pink eye. The man is an employee at a dairy farm who had exposure to infected cattle and recovered after antiviral treatment, officials said.” […]
Farmers Still Holding Corn & Soybeans Amid Low Prices
Reuters’ Karen Braun reported Tuesday that “survey work published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday showed June 1 U.S. corn stocks at 4.99 billion bushels, a four-year high, up 22% from a year earlier and up 7% from the 10-year average for June 1. But 61% of those corn supplies was held on […]
Shell Pauses Biofuels Project Amid Tough Market Conditions
Market Watch’s Louis Goss reported that “Shell on Tuesday said it had temporarily halted construction of a major biofuels production facility in the Netherlands, in a bid to ensure it is able to produce competitively in the face of an anticipated flood of sustainable fuels into the market from the U.S.” “The London-headquartered company first […]
John Deere Laying Off 600+ More Employees
Fox Business’ Michael Dorgan reported this past Saturday that “John Deere, the world’s largest seller of tractors and crop harvesters, has announced another wave of layoffs Friday, telling around 610 production staff at plants in Illinois and Iowa that they will be out of a job by the end of the summer.” “The company is […]
Corn Acres Down, Soybeans Up Over Last Year
FarmWeek’s Daniel Grant reported Friday that “a challenging planting season apparently didn’t stop U.S. farmers from seeding a hefty amount of corn and soybeans, according to USDA’s much-anticipated June acreage report released (this past) Friday. Despite wild weather fluctuations in recent months, USDA pegged planted acreage at 91.5 million acres of corn and 86.1 million […]
USDA to Pay Dairies For Milk Loss Due to Bird Flu
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported Thursday that “USDA will now pay dairy farmers for lost milk production if their herds have been infected with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza.” “Starting Monday, July 1, producers who have confirmed infections in their herds can apply for lost milk production at the Farm Service Agency under the Emergency […]
Iowa Regulators Approve Summit Carbon Pipeline Permit
The Des Moines Register’s Kevin Baskins reported that “after a 2½-year process filled with controversy, the Iowa Utilities Board on Tuesday approved Summit Carbon Solutions’ request to build a carbon capture pipeline across Iowa.” “In perhaps the most controversial part of its decision, the board said Summit will be able to use eminent domain to […]
House Farm Bill Provision Could Block Roundup Lawsuits
The Washington Post’s Tony Romm reported late last week that “the approximately 1,000-page House version of the (Farm Bill) contains a single section — drafted with the aid of Bayer — that could halt some lawsuits against Roundup, according to documents viewed by The Washington Post and seven people familiar with the matter, who spoke […]
Denmark Implementing Novel Tax on Farm Emissions
Bloomberg’s Sanne Wass reported Monday that “Denmark will introduce a levy on farm emissions in what is set to be one of the world’s first carbon taxes on agriculture, helping the Nordic nation reach its 2030 climate target with backing from key industry and environmental groups.” “Farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton […]
Rain Causing Growing Concern for U.S. Crops
Reuters’ Naveen Thukral reported Monday that “in the United States, a top food exporter, intense heat has gripped parts of the east coast, while excessive rains in the key Midwest growing region and forecasts for more wet weather have raised fears of floods.” “‘In the Midwest, the focus is shifting from heat to too much […]