Bloomberg’s Ilena Peng reported Saturday that cotton’s “demand from US manufacturers is on an unrelenting — and accelerating — decline. There were nearly 900 US cotton mills operating around the time of the Chicago expo (in 1893). That number is today around 100, the National Cotton Council estimates, after eight closed in the last five months […]
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.
2024 U.S. Corn Acres Predicted to Fall, Soybeans Increase
United States farmers are predicted to plant 90 million acres of corn and 86.5 million acres of soybeans this year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Prospective Plantings report released Thursday. The corn planted acreage of 90 million is “down 5% or 4.61 million acres from last year,” the USDA said in its […]
Maryland Bridge Collapse Could Affect Ag
NBC News’ Rob Wile and Shannon Pettypiece reported Tuesday that “customers from the East Coast to the Midwest who were expecting goods shipped in via the Port of Baltimore could see significant cost increases as a result of Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore” that has blocked access for ships to […]
FAA Exemption Expands Drone Use in Ag
Fox Business’ Michael Ruiz reported Sunday that “a new exemption for drone piloting from the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the airways for ‘drone-swarm’ agriculture, a method of seeding and spraying crops at a fraction of the traditional cost.” “Hylio, a Texas-based drone manufacturer, successfully applied for an exemption from the FAA to allow fleets […]
Illness Impacting Texas Cattle Confirmed as Bird Flu
AgWeb’s Tyne Morgan reported Monday that “a mystery illness that’s impacted dairy herds in the Texas Panhandle now has a diagnosis: Influenza A. USDA says genetic sequencing revealed it’s the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that’s been in the U.S. for two years.” “APHIS says the ‘National Veterinary Services Laboratories’ detected Influenza […]
Senate Resolution Blocks Paraguay Beef Imports
The Nebraska Examiner’s Jacob Fischler reported this past week that “the U.S. Senate easily passed a resolution Thursday to repeal a Biden administration rule allowing for beef to be imported from Paraguay.” “The resolution targets a final rule the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued in November that allowed for importation […]
Ag Disappointed in Tailpipe Emissions Rule
Progressive Farmer’s Todd Neeley reported Wednesday that “the Biden administration finalized national pollution standards for vehicles through 2032, leaving next to no room for ethanol and other biofuels as a tool to cut emissions.” “While the new standards give automakers some flexibility in how they reduce emissions, the standards do little to use ethanol and other […]
Ag Groups Seek USDA Funds to Recover Markets
Bloomberg’s Gerson Freitas Jr and Isis Almeida reported Tuesday that “the US is seeing fervent industry support for its program to help the nation’s farmers win back overseas markets from rivals including Brazil and Russia, with agriculture groups seeking more than $900 million in aid.” “The US Department of Agriculture received applications for more than […]
EU Imposing Tariffs on Russian Grain
Reuters’ reported Tuesday that “the EU is preparing to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus to placate farmers and some member states, officials familiar with the plans said on Tuesday. Traders said Russian and Belarusian shipments to the bloc were low, certainly relative to those from Ukraine, and that the imposition of […]
Iowa Fertilizer Spill Killing Fish
The Iowa Capital Dispatch’s Jared Strong reported this past weekend that “state conservation officials have found no living fish in the East Nishnabotna River south of Red Oak — the result of a massive fertilizer spill at a farmers cooperative. The only living fish were discovered near Hamburg in far southwest Iowa, downstream of where […]
Texas Wildfires Kill 7,000+ Cattle
The Texas Tribune’s Jayme Lozano Carver reported this past Friday that estimates from recent wildfires in the Texas Panhandle “show more than 7,000 head of cattle died. The final number directly related to the fires could reach 10,000. The true total may not be known for months, as ranchers consider euthanizing cattle with severe injuries such […]
U.S. Wheat Farms Declined 40% in Last 20 Years
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported earlier this week that “the number of wheat farms in the United States has declined substantially over time. Since 2002, the total number of wheat farms fell by more than 40 percent, from 169,528 in 2002 to 97,014 in 2022, and also more than 7 […]
USDA Brazil estimates remain far above Conab
Reuters’ Karen Braun reported Wednesday that “benchmark industry estimates of top exporter Brazil’s soybean crop have deviated even further from each other this month following a season blemished by questionable weather. That same controversy may be brewing for the country’s corn crop, especially with unfavorable conditions potentially on tap for Brazil’s top production state.” Despite […]
ADM Overstated Nutrition Profits by Up To 10%
The Financial Times’ Stephen Foley reported Tuesday that “Archer Daniels Midland, the global agricultural commodities merchant, overstated historical profits at its fast-growing nutrition business by up to 10 percent, it said on Tuesday, setting out for the first time the details of an accounting probe that led to its chief financial officer being put on […]
‘Product of USA’ label restricted to US-grown meat, poultry and eggs
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday finalized a rule requiring meat, poultry, or eggs labeled as a U.S. product to come from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the country.” “The rule, proposed last March, is a victory for U.S. ranchers who argued for years that […]
Farmers Continue Embracing Solar Panels
Bloomberg’s Ilena Peng, Michael Hirtzer, and Will Wade reported Thursday that “farmers are increasingly embracing solar as a buffer against volatile crop prices and rising expenses. Their incomes are heading for a 26% slide this year, the biggest drop since 2006, as cash receipts for corn, soy and sugar cane are expected to drop by […]
Ag Avoids SEC Emissions Reporting Rule
Progressive Farmer’s Todd Neeley reported Wednesday that “the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday voted to finalize a climate-disclosure rule that dropped a requirement for U.S.-listed companies to disclose Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, including farms and ranches.” “The final rule is considered a victory for farmers and ranchers who spoke out against the […]
WIC and Foreign Ag Land Addressed in Funding Bills
The Hill’s Aris Folley reported on Sunday that “congressional leaders on Sunday finally revealed long-awaited bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for most of the year, setting off a bicameral sprint to avert looming shutdown threat in less than a week. ” “The weekend rollout entails six full-year spending bills to fund a […]
Drought Ends Along Mississippi River, For Now
WorkBoat’s Pamela Glass reported last week that “the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has officially declared an end to the severe drought that disrupted barge transportation along the Mississippi River system for more than a year.” “Draft restrictions on vessels have been lifted, and dredges no longer operate to maintain nine-foot navigation throughout the Mississippi […]
Spring Crop Insurance Projected Prices Fall
Progressive Farmer’s Katie Micik Dehlinger reported Thursday that “the corn projected price for 2024 revenue protection policies is 27% lower than last year at $4.66 per bushel, while the soybean projected price is 16% lower at $11.55. Projected prices for spring wheat are $6.85, 30% lower than last year.” “Revenue protection crop insurance policies won’t […]