Farmer protests have spread across the European Union — and further — in recent weeks, according to reporting from Reuters’ Sybille De La Hamaide and Gus Trompiz, with farmers “saying they are facing rising costs and taxes, red tape, excessive environmental rules and competition from cheap food imports.” “Demonstrations have been taking place for weeks […]
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.
Year-Round E15 Sales to be Approved for Midwest States in 2025
Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly reported Tuesday that “the White House will approve a request from a group of Midwest governors to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol (in their states), but will push the start date into next year, two sources familiar with discussions said.” “The decision will likely […]
First Ship Abandoned After Red Sea Attack
Bloomberg’s Omar Tamo, Mohammed Hatem, and Alex Longley reported Monday that “the crew of a commercial ship in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel following a Houthi attack — the first such evacuation since the militant group began menacing trade in the vital waterway late last year.” “The strikes on the Rubymar, a relatively small […]
Biden Admin to Back Tougher Ethanol Climate Model
Reuters reported Friday that “President Joe Biden’s administration is poised to announce an adjustment to its scientific modeling for ethanol that will show the corn-based fuel to be less effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions than previously estimated, three sources briefed on the plans told Reuters.” “The adjustment, previously unreported, will make it more difficult […]
USDA Projects Decreased 2024 Planted Acreage
The United States Department of Agriculture reported Thursday that “initial expectations for 2024 planted area are for a decline in total planted area of corn, wheat, and soybeans relative to the previous year. Combined acreage for the three crops is projected at 225.5 million acres — a decline of about 1 percent reflecting expectations of […]
Crop Insurance Costs Projected to Jump 29%
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported Tuesday that “the federally subsidized crop insurance program will cost an additional $27.7 billion over the coming decade, said the Congressional Budget Office in projections released on Monday. The government pays roughly 62¢ of each $1 in premiums, and sales of livestock and forage policies are exploding.” “Crop insurance costs […]
Ag Census Finds Fewer Farms
The United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service published data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture on Tuesday, a release that happens every 5 years. Among the most significant highlights was a decrease in the total number of farms in the U.S. from 2.04 million in 2017 to 1.90 million in 2022. Here […]
Ag Groups Seek Dicamba Stocks Order
Progressive Farmer’s Todd Neeley reported last week that “state and national associations representing soybean and cotton growers and the head of the American Farm Bureau Federation have asked EPA to issue an order to allow farmers to use existing stocks of over-the-top (OTT) dicamba herbicides after a federal court this week vacated the registrations of […]
Soybean Futures Continue Falling
Bloomberg’s Gerson Freitas Jr reported that last week, “soybeans capped an eighth straight week of losses, the longest stretch of declines since 2006, on an outlook for record global stockpiles and sluggish appetite for US exports.” “The losing streak underscores how soybean traders have lacked any incentive to buy futures of the commodity used in […]
Farm Income Forecast to Fall in 2024
The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service reported Wednesday that “net farm income, a broad measure of profits, is forecast at $116.1 billion in calendar year 2024, a decrease of $39.8 billion (25.5 percent) relative to 2023 in nominal (not adjusted for inflation) dollars.” “After adjusting for inflation, net farm income is forecast […]
Lawmakers Launch Ag Trade Caucus
“United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Agricultural Trade Caucus” late last week, according to a press release from Panetta’s office. The caucus, which had been in development since September 2023, will “advance and promote policies vital to U.S. agriculture, […]
Trump Considering 60% Tariff on China
CNBC’s Rebecca Picciotto reported Sunday that “former President Donald Trump plans to escalate the U.S-China trade war he launched during his first term as president if he is elected to the office again in November.” “The GOP frontrunner confirmed in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he is considering a plan to impose tariffs of […]
Mexico Buying US Corn Despite Dispute
Reuters’ Karen Braun reported last week that “the United States has been losing corn export business to Brazil as the South American country continues expanding its output, though top customer Mexico has secured a record volume of U.S. corn for shipment this year.” “That is despite an active dispute between the United States and Mexico […]
Fed Rates Unchanged in January
CNBC’s Jeff Cox reported that “the Federal Reserve on Wednesday sent a tepid signal that it is done raising interest rates but made it clear that it is not ready to start cutting, with a March move lower increasingly unlikely.” “Policy makers have kept their benchmark interest rate between 5.25% and 5.5% — the highest […]
EU Proposes Curbs on Ukraine Ag Imports
Yahoo News’ Julien Girault reported Wednesday that “with farmers venting their anger across Europe, the European Union said Wednesday it would create ‘safeguards’ to stop cheap Ukrainian imports from flooding the market and ease highly contested rules on leaving land unused.” The proposal “introduces an ’emergency brake’ for the most sensitive products – poultry, eggs […]
Ogallala Aquifer Depletion Threatening Rural Communities & Ag
The Kansas Reflector’s Allison Kite and Kevin Hardy reported Monday that “disappearing water” in the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from South Dakota to Texas, “is threatening more than just agriculture. Rural communities are facing dire futures where water is no longer a certainty. Across the Ogallala, small towns and cities built around agriculture are facing […]
Summit Carbon Pipeline Adds More Plants
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “POET LLC, the world’s largest ethanol producer, on Monday said it will partner with Summit Carbon Solutions to capture carbon dioxide emissions at 17 of POET’s U.S. Midwest ethanol plants as part of Summit’s multi-state pipeline project.” “Summit will capture and store 4.7 million metric tons of CO2 from 12 […]
Ethanol-to-Jet Fuel Plant Opens in US
Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman reported Thursday that “the world’s first plant using ethanol to make lower-polluting jet fuel opened in the US, a development that Iowa corn growers and biofuel producers say is a wake-up call to move faster to decarbonize.” The $200 million facility opened by LanzaJet Inc. is located in central, rural Georgia, according […]
Farmer Protests Spreading Across Europe
Just a few weeks after farmer protests against government regulations and taxes began in Germany, protests are now “spreading across Europe, with workers from countries including France and Poland disrupting transport routes over rising costs and burdensome regulations,” Bloomberg’s William Horobin and Milda Seputyte reported. The protestors also made their way to the European Union […]
ADM Investigating Accounting Practices
Reuters writer Karl Plume reported on Monday that “An investigation into accounting practices in Archer-Daniels-Midland’s Nutrition segment could not come at a worse time for the company as sinking crop prices look set to erode profit for its core grain trading and processing businesses this year.” ADM had been counting on its Nutrition unit to return […]