The Associated Press’ Tom Krisher and Tassanee Vejpongsa reported early Tuesday morning that “dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks.” “The contract between the […]
Farm Policy News
Lawmakers Push for Post-Election Farm Bill
FERN’s Ag Insider reported this past week that “six of every 10 House Republicans signed a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson asking for a floor vote on the new farm bill during the lame-duck session of Congress, arguing that the legislation is a ‘must-pass item.’ The letter was released on Thursday, a day after House Democratic […]
Crops in Danger After Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall
USA Today staff reported Thursday that “Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night carrying catastrophic 140 mph winds as the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region since records began in 1851.” “Helene made landfall at about 11:10 p.m. ET near Perry, Florida. Hours later, the system weakened to a Category 1 […]
Lawmakers Propose 10 Year Extension for Biofuels Tax Credit
FERN’s Ag Insider reported Wednesday that “the 45Z tax credit, intended to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuel and other low-carbon fuels, would be available until 2034 and limited to domestic feedstocks under companion bills filed in the House and Senate on Tuesday.” “Farm groups said the legislation would allow time for domestic production […]
US Port Strike Could Affect Ag Shipping
The Financial Times’ Taylor Nicole Rogers reported Sunday that “businesses are bracing for a strike at three dozen US ports that could upend supply chains and raise prices just weeks before election day.” “The International Longshoremen’s Association says its 25,000 members will walk off the job if the union does not come to a new […]
Trump Threatens Deere with 200% Tariff over Production Move to Mexico
Reuters’ Gram Slattery and Kanishka Singh reported that “Donald Trump said on Monday he would slap a 200% tariff on John Deere’s imports into the United States if the company moved production to Mexico as planned, comments that hit the agricultural equipment manufacturer’s share price. Earlier this year, John Deere announced that it was laying […]
Farm Bill Discussions Continue, Though Same Issues Remain
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher and Rebekah Alvey reported Sunday that “top staff from the House and Senate Ag committees continue their private talks this week on a possible new farm bill, while lawmakers prepare to approve a stopgap spending deal announced Sunday to keep the government funded until Dec. 20.” “The continuing resolution includes an extension […]
Another Government Shutdown Looms After Funding Bill Fails
The Hill’s Mychael Schnell reported that “a diverse group of House Republicans torpedoed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) proposal to fund the government on Wednesday, dealing an embarrassing blow to the GOP leader and derailing his strategy to avoid a shutdown at the end of the month.” “Fourteen Republicans joined virtually every Democrat in voting against […]
Fed Cuts Interest Rates, Could Provide Some Relief For Ag
Reuters’ Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir reported that “the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half of a percentage point on Wednesday, kicking off what is expected to be a steady easing of monetary policy with a larger-than-usual reduction in borrowing costs that followed growing unease about the health of the job market.” “‘The committee […]
Black Sea, EU Wheat Facing Weather Challenges
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 […]
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 […]