May 2022

On this week’s crop progress report, we saw a big jump in spring wheat planting progress in the Northern Plains as nationwide corn and soybean planting is getting closer to completion. Corn is 86% planted Read More

New data confirms the serious shortage of adequate labor across most sectors of U.S. agriculture. Veronica Nigh, a senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says farmers have talked for at least a decade Read More

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s confident Mexico will continue to allow imports of U.S. biotech corn under USMCA trade rules, despite Mexico’s plans to ban the corn by 2024. Vilsack told Senate Ag lawmakers Read More

President Biden made a trip to Japan recently, and during discussions with the Japanese prime minister, Japan committed to reducing its dependence on imported petroleum by 2030. That means they’re doubling their demand for ethanol, Read More

Washington Representative Dan Newhouse recently introduced a bill aimed at preventing the Chinese government from purchasing public or private land in the U.S. The bill is called the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Read More

The deadline for the USDA’s second round of funding for Climate-Smart Commodities is Friday, June 10. This funding pool is for partners proposing projects between $250,000 and $5 million. The proposals should emphasize the enrollment Read More

Ag groups responded to USDA’s proposed poultry marketing disclosure requirements and the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking under the Packers and Stockyards Act. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says his organization appreciates USDA working Read More

While much of the western U.S. endures widespread drought, people may think mosquito season won’t be as intense. However, just because there’s no rain doesn’t mean there are no mosquitoes. “Some of the most significant Read More

Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member John Boozman (BOZE-man) say the committee will hold a field hearing in Arkansas on Friday, June 17. The hearing is designed to get input from agricultural Read More

The western United States has suffered under intense drought for a few years. Brad Rippey, USDA Meteorologist and author of the U.S. Drought Monitor, says there has been at least some relief in the West. Read More