- Register now to virtually attend Farm Journal’s Farm Country Update on Thursday, April 30 at 3:00 pm CDT. Why are producers dumping milk and breaking eggs? We’ll talk directly with producers about the challenges they face in getting products from the farm to the hands of consumers.
- The House of Representatives passed H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, legislation to provide additional COVID-19 response funds for hospitals and small businesses. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) released a statement after voting in favor of this legislation.
- Farm Foundation and the USDA’s Economic Research Service have issued a call for papers highlighting empirical data and models that bring cutting-edge thinking on one or more themes related to beginning farmers and ranchers. The Beginning Farmers and Ranchers project is a joint effort of the organizations to examine issues that either hinder or facilitate the entry of beginning farmers into the agricultural sector, as well as the factors that lead to their success or failure. Farm Foundation encourages researchers, farmers and other thought leaders from private industry, government, and non-profits to submit paper proposals.
- It’s planting season, and USDA is closely following spring planting across the country. Follow the #plant2020 campaign, or even better, send photos of how planting is going on your farm by emailing sharingoursuccesses@usda.gov. Learn more about the #plant2020 campaign by visiting farmers.gov/plant2020.
- Stress levels are high among America’s soybean farmers, so much so that the terms “stress,” “anxiety,” and “concerns over mental health” were used dozens of times in an informal survey released this week by the American Soybean Association.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand announced that USDA has received 172 applications requesting $1.57 billion in the second round of the ReConnect Pilot Program. The applications seek funding to provide or upgrade rural broadband services across 41 states.
- Agricultural Retailers Association President and CEO Daren Coppock released a statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army published the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define “Waters of the United States” in the Federal Register.
- In an effort to keep essential agriculture employees and customers safe and healthy during this pandemic, GROWMARK/FS is teaming up with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and Illinois Soybean Association Checkoff Program to help distribute free hand sanitizer to ag retailers.
- American Agri-Women presented the LEAVEN Award to Jean Goslin of Kansas Agri-Women and Pam Townsend of Maine Agri-Women. The award is presented to those persons who, to an outstanding degree, have acted as “leaven”, a truly feminine concept since “lady” means giver of bread.
- Register today for a virtual Farm Foundation Forum, April 28 at 9 a.m. CDT, about the challenges facing agriculture due to the COVID-19 pandemic–but also the possible silver linings.
