It’s been a busy year for the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) as the weather has thrown plenty of challenges at farmers across the country. Widespread flooding in the spring slowed things down for growers, and RMA responded with the decision to extend the acreage reporting deadline by one week in 14 states. But that wasn’t the only action they …
USDA Updates Acreage and Production Forecasts
In the August Crop Production report released today, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) revised planted acres downwards, while at the same time increasing corn production to 13.9 billion bushels and raising the average national yield by more than 3 bushels to 169.5 bushels an acre in the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand (WASDE) report. NASS noted that survey …
USDA Officials Provide Details of Support Package for Farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and other agency officials today announced further details of the $16 billion package “aimed at supporting American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals.” In May, President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy in line with the estimated impacts of unjustified retaliatory tariffs …
USDA Corn Acreage Report Surprises
With all the weather-related planting delays we’ve had, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Acreage report out Friday was a big surprise to the trade with corn acres estimated to be three percent higher than last year. At the same time, soybean acres are estimated to be the lowest in six years. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2019 …
USDA Feral Swine Eradication Program is Good News
The meat of feral hogs is pretty good but we would rather have more deer, thanks very much. Since 2013 I have hunted on a piece of land we affectionately call the Crystal Pig Hunt Club in central Georgia with my brother Paul and Gary Cooper of AgNet Media. The hogs started moving in about 2016 and have since made …
USDA Picks Kansas City as New Home for ERS, NIFA
The Kansas City area will be the new home for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “Following a rigorous site selection process, the Kansas City Region provides a win win – maximizing our mission function by putting taxpayer savings into …
WASDE Lowers Corn Forecast
USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for June sharply lowered the forecast for U.S. corn production this year. Corn production for 2019/20 is forecast to decline 1.4 billion bushels to 13.7 billion, which if realized would be the lowest since 2015/16.Unprecedented planting delays observed through early June are expected to prevent some plantings and reduce yield prospects. USDA …
Secretary Perdue Discusses Disaster Aid in Florida
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited Florida and Georgia to participate in roundtable discussions on USMCA and disaster aid signed by President Trump yesterday. At his first stop in Tallahassee, Perdue participated in a short press conference with Governor Ron DeSantis after the roundtable. Listen here:
USDA Announces More Trade Aid for Farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced several actions that USDA will be taking to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation and trade disruption. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy to support American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more …
The Improving GHG Benefits of Corn Ethanol
The lead researcher of a USDA study on the improving greenhouse gas benefits of ethanol compared to gasoline has shared more details about the agency’s findings. Dr. Jan Lewandrowski of USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist said the study grew out of September 2017 report released by the USDA regarding 11 different emissions categories related to corn ethanol production and …