Celebrate #NationalFarmersDay

Joanna Schroeder

Today is National Farmers Day. Just in time to celebrate our American farmers, country star Blake Shelton teaches Late Night Host Jimmy Fallon to milk a cow. I don’t know about you, but I definitely have more appreciation for farmers after watching this! As Twitter blows up today in honor of our growers, several quotes stand out. In the words …

Agribusiness, Corn, Ethanol, RFA, USDA, Video

USDA Issues 2015 Market Downturn Payments

Kelly Marshall

Many of the 1.7 million farms enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will now be receiving safety-net payments, thanks to the down markets of 2015. “This fall, USDA will be making more than $7 billion in payments under the ARC-County and PLC programs to assist participating producers, which will account for over 10 …

USDA

Happy National Co-op Month!

Cindy Zimmerman

National Co-op Month has been celebrated annually in October across the United States for more than half a century and this year’s theme is “Cooperatives Build.” “The cooperative business model continues to perform strongly,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “While the model has long been one of the hallmarks of rural economies, its reach has greatly expanded to include almost …

Cooperatives, GROWMARK, USDA

USDA Report Shows Biobased is a Growing Industry

Kelly Marshall

The USDA has released a report showing the biobased products industry contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs to the American economy in 2014.  That’s a growth of 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over 2013. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has found the biobased economy to be one of the four pillars that support the rural economy of the U.S. “When …

USDA

USDA Announces Grants for Veteran Farmers

Lizzy Schultz

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $8.4 million in grants that will be used to provide training, outreach and technical assistance for the nation’s socially disadvantaged, tribal and veteran farmers and ranchers. “USDA was created to be ‘The People’s Department,’ and in the past eight years we have made tremendous progress in correcting past mistakes and creating a more inclusive …

Ag Groups, Farming, USDA

Some Changes in USDA Crop Forecast

Cindy Zimmerman

The September crop forecast out today from USDA decreases the corn crop a bit, but increases both soybeans and cotton. Corn production is now forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, down less than one percent from the August forecast, but still 11 percent more than last year and still expected to be a record. “Based on conditions as of September 1, …

Corn, Cotton, Soybean, USDA, Wheat

USDA Assisting #Dairy Producers

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to purchase millions of pounds of surplus cheese to aid both hungry families and dairy producers. The purchase of approximately 11 million pounds of cheese, valued at $20 million, will assist food banks and pantries across the nation, while reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. …

AFBF, Dairy, USDA

USDA Invests in New #Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

During a visit to Iowa State University this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced some new initiatives to help new and beginning farmers. First, Vilsack announced a new investment of $17.8 million for 37 projects to help educate, mentor, and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). In addition, …

USDA

Record #Corn and #Soybean Crop Forecast

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA’s first crop production forecast based on actual field data is predicting some bin-busting crops this year. Corn production is forecast at 15.2 billion bushels, up 11 percent from last year. Based on conditions as of August 1, yields are expected to average 175.1 bushels per acre, up 6.7 bushels from 2015. If realized, this will be the highest yield …

Audio, Corn, Soybean, USDA

Farm Bureau Seeks Emergency Dairy Aid from USDA

Jamie Johansen

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has asked the USDA to provide emergency assistance for the nation’s dairy farmers. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said AFBF supported a recent request from 61 members of Congress asking USDA to provide emergency assistance. Duvall noted the U.S. all-milk price fell to $14.50 per hundredweight in …

AFBF, Ag Groups, Dairy, USDA