Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack used an appearance before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday to make a few announcements, including issuing a new Packers & Stockyards Act rulemaking, making available $200 Million to expand competition in meat processing, and investing $25 million in workforce training. Vilsack said the actions build on President Biden’s whole-of-government effort to promote competition in …
Biden Announces Actions for Farmers to Address Food Costs
President Joe Biden and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited the family farm of Jeff and Gina O’Connor in Kankakee, Illinois Wednesday to discuss new efforts to give farmers the tools and resources they need to boost domestic food production. Specifically, the actions include: Increase the number of counties eligible for double cropping insurance Cut costs for farmers by increasing …
Vilsack Talks Trade With Mexican Officials
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart Mexico Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Victor Villalobos this week to “continue cooperation on shared priorities including open trade, science-based policy making, and sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production.” That meeting resulted in Vilsack and Villalobos announcing that the two countries have agreed to final actions to expanded access to the …
Yield Forecast Challenge Launches April 15 on AEI Premium
AEI Premium, the online community for agricultural decision makers, is launching a new online contest called the Yield Forecast Challenge. Beginning April 15, you are invited to forecast 16 questions about USDA yield estimates for corn and soybeans. The questions will span the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports from May through November 2022. You can earn …
Plantings Report Expects More Soybeans, Less Corn
U.S. farmers expect to plant more soybeans and less corn acreage, according to the 2022 Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Producers surveyed say they intend to plant a record high 91.0 million acres of soybeans in 2022, up 4% from last year, at the same time decreasing corn acres by 4% to 89.5 …
Ag Day Takes Over National Mall
The inaugural Celebration of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall was held outside the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters on Tuesday, showcasing America’s equipment manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and agriculture innovators on the cutting-edge of science and technology. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack delivered remarks at the event, invoking President Abraham Lincoln who created the USDA in 1862. “I …
Secretary Vilsack Addresses #Classic22
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has made very few in-person appearances since becoming the head of USDA for a second president last year, but he did make it a point to attend the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans Friday and address thousands of corn, sorghum, soybean, and wheat farmers. “I’m here today to talk about the opportunities and challenges …
Crop Insurance Premium Benefit Offered for Cover Crops
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced details of the 2022 Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP) that both benefits farmers and supports climate smart production practices. Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if they planted cover crops during the 2022 crop year. To …
USDA to Invest $1 Billion in Climate Smart Commodities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Jefferson City, Missouri yesterday to announce $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse …
2021 Production Up for Corn, Soybeans and Cotton
Corn, soybean and cotton production were all higher in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the 2021 Crop Production Annual Summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). U.S. corn growers produced 15.1 billion bushels, up 7% from 2020 and the second highest on record. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at …