Author: staff

By Ryan Hanrahan Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported recently that “the lame-duck session of Congress offers a last chance to enact the new farm bill this year, but it would require compromise on a number of nettlesome policy disputes and an agreement among House and Senate leaders on how much to spend, said farm policy experts. The bill could also be sidetracked by overarching issues such as passing a government funding bill, they cautioned.” “Neither chamber has made much progress on the farm bill, now 14 months overdue. The House Agriculture Committee approved a Republican-written bill in May that is…

By Cami Koons The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Thursday the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state departments of ag should work to reopen the shuttered chicken processing plant in Charles City. He also detailed USDA’s new milk testing program to prevent the spread of avian flu. He spoke during a press conference Thursday in Des Moines. Vilsack said the Pure Prairie Poultry bankruptcy represents an “unusual” and “very unfortunate” circumstance among USDA’s large portfolio of expanding processing capabilities around the country. Pure Prairie Poultry received $45.6 million in grants and loans from USDA in 2022 to expand…

The first round of mandatory milk testing in northern Utah identified bird flu infections in eight dairy herds, said the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food on Thursday. Utah is the 15th state to report the avian flu virus in dairy cattle since the disease was first identified in herds in Texas in March. To date, the Centers for Disease Control says the risk to the general public is low because genomic sequencing indicates the H5N1 virus has not evolved to become more infectious or transmissible among humans. There have been 39 human cases of bird flu this year, all…

1. Soybeans, Grains Higher in Overnight Trading Soybean and grain futures were higher in overnight trading on signs of strong demand for U.S. agricultural products.  Exporters sold 150,000 metric tons of soybean meal to an unnamed buyer for delivery in the 2024/2025 marketing year that started on Sept. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report yesterday.  The agency on Wednesday reported soybean sales of 132,000 tons to China and 132,000 tons to an unknown destination, and sales of 273,048 tons of corn to unnamed countries.  Overseas buyers have committed to purchase 26.3 million metric tons of soybeans…

The lame-duck session of Congress offers a last chance to enact the new farm bill this year, but it would require compromise on a number of nettlesome policy disputes and an agreement among House and Senate leaders on how much to spend, said farm policy experts. The bill could also be sidetracked by overarching issues such as passing a government funding bill, they cautioned. Neither chamber has made much progress on the farm bill, now 14 months overdue. The House Agriculture Committee approved a Republican-written bill in May that is $33 billion over budget. Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee…

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Bird flu has infected three more people from Washington state after they were exposed to poultry that tested positive for the virus, according to health authorities in Washington and in Oregon, where the human cases were identified. A total of 39 people have tested positive in the U.S. this year, including nine from Washington, as the virus has infected poultry flocks and spread to more than 400 dairy herds, federal data show. All of the cases were farm workers who had known contact with infected animals, except for one person in Missouri.…

When input prices are high and crop prices are low, optimizing every pass across the field helps keep budgets in the black. While nozzle choice and maintenance may seem like small pieces of a weed management plan, they can offer impactful returns.  “If you know you’re using a good product but have weed escapes, your nozzles are definitely an easy thing to look at,” says Austin Weiss, a staff product application specialist at Syngenta.  Common Nozzle Options A fungicide application’s ideal nozzle may differ from a pre-emergence herbicide application’s preferred option. In a perfect world, farmers would optimize their nozzles for each…

The agricultural equipment market stands at a crossroads, grappling with many challenges while presenting opportunities for savvy producers. As we look toward 2025, several factors — including interest rates, commodity prices, and inventory levels — influence the agricultural sector’s purchasing decisions and market dynamics. The agricultural landscape has faced significant hurdles recently, marked by declining commodity prices, high operational costs, and reduced farm income. According to USDA projections, net farm income is expected to drop by nearly 25% in 2024, falling from $155 billion to $116 billion. This sharp decline, driven by decreased cash crop receipts and rising production expenses,…

By Ryan Hanrahan Bloomberg’s Dayanne Sousa and Clarice Couto reported Thursday that “a global push to decarbonize air travel has groups from Big Oil to sovereign wealth funds betting on Brazil to become a top global center for green jet fuel.” “Brazil is becoming a magnet for investment as countries race to grab a share of what promises to be a fast-growing market, with Shell Plc and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Co. considering new sustainable aviation fuel plants in the country. That’s in part because Latin America’s biggest economy is the world’s second-largest producer of ethanol, which can be used…

Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in eight commercial dairy facilities in Cache County earlier this week. Mandatory surveillance of HPAI was put into effect for all dairies in Cache County on October 23, 2024. Initial samples from all Cache County dairies were sent to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Logan and were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. According to UDAF, positive dairies have been placed under quarantine; no movement of lactating cattle is permitted on or off affected facilities except for cattle going directly…