Farm News & Views

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a Brazilian cow leads to concerns about a global outbreak and possible impacts on human health, Argentina's agriculture exports hit hard by the worst drought of the last four decades, and queen bees for colonies used to pollinate crops in the U.S. are in high demand.

Russa-Ukraine conflict may have long term consequences for agricultural production in the country, highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds could spread to chickens, and more precipitation may not be a good thing for the saguaro cactus in southern Arizona.

The USDA projects U.S. agricultural exports will decline while imports will increase, egg prices could fall dramatically this year if avian influenza stays in check, urban and agricultural interests bring up questions about Colorado River Basin water management, and a new USDA report shows that overall farmland is declining across the country while large farm consolidation is on the rise.

More bees are needed to help pollinate almond trees in California, the USDA reports that farm outputs have tripled over the past 70 years while labor and land use have fallen, ranch-trained horses remain valuable assets on larger ranches, and tire manufacturer Goodyear begins using soybean oil in some new tires.

Three years of La Niña-driven weather in the southwest could now be changing, the pitfalls of starting your own backyard chicken flock, a new USDA report predicts that net cash farm income will decrease by over 20% in 2023 from last year, and farmers in the midwest are keeping a watchful eye on rain and snowpack in the upper Mississippi and Ohio River drainages.

Controversy over atmospheric methane contribution from cattle continues, consumer groups petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stop livestock producers from administering antibiotics, beef cattle producers may see rewards from higher prices this year, and while local farmers and ranchers are happy to see the snow, drought remains a big problem overall.

Farmland sales prices show strong land values, proposed legislation in Iowa over SNAP food allowances could leave pork producers in a bind, and a recent survey shows that Coloradans want to support the state’s agricultural industry.

China remains the largest customer for U.S. agricultural products again in 2023, the shortage of eggs due to avian flu outbreaks has driven up the price to an average of $4.25 a dozen, and southwest Colorado sees it's biggest snow storm in about 10-12 years.

A look at what farmers may expect for their businesses in the coming year, the John Deere Corporation agrees to terms that would help farmers and independent repair shops to work on newer John Deere equipment, recent snow has bolstered the snowpack in western Colorado but much more is needed.

The USDA predicts that food prices will continue to go up with big increases in the price of eggs, China will need 8 million more acres of crop land annually, Maricopa County in Arizona is losing farmland at a faster rate than any other county in the nation due to low density residential development, and the CSU Coperative Extension is hosting an Annie's Project Workshop January 19th to the 21st at the Dolores Community Center.