Farm News & Views

Cold, wet conditions delay corn and soybean planting in the Midwest, drought conditions intensify in the Four Corners, the USDA is projecting that food prices will rise up to 6% this year, satellites detect methane emissions from cows, the EPA issues an emergency waiver that allows summertime sales of gasoline blends with 15 percent ethanol, and the Biden administration proposes a $500 million program to encourage farmers to boost production of wheat, soybeans, rice, and other commodities.

The Biden Administration announced that millions of dollars will be given to rural communities in the U.S. over the next year, the FBI is warning agricultural cooperatives that ransomware attacks might be more likely during the current planting and harvest seasons, tire maker Bridgestone begins work developing a domestic supply of natural rubber using a shrub called guayule, and a look at the accuracy of weather forecasts.

Drought continues to challenge farmers and ranchers across the country, hay production in the U.S. may fall to its lowest level in a century, volatility in commodity markets begins to settle, and a new farm business index shows signs for optimism.

High fertilizer prices cause producers to rethink fertilizer requirements, how drought across the U.S. is affecting the cattle industry, and the conflict in the Ukraine is driving up the price of sunflower seeds and leaving thousands of acres of Ukrainian agricultural land without crops.

Snowpack levels in the Four Corners show small signs of improvement over last year, but some areas in the Southwest may face water shortages later this year. Avian influenza is affecting egg production, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says "no" to opening reserve croplands.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to affect grain prices, and could worsen global hunger, causing some to recommend the USDA open millions of acres of idle croplands in the U.S. The USDA is projecting that food prices will rise further in 2022, and John Deere will end the requirement that only Deere-certified technicians can complete work on the company’s farm equipment.

March 22nd is National Ag Day, evaluation of the 50-year-old Clean Water Act shows limited progress in protecting U.S. waters from pollution, a highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread across the country, and the Sunlight Protection Act gets mixed reactions from farmers.

The Ukrainian conflict has driven countries around the world that normally export grain and other food products to begin holding back on shipping food to other countries. This has the G-7 ag ministers concern. Fertilizer prices have been on the express elevator up for several months. So a recent imposition of tariffs on imported phosphate fertilizers by the US International Trade Commission at the behest of the Mosaic Company, producers and sellers of phosphate and potassium fertilizers didn't help the situation.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is pushing food prices higher, disrupting seasonal agriculture in the area, and pushing futures grain markets up. A high pathogenic avian influenza has been reported in 14 states in the U.S. And March 7th to the 11th is American Farm Bureau Ag Safety Awareness Program Week.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is affecting commodity futures markets for both corn and wheat, and could affect fertilizer prices if an embargo goes into place. And a recent report points out the downside of confined feeding operations that can house hundreds of animals in small areas.