What a difference a year makes. In 2020, the spring crop insurance prices for corn, soybeans and cotton were near the lowest levels of the last decade. Now, on the back of strong export demand from China and smaller-than-anticipated old-crop inventories, crop insurance prices have experienced the largest year-over-year increase in more than a decade, helping to boost insurance protection for farmers as they prepare for the planting season.
Read MoreFarm Bureaus across the nation are preparing for Agricultural Safety Awareness Program Week, Feb. 28 – March 6. U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers will join Farm Bureau in promoting ag safety this week with the theme “Driving Safety Home.”
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on USDA’s decision to extend the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) application deadline. AFBF sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting an extension for farmers and ranchers.
Read MoreFarmers and ranchers across a large swathe of the country are anxiously awaiting a warm-up after temperatures plummeted to record lows and whole states – many much more accustomed to moderate winter weather at worst – were covered in ice and snow.
Read MoreAs the U.S. waits to see if record corn purchases from China will turn into record shipments, there may be an economic incentive to buy more U.S. corn.
American Farm Bureau Federation chief economist John Newton says the economics show China can buy U.S. corn at a discounted price compared to what buyers are seeing domestically.
Read MoreWith the release of USDA’s Farm Labor Survey on February 11, farmers that utilize the H-2A program finally know the minimum wage they must pay their H-2A workers in 2021. Usually, this wage rate, known as the Adverse Effect Wage Rate, is known when the Farm Labor Survey is released in November, but changes in policy that were proposed and then struck down in the courts over the last four months delayed the Farm Labor Survey’s release, which in turn held up the AEWR announcement. The FLS reveals an average increase of $0.63 per hour, or 4.5%, from 2020 to 2021, though there are considerable regional differences.
Read MoreThe agriculture industry is constantly looking to increase their sustainability practices and new data shows that it is paying off. New analysis of EPA data highlights agricultural emissions reductions and the importance of developing new research and technologies to capture more carbon in cropland and pastureland.
Read MoreThe most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer reveals U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 totaled 6.7 billion metric tons in CO2 equivalents, up 2%, or 188 million metric tons, from the prior year (Agriculture’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks). Compared to 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have increased by 4%, or 240 million metric tons.
Read More2020 will be remembered by all, for a host of reasons. For those in the ag world, the Phase One Agreement between the United States and China will certainly be one of them. Signed on January 15, 2020, and in effect as of February 14, 2020, the agreement set lofty goals for U.S. agricultural exports to China. Now that all the data for calendar year 2020 is available, it’s time to see what went right and what did not.
Read MoreWe have an exciting opportunity for our state YF&R members!
YF&R members it is time to grab your cameras and get ready to share a story about agriculture! The
American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee wants to put local agriculture in
the spotlight and promote the work that Young Farmers are doing throughout the nation.
Read MoreRecently released H-2A program data reveals some interesting impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since the Department of Labor began reporting quarterly data in 2013, the number of certified positions declined in the fourth quarter (July 1 – Sept. 30) of fiscal year 2020.
Read MoreWe completed the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 102nd Convention virtually in January. It went as well as it could have, but there were a few things that were a little wonky. By the way, wonky is my new favorite pandemic word and really is a good descriptor of most of what has happened because of the pandemic.
Read MoreRecent higher commodity prices and ongoing ad hoc financial support to offset natural disasters, retaliatory tariffs and coronavirus-related damages have come a little too late for some farmers across the U.S., i.e., 2020 Farm Profitability: A False Positive.
Read MoreAs any farmer or rancher can tell you, farm life can be demanding and stressful. It’s reaching a critical stage with coronavirus impacts on top of trade wars, natural disasters, depressed commodity prices, labor shortages and other factors.
Read MoreAs our nation transitions to a new president and administration in Washington, D.C., closer to home, new leaders have taken the reins at several state Farm Bureaus. In this article, recently elected state Farm Bureau presidents share their thoughts on current challenges facing farmer and ranchers, their vision for the future and what they’re looking forward to most in 2021.
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