Net farm income along with low interest rates has farmland prices soaring to a record high, according to a report from the USDA Economic Research Service. Record-level income has helped farmland survive the real estate crisis, yet speculation of a bubble forming in agricultural land cannot be ruled out, the report said. View the report or read more (Bloomberg).
Terry Hickenbotham, Ph.D., (left) and John Jinkins, Ph.D., were awarded the awarded the John E. Lee Award for Sustained Excellence in Group Economic Analysis.
Terry Hickenbotham, Ph.D., and John Jinkins, Ph.D., agricultural economists with the Economic and Policy Analysis Staff of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, were awarded the John E. Lee Award for Sustained Excellence in Group Economic Analysis for their excellent work in analyzing farm program payment distributions and the impacts of payment limitation proposals put forth by Congress and several administrations.
Ten years ago, Hickenbotham and Jinkins began estimating the potential impacts of lowering the payment limit for direct and counter-cyclical programs for the 2002 Farm Bill. Little did they know that their work would play a key role in shaping the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills, and potentially the 2012 Farm Bill, thus winning them the John Lee Award.
We know that America’s farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation’s economy, producing the food, feed, fiber and fuel that continue to help us grow. There are hundreds of programs and resources available to help meet these efforts. However, sometimes it’s hard to know where to look. To overcome this challenge, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Library, in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation, has created www.Start2Farm.gov,an online database connecting beginning farmers and ranchers with available programs and resources. Read more (USDA blog).
by Candy Moore, Idaho FSA Communications Coordinator and Debbie Carlock, County Executive Director
Ivan and Wilmina Phelps are the proud operators of a European Fallow Deer farm in scenic McCall, Idaho where national forests are the border for many farms. Their story is a tale of hard work, love of the land, care for their animals and survival of the fittest, as the couple recovered from a disaster with help from the Farm Service Agency.
The Phelps Family raises the deer for venison that they sell at area farmers markets. They also sell to restaurants, stores and direct to consumers. The business started in 1998 with only seven does and one buck. In 2000, the Phelps' purchased an additional 54 heads and now have a herd of 150.
The Farm Service Agency received a ‘golden shovel’ in honor of their commitment to volunteerism. FSA employees are creating gardens as ways to connect with neighbors and local organizations in their communities. They have set the standard for innovative, collaborative work and volunteered a total of 1,791 hours of service in 2011. Read more (USDA blog).
Windham County Farm Service Agency in Connecticut has taken an innovative approach to connect consumers with their local farmer.
Through the state’s AGvocate program — a program designed to make farming viable in Connecticut towns — the agency received funding to promote agriculture by creating committees and commissions to help residents understand the importance of supporting local farmers.
“We started off holding community meetings and discussing what these communities can do to expand, enhance and protect agriculture in their town,” said Dawn Pindell, FSA communications coordinator and one of the founding members of the program. “Before this effort there were no agriculture commissions, now most of the towns have active commissions.”
Producers and rural residents across the nation are receiving surveys in their mailboxes as the first step toward conducting the 2012 Census of Agriculture. What is the Census of Agriculture? Every five years, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service takes a count of all active farms and ranches. The information provided helps the government plan and create policies that support agriculture and rural America.
This initial survey asks landowners whether they are currently farming and other basic information. Responses will help USDA obtain the best possible coverage for the 2012 Census of Agriculture and also help build a list that will identify producers who will take the actual survey, which begins in December. Those who received the survey can respond by mail or online. After the first few questions, those not considered a producer will not need to continue. Learn more or view the FAQs.
Tiffany Arthur, FSA senior economist and commodity analyst, is the recipient of the Economist of the Year award presented by the USDA Economists Group.
Tiffany Arthur knows peanuts.
Her command of the subject area not only allowed her to develop a new methodology to address issues in the peanut industry, but her ability to provide insight to Congressional leaders, USDA officials and market participants earned her the Economist of the Year award by the USDA Economists Group.
“I was floored,” said Arthur, senior economist and commodity analyst with the Economic and Policy Analysis Staff (EPAS) at the USDA Farm Service Agency. “Just the fact that someone thought to nominate me was incredibly humbling. I am very fortunate to have the supportive colleagues that I do.”
Allen Mackrain, farm loan manager (left), assisted Leonard Bird with a farm loan to help his family have more control over their farming operation.
by Leonard Bird, small acreage farmer along the Rio Grande River
I live on the Santo Domingo Pueblo reservation in North Central New Mexico. My father is from Santo Domingo Pueblo and my mother is from Cochiti Pueblo. As far back as I can remember, all of my childhood years were centered around riding horses, taking of our small herd of livestock or helping my uncles with their alfalfa. Raising alfalfa was something I always wanted to do. There was something about looking at a green field of alfalfa and smelling the plants. I knew I was destined to be a farmer — like it or not.
Surveys have been mailed out across the nation to identify all active farms within the United States. The surveys, issued by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, ask landowners whether they are currently farming and other basic information. The information will be used to determine who receives a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form. The census is completed every five years and gives a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Learn more.
