The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation has released regional pulse crop loan rates for the 2011 crop. Pulse crops include dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, and large chickpeas. Regional loan rates are established for dry peas, lentils and large chickpeas, but not for small chickpeas. Due to limited market price information the statutory loan rate for large chickpeas will be applicable in all states and counties. Read more.
An unusual forage grass has been rediscovered. USDA researchers in Wisconsin have rediscovered meadow fescue, a highly adaptable, winter-hardy grass that producer Charles Opitz found on his dairy farm. A fungi that lives inside meadow fescue helps it survive heat, drought, and pests and unlike other grass varieties, the endophytes do not poison. According to Opitz, the cows love it and produce more milk when they eat it. Learn more.
Producers interested in offering land in an effort to protect millions of acres of topsoil from erosion and improve the nation’s natural resources, will be given the opportunity beginning next week. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the next general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program will open March 14 and continue through April 15. This is the second consecutive year that USDA has offered a general CRP sign-up. Those interested should consult their local Farm Service Agency county office. Learn more or locate an FSA county office.
Empowering women in agriculture could raise food output in developing countries by up to 4 percent and cut world hunger by 12 to 17 percent, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Women make up 43 percent of the farm workforce around the world but most do not have access to agricultural inputs as men, and therefore produce less. Giving women equal access could increase production on farms controlled by women in developing countries by 20 to 30 percent. Read more (Bloomberg News).
The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation released the 2011 rice loan rates today for classes of farm-stored rice. The national average rough rice loan rate is used to determine farm-stored loan proceeds in other rice-producing states. The national loan rates for both long-grain and medium/short-grain rough rice are specified at $6.50 per hundredweight (cwt) for the 2008 through 2012 crops in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Loan rates by state are determined by the national milled loan rate factors and the state average milling yields. Read more.
More and more young people in their 20s and 30s are turning to farming as a career. They look down on industrial farming and flock to a culture that demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats. Yet, their interest is hindered by the lack of access to land and money needed to buy equipment. And “the lost generation” has made it difficult to find mentors, leaving young people searching social networking site to learn more about farming. Read more (New York Times).
The Dairy Industry Advisory Committee voted last week to approve a final report to the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that offers recommendations concerning dairy farm profitability and milk prices. The committee, which was chartered in 2009, was asked to make recommendations to the Secretary on how USDA can best address the short and long-term issues faced by the dairy industry. The vote was held during a public meeting via conference call and supports a report that offers 23 public policy recommendations. View a draft of the report.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants to help dairy farmers now. Representing a state that has lost 23 percent of its dairy farms in five years, Gillibrand doesn’t want to wait for the next Farm Bill before changing the pricing system, preventing cuts to the Milk Income Loss Contract program and improving cold storage inventory reporting standards to stabilize dairy trading prices. Read more (Ithaca Journal).
More U.S. states are now eligible to ship potatoes to Thailand. In an announcement made this week by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the Thailand government will now accept potatoes from Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In 2009, Thailand announced it would only accept seed potatoes from California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. “This is a promising development for U.S. seed potatoes producers who will now be able to compete in Thailand, the largest potato growing country in Southeast Asia," said Vilsack. Learn more.
Land that has been moderately grazed restores soil quality and cuts greenhouse gases, according to researchers with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. The study, conducted on rolling, eroded land in northeastern Georgia, showed that fertilizer type made no difference in improving the soil, but various grazing scenarios produced more grass and allowed more carbon and nitrogen to be sequestered in the soil, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Read more.
