Politics
Biden says Ukraine has 20 million tons of stored grain awaiting export to various countries. He says lack of port movement coupled with halted planting in Ukraine will ignite a global food crisis unless action is taken.
The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation weighs in on immigration reform and year-round work permits, Waters of the U.S. concerns and support for the new Climate-Smart Commodities Program.
The White House is expected to announce plans to insure double cropping in 681 more counties and doubling the amount of funding for domestic fertilizer production to $500M during a visit to an Illinois farm Wednesday.
Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer is told U.S. lawmakers want Chinese import tariffs knocked down to minimize inflationary pressure. USTR Katherine Tai says tariff adjustments aren’t likely, but are on the table.
DOE will call for bids on 60 million barrels of oil come Fall 2022. However, the department anticipates deliveries will not be fulfilled until fiscal year 2023—when future oil prices and demand will be lower.
Speculation over whether U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was arrested last week made its rounds on social media over the weekend, but USDA confirmed to Farm Journal the story is false.
What’s included in the White House’s recent Ukraine aid proposal? AgriTalk Host Chip Flory reads between the lines with the Biden administration’s Candace Vahlsing, as industry leaders examine the potential consequences.
Concerns over the world’s supply of grains and oilseeds are prompting the Biden administration to step in and encourage more production. Grain analysts say supplies of grains are tight due to the situation in Ukraine.
The Biden administration is calling on Congress to provide additional resources overseas to “ensure Ukraine’s democracy prevails over Putin’s aggression,” including $500 million dedicated to domestic ag production.
Included in Thursday’s announcement by the Biden administration asking Congress to approve $33B in total aid for Ukraine, is a proposal to increase wheat loan 63% to $5.52 bu.; oilseeds by 40%; rice and pulse 21%.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan hints at a major uptick in renewable fuel blending obligations to be announced on June 3rd, as ethanol production is stunted by railway inefficiencies.
Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports is unlikely to last more than a month as Jakarta has limited infrastructure to store the surplus oil and the country faces mounting pressure from buyers, industry officials said.
USDA’s 2022 food price inflation forecasts are already at a 14-year high with forecasts for consumer food price inflation increased again this month. All food prices now seen rising 5% to 6% vs 4.5% to 5.5% in March.
CBOT soybean oil prices hit a record high after Indonesia announced it will effectively ban palm oil exports as of April 28. With no timeline in place, some question the motive and duration of the announced ban.
“We would be taxed on the increased value of our farmland if we’ve held it for over 90 years,” says U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.).
The war in Ukraine will dictate food prices, according to Vilsack: “We don’t really know what the impact is going to be on Ukraine’s crop this year, or what it’s going to look like in terms of exportability.”
John Phipps says positive or negative, any trade balance has dubious value, and only limited prediction power. Other than bragging rights, they mean little with no economic advantage for having a positive trade balance.
Year-round E15 will be announced by President Joe Biden today at a Poet bioethanol facility in Menlo, Iowa. The EPA will make the move official in a waiver closer to the beginning of June.
February import records show the U.S. did not take in any ethanol for the month, compared with 10.5 million gallons in January.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack provided more details regarding the general CRP signup that ended March 11. He said only 1.8 million of the 4 million acres in expiring contracts will be re-enrolled in the program.
USDA says there are currently no plans to provide direct payments to farmers impacted by soaring fertilizer prices. The news comes as farm groups and lawmakers are asking assistance to help with rising fertilizer costs.
A growing number of lawmakers, farm groups and farmers are pleading for assistance from still surging fertilizer prices. One possibility for USDA would be to tap the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act.
The White House is considering temporarily removing restrictions on summer sales of higher-ethanol gasoline blends as a way to lower fuel costs for U.S. consumers, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
With the ongoing war in Ukraine, a recent U.S. Farm Report viewer asked about the U.S. and energy independence. John Phipps provides a reality check of the current situation when it comes to crude oil and petroleum.
President Biden’s USDA FY 2023 budget proposal focuses on climate, conservation and research with $3.8 billion discretionary spending increase for USDA with climate, conservation and clean energy the major focal points.
Lawmakers introduce a bill to send an energy rebate any month the national average gas price exceeds $4 per gallon for the remainder of 2022.
USDA now expects food price inflation in 2022 to be from 4.5% to 5.5%, compared with 2021, based on the all-food Consumer Price Index. No category shows a potential decline.
Under Secy. Moffitt says her objective is to ensure producers have access to USDA dollars: “We see there’s a need for qualified technical expertise to capture the projects for producers and MPPTA will address that.”
Game wardens must have a warrant to conduct surveillance on private land and may not rely on the power of the federal Open Fields doctrine.
Ted McKinney, NASDA CEO, led the climate conversation with a diverse list of speakers. From wildfires to water quality, each corner of the nation spoke to their state’s ag adversity, and their work in overcoming it.