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USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says northern Iowa saw the third latest freeze in history, only behind the years 1897 and 1947. The damage is now exposed in fields, with acres of no-till soybeans wiped out.
Even with rains hitting areas of the Plains and Corn Belt last week, U.S. corn planting progressed to 95% complete, a five-point bump in a week and three percentage points ahead of last year’s pace.
The EPA and Department of the Army announced a plan on Wednesday to initiate a new rulemaking process to restore the protections that were in place prior to the 2015 WOTUS implementation.
The change in the weather forecast sent commodity prices plummeting Monday. Corn and soybean prices saw pressure after the weather models produced an outlook for wetter and cooler weather by the end of the week.
A federal judge announced Friday a decision to halt payments in a USDA loan forgiveness program designed to help farmers of color. USDA has until Friday to respond to the court’s temporary restraining order.
Just before leaving for the G-20 Summit in Italy this week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told leaders from around the globe that agriculture will lead the way in creating climate solutions.
It’s a steady theme since USDA introduced corn crop condition ratings this year. The quality of the crop continues to decline, with corn dropping 4 points each week. Soybean conditions also fell.
Meteorologist Mike Hoffman takes a closer look at what’s going on in the West.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.
“I like to say you’re going to have to have a permit to do normal farming decisions,” he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.