U.S. Farm Report

While USDA’s crop condition ratings don’t translate to a specific yield, with strong conditions, analysts say it’s possible the U.S. will see a national record corn yield this year. Current market chatter is a national corn yield anywhere from 185 bu. to 200 bu. per acre.

The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and causing labor shortages because employees aren’t showing up for work.

It’s not just planting cotton farmers are battling this year. Soybeans are also struggling in the ground, and the corn is wind whipped or battered by hail and sand. With farmers staring at financial losses already this year, some worry this could push a growing number of them out of business.

The start of June could bring high heat and drier weather, which is a stark contrast from the forecast for the last week of May.

The initial round of ECAP payments will only amount to 85% of the per-acre payment to ensure enough funding is available for all farmers who sign up for the program.

Cheap cotton prices and dwindling demand are just part of the problem. Input costs have climbed and there’s no safety net to be found from a new farm bill. One Georgia farmer says the current farm bill is irrelevant and worthless, and if a new one doesn’t get passed this year, the cotton industry is doomed.

The Lay’s Super Bowl commercial was inspired by a real potato farmer and his family. Jeremie Pavelski says he was touched by the commercial and proud of how it showcased the work of farmers across the U.S.

President Trump’s focus on mass deportation is creating a sense of nervousness that hasn’t been felt since the Obama Administration. Yet, the bigger concern is a H-2A system that’s become too costly for many farmers to use.

There are no entrances on the Canadian side of the Haskell Library building, but U.S. citizens enter through a door in Vermont. And once inside can wind up in a different country while inside the walls.

Meteorologists say the active start to January is a sign of what’s ahead with concerns about drought, more cold and a sharp divide in areas of the country seeing too much moisture versus not enough.