KFGO & Growing Harvest Ag Network’s Sarah Heinrich & Rusty Halvorson bring you the latest in agriculture news and information from the Upper Midwest.
Farm Bill Lobbying Exceeds $500 Million
A new report from The Hill says that pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and agriculture interests have combined to spend over $400 million lobbying Congress on a new farm bill. The Union for Concerned Scientists says that's more than four times the amount of money spent by the public sector and civil society. The report al...
May 17, 2024
Beef Organizations Concerned About Imports
Leaders of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association along with their Canadian and Mexican counterparts signed a joint statement pledging to work together on a number of issues. The three organizations will continue advocating for greater oversight of emerging lab-grown proteins, protecting cattle from animal diseases,...
May 17, 2024
Railroad Staffing Shortages Compromise Safety and Service
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the six Class One railroads to address severe staffing shortages that are endangering workers, increasing the risk of derailments, and raising costs for farmers, businesses and consumers. She wants the railroads to provide an update on their long-term staffing strategies to get ba...
May 17, 2024
Retaliation Fears After Administration Increases Chinese Tariffs
President Biden increased tariffs on Chinese goods under Section 301 of 1974's Trade Act. The hike goes on $18 billion worth of imports from China, prompting significant concerns that China might impose tariffs on the U.S. agricultural products that the Asian nation imports. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai says...
May 16, 2024
USDA Easing Transition to Organic Production
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new programs, partnerships, grant awards, and an additional $10 million in funding to expand markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production. These programs will support the development of new and better markets for domestic organic products, provide h...
May 16, 2024
Grocery Prices Drop in April
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the food price index was unchanged in April after increasing 0.1 percent in March. The index for food at home decreased 0.2 percent during the month. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased in April, while the remaining three had price increases. The price ...
May 16, 2024
Lawmakers want $1.2 billion for conservation funding
Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DE), along with 24 of their Senate colleagues, called on the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund agricultural conservation programs in the FY 2025 funding bill. "Land-based mitigation measures in agriculture, forestry, and other land use sectors represent...
May 15, 2024
USDA NRCS Texas / CC
CropLife American applauds Miscellaneous Tariff Bill
CropLife America applauds the introduction of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill sponsored by House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chair, Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE). The bill supports manufacturers, farmers, consumers, and communities by reducing or eliminating tariffs, on a temporary basis, on products that aren...
May 15, 2024
poringdown@gmail.com / Depositphotos.com
Sugarbeet farmers want sugar policy support
Two sugarbeet farmers recently took to the pages of their home state papers to praise U.S. sugar policy for helping keep the food supply secure and supporting their family farms. They said that sugar policy must be preserved and strengthened in the next farm bill. Colorado farmer Paul Schlagel grows sugar beets in Boul...
May 15, 2024
USDA investing $250 million to reduce wildfire risk
Deputy USDA Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that $250 million is available to help at-risk communities protect homes, businesses, and infrastructures from catastrophic wildfires. The announcement through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program will fund 158 projects to help communities in 31 states, two t...
May 15, 2024
Solar storm knocks out GPS during planting
While a solar storm brought the aurora borealis to a large part of the U.S., it also played havoc with farmers in the middle of spring planting. 404 Media says the storm broke critical GPS and precision farming abilities in tractors and agricultural equipment at a time when they're especially important. These outages f...
May 14, 2024
USDA announces projects to strengthen rural infrastructure
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is funding 47 projects in 23 states to improve access to reliable electricity and clean drinking water for more than one million people and create good-paying jobs across the nation. The announcement was made during President Biden's Infrast...
May 14, 2024
Kevin Dooley / CC
Minnesota soy checkoff trade mission to Uzbekistan yields soybean meal sale
The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council's (MSR&PC) long-term, global vision is paying off, as soy checkoff investments recently led to Uzbekistan purchasing 150 metric tons of U.S.-origin soybean meal. This marks the second shipment of soybean meal to Uzbekistan since 2022 and comes on the heels of a...
May 14, 2024
United Soybean Board / CC
April 2024 Sales of 4-Wheel-Drive Tractors Jump More than 20% in the U.S.
U.S. Sales of 4-Wheel-Drive tractors increased 24.1% in April compared to 2023, according to the new data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Additionally, 4-Wheel-Drive tractor sales are up 1.9% in the U.S. year-to-date. Unit sales of 100+ Horsepower tractors increased in the U.S. April sales rose 7...
May 14, 2024
FFA Teacher Ambassadors announced for upcoming school year
National FFA Organization, headquartered in Indianapolis, is proud to announce the incoming cohort of National Teacher Ambassadors for the 2024-2025 school year. There will be 64 National Teacher Ambassadors representing 31 different states, as well as Puerto Rico. The National Teacher Ambassadors will serve as the lea...
May 14, 2024
USDA seeks partnership proposals on CRP benefits
The USDA strongly encourages eligible conservation partners to submit proposals for $10 million in available funds to research the Conservation Reserve Program's environmental benefits. CRP is one of the world's largest voluntary conservation programs with an established track record of preserving topsoil, sequestering...
May 13, 2024
U.S. Department of Agriculture / CC
Finstad and Fischbach introduce FARMER Act in the House
Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience Act into the House last week. The FARMER Act is intended to strengthen crop insurance and make higher levels of coverage more affordable for producers. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) had previousl...
May 13, 2024
USGC expanding opportunities in established Asian markets
The U.S. Grains Council recently organized marketing conferences promoting U.S. corn fermented protein (CFP) and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in South Korea and Taiwan. Both countries are already important trade partners for U.S. agriculture but still have significant opportunities for growth in CFP and...
May 13, 2024
Jeff Hitchcock / CC
NMPF statement on "higher-of" inclusion in the House farm bill
From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud: "We commend House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn 'GT' Thompson, R-PA, for including language in the House farm bill to restore the previous "higher of" Class I mover formula. The previous mover served dairy farmers well for decades, while the current mover ...
May 10, 2024
eutrophication&hypoxia / CC
USDA announces new actions to reduce impact and spread of H5N1
On March 25, 2024, immediately following the first detection of H5N1 in dairy cattle in the Texas panhandle region, USDA and HHS began their work to understand the origin of the emergence and its potential impact in bovines and humans. USDA experts also took swift action to trace animal movements, began sampling to ass...
May 10, 2024
Julia Rubinic / CC