Agriculture

Iowa farmland values fell close to 3 percent over the past year, with the largest decline coming from central Iowa, a new report shows. The federal government's trade bailout program, limited land and higher yields in some parts of Iowa last fall helped support farmland values, according to the Realtors Land Institute-Iowa Chapter, a group of farmland managers, brokers, appraisers and other professionals.Farmland values dropped 2.7 percent in March compared to a year earlier, the group's report says. The statewide average was $6,794 an acre. [node:read-more:link]

New Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption. [node:read-more:link]

What Is Ag Day? It's a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.When Is Ag Day?Ag Day is celebrated on March 14, 2019. National Ag Day falls during National Ag Week, March 10-16, 2019.Who Hosts Ag Day?The Agriculture Council of America hosts the campaign on a national level. [node:read-more:link]

Amid this trade-war fog, one thing seems clear: The Chinese are happy to talk about importing more American agricultural products -- maybe a lot more. That is not the case in another of America's unfolding trade wars. In the talks between the U.S. and the European Union, the EU is refusing to even discuss agriculture. Why? Because the EU knows what the U.S. would demand: relaxation of the EU's non-tariff barriers to American products, starting with genetically engineered crops. Previous EU-U.S. [node:read-more:link]

The White House announced that it is considering 67 locations as semifinalists in its search for a new home for two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research agencies, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS). One proposed location that evidently meets USDA’s rigorous criteria to house these world-class agencies was recommended by a “private citizen” in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. Academic, economic and governmental institutions made only a handful of bids. [node:read-more:link]

Sixth District- Atlanta– “Agricultural conditions across the District were mixed. Recent reports showed that most of the District was drought-free, with the exception of small areas in south Florida and coastal Louisiana where conditions were abnormally dry.  The February forecast for Florida’s orange crops was unchanged from the previous month but remained significantly ahead of last year’s production. [node:read-more:link]

The USDA says 2018 milk production was up on the year and during January with seven percent fewer dairy farms. [node:read-more:link]

The current state of the U.S. dairy economy is putting family farms out of business. Over the last 10 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recorded the loss of roughly 17,000 dairy herds, cutting the total number of U.S herds by nearly one third. [node:read-more:link]

New research out of Kansas State University has confirmed that animal feed contaminated with African swine fever (ASF) virus can sicken swine, prompting scientists and industry leaders to call for caution among feed producers and importers. [node:read-more:link]

Food safety inspections on produce farms are beginning this month, but there are still questions as to what the first round of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule inspections will look like. The fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be regulating farms for the first time is concerning for many produce farmers who have never interacted with FDA before on a regular basis. Adding to the anxiety for some producers, is the fact that this will be the first time in history that they will have to deal with regular inspections on their farm. [node:read-more:link]