Farm News
Asian longhorned ticks found in central Illinois
The invasive Asian longhorned tick can pose a risk to humans, animals, and livestock. University of Illinois Extension found it in west central Illinois for the first time. Asian longhorned ticks were first found in the U.S. in 2017, but they've likely been here longer and are now confirmed in 19 other states. The Asia...
May 29, 2024
Livestock groups welcome House farm bill markup
Livestock groups welcomed the House Agriculture Committee's action to markup the Farm Bill. The National Pork Producers Council says the bill supports all pork producer's farm bill requests, including a federal fix to the host of Prop. 12 issues plaguing producers and consumers. NPPC President Lori Stevermer says, &quo...
May 28, 2024
AFBF and NFU respond to farm bill markup
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall responded to markup and passage of the Farm Bill out of the House Agriculture Committee Thursday (May 23, 2024). Duvall says, "We applaud the bipartisan vote after 13 hours of rigorous debate, but know that tight margins in both chambers and a crowded congress...
May 28, 2024
Soybean seed costs have risen sharply since 1997
The Economic Research Service reports that the cost of soybean seeds per acre has risen more than 260 percent since 1997, while total soybean production costs have risen 157 percent. "In 1997, U.S. farmers spent an average of $19.72 per acre on soybean seeds," the ERS report says. "That expense rose by m...
May 28, 2024
David DeHetre / CC
USDA Report Shows Ag Export Volume by Commodity
Export markets are an important sales outlet for American food and agricultural production. Since 2008, an average of 20 percent of the value of all U.S. agricultural output has been shipped to destinations in other countries. The export market is a growing one for U.S. non-manufactured products, a group that includes ...
May 28, 2024
Sam Greenhalgh / CC
South Dakota cattle on feed inventory up 11%
South Dakota feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 245,000 cattle on feed on May 1, 2024, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. This inventory was up 11% from last year. Placements during April totaled 30,000 head, down 3% from 2023. Fed cattle marketings for the month o...
May 25, 2024
Farm and ranch workers seeing an increase in average pay per hour
In the Northern Plains Region-- Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota-- there were 37,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on farms and ranches during the week of April 7-13, 2024, unchanged from the April 2023 reference week, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Workers numbe...
May 24, 2024
Pictures of Money / CC
AVMA Applauds Veterinary Priorities in the Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee has taken action to pass a new Farm Bill that would reauthorize many federal programs essential to veterinary medicine. Working with lawmakers and stakeholder groups, AVMA's sustained advocacy led to the inclusion of the veterinary profession's top legislative priorities that will help p...
May 24, 2024
Sebastian Vital / CC
House Ag Committee takes first step toward creation of new, five-year farm bill
The House Agriculture Committee has passed (May 23, 2024) their version of the next five-year farm bill, but Congressional leaders are less than hopeful the bill will get across the finish line before a new fall deadline. South Dakota U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson is one of the six main authors of the House version...
May 24, 2024
House Farm Bill Draws More Support Ahead of Markup
U.S. ag groups continue to react to the House Ag Committee's farm bill ahead of markup today (May 23, 2024). The National Corn Growers Association says many of the recommendations in the bill written by Ag Committee Chair GT Thompson would be an improvement upon existing programs for the nation's corn growers. The Food...
May 23, 2024