Farm News
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
MAY 16, 2024: OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Investigators say a man with a long record of dangerous driving told them he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus. Eight farmworkers from Mexico were killed and dozens more were injured. Bryan Maclean Howard pleaded not guilty Wednesday (May ...
May 16, 2024
Farmers Get Good Money for Leasing to Solar Companies
Solar energy is gaining traction across the country, and Farm Journal says it's surprising how much solar companies pay farmers to lease their ground. A survey of farmers shows the majority are being offered more than $1,000 per acre by companies for solar leasing, and that possibly could drive up the price of future c...
May 15, 2024
NPS Climate Change Response
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
Pictures of Money / CC
Legislators Want $1.2 Billion for Conservation Funding
Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DEL), 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 represen...
May 15, 2024
Bill Would Strengthen Crop Insurance
Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience Act into the House. The FARMER Act is intended to strengthen crop insurance and make higher levels of coverage more affordable for producers. The Act would increase premium support for higher ...
May 15, 2024
Pictures of Money / CC
There's bird flu in US dairy cows. Raw milk drinkers aren't deterred
UNDATED (AP)- Sales of raw milk appear to be on the rise, despite years of warnings about the health risks of drinking the unpasteurized products - and an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows. Since March 25, 2024, when the bird flu virus was confirmed in U.S. cattle for the first time, weekly sales of raw cow's milk hav...
May 14, 2024
Fears of retaliation arise after administration increases Chinese tariffs
MAY 16, 2024: 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 Kath...
May 14, 2024
Rains slow planting progress last week in South Dakota
MAY 14, 2024: For the week ending May 12, 2024, there were 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork in South Dakota, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0% very short, 6% short, 82% adequate, and 12% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0% very short, 9% short, 8...
May 14, 2024
Weekend solar storm knocks out GPS during planting season
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
United Soybean Board / CC
House Ag Chair Releases Detailed Farm Bill Proposal
House Ag Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA) released a more detailed, title-by-title overview of his farm bill proposal. The National Sorghum Producers say the chairman has been consistent in his messaging that the farm bill must be highly effective for producers and, by any measure, his framework makes some strides ...
May 14, 2024