Corn Growers Want Sales, Not Government Checks
While farmers are grateful for government assistance through the Farm Bridge Assistance Program, the goal is always to sell more commodities. Kenneth Hartman Jr., now the past president of the National Corn Growers Association, said the organization is always working to open more opportunities for U.S. corn producers. ...
Vance: Data Centers Can Work in Rural America if Done Right
The U.S. tech industry is continuing a push for more land for data centers in rural areas, and it's causing some farmer pushback. Data centers target rural areas because they require a lot of land and access to substantial water supplies and electricity. During a recent stop in Wisconsin, Vice President J.D. Vance talk...
House Farm Bill Markup Slows Over SNAP Funding
The House Ag farm bill markup has entered its second day, but the key stumbling block to a bipartisan bill has now come into sharp focus. The fight over SNAP versus farm programs has kept a new farm bill off the books for at least three years. Republicans got around that, boosting crop support levels with SNAP savings ...
A unique dogwood that brings color to the late-winter landscape
Even if I did not have access to a calendar, I would always know when we are nearing the end of winter. Of course, there are many signs in nature, but I defer to the blooming of my rather tall "Cornelian Cherry" tree. This unique species is a native to parts of Western Asia and southern Europe according to th...
Rain improves drought conditions as 80-degree weather arrives
Well, as you're waking up and looking at the weather on your phone, you may see something that you haven't seen in a long time: 80-degree weather. Spring is almost here, and it looks like we're already skipping spring, going straight to summer. We've got state assistant climatologist Corey Davis here. Corey, let's talk...
Brooks Schaffer Market Report for Friday, Mar. 6th
This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at brooks@palmettograin.com or 843-540-4540. The news cycle continues to be dominated by the turmoil in the Middle East. The grain markets were not really sure which way to react for much of the week. Higher energy prices are bullish for co...
Finding Out About Farm Income Forecast
What does farm income in the U.S. potentially look like for 2026? USDA's first projections for net farm income for this year indicate: "Net cash farm income is forecast at $158.5 billion, which is an increase of about $4.6 billion, or 3%, in 2025. Net farm income is forecast to fall $1.2 billion, or almost 1%.&quo...
Fordyce: 37,000 Applications for Farmer Bridge Assistance and Counting
During the recent Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce talked about a new "One Farmer, One File" initiative at the agency. "The Secretary said your file will follow you when you go from NRCS to FSA to RMA. It's long, long, long overdue, and we do. The Secretary mad...
Many Parts of Farm Bill Still Need to be Completed
The House Ag Committee recently put forth its text for an updated Farm Bill, something farmers and ranchers have been longing for. Ryan Yates, American Farm Bureau Managing Director of Government Affairs, says ag has waited long enough. "American farmers and ranchers deserve better, and they deserve long term cert...
Optimism for a New Farm Bill Hard to Find
As the Farm Bill 2.0 markup was to begin on Tuesday afternoon, optimism about getting a new five-year bill can be hard to find. Duane Stateler, about to finish his term as president of the National Pork Producers Council, said time spent on Capitol Hill talking about a new farm bill that fixes California's Proposition ...