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White House threatens to veto House version of farm bill
The White House is threatening to veto the House version of a five-year farm bill, saying that its proposed cuts to the food stamp program will leave some Americans hungry.
Wells Fargo picks Charlotte to plant agriculture hub
Some of the satellite sites serving the hub could be in Florida, New York, Ohio or Pennsylvania, the bank said, although nothing official has been announced.
Weekly Cornbelt Crop Update
The northwest Ohio and southern Michigan regions have had one of their best springs in quite a while. The crop continues to thrive, and they are “okay” for moisture today. They certainly won’t turn down a rain, but it is really hard to find a complaint with this crop. The only possible risk is that the majority of their corn crop all went in within a 5 day window.
Vilsack: Agriculture must adapt to climate change
But he called the threat of a changing climate “much different than anything we’ve ever tackled” and warned that without more drastic changes, the accelerating pace and intensity of global warming during the next few decades might soon begin to significantly affect agriculture.
USDA Trade Mission Aims to Create Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture in Turkey
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse is leading a mission to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Turkey, this week. Representatives from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, as well as 20 U.S. companies are participating.
USDA says they can’t locate any more genetically engineered wheat in Oregon
In April, an Oregon farmer discovered and reported a small number of volunteer wheat plants that were glyphosate-resistant
U.S. wheat output dropped
Informa pegged U.S. production of hard red winter wheat at 778 million bushels, 2.5% below the firm's May estimate, but 9.6 million above the U.S. Department of Agriculture's May forecast. Hard red winter wheat yields are forecast to average 36.9 bushels per acre, 3.8 bushels per acre below last year.
Top two at Eastern Livestock Co. sentenced to federal prison
Founder and former owner, Thomas P. Gibson, 73, of Lanesville, Ind., was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and former Chief Operating Officer Michael Steven McDonald, 61, of Lanesville, Ind., was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Farm Worker Shortage
In 2010, farmers reported more than $320 million in losses because they didn't get the workers they needed. Illegal workers fill most of the gap, but increasingly the bigger companies are moving production to Latin America.
Smithfield’s deal and the future of pork
If approved, the deal will be the largest takeover to date of an American firm by a Chinese one. In addition to the transaction’s significant value, Pope said the combination of Shuanghui and Smithfield makes great strategic sense because of China’s current market size, being the world’s single largest protein consuming country, and its future potential.
Seven farm bill fights to watch
House members will need to resolve a slew if fights over amendments to approve a five-year $939 billion farm bill by Thursday.
Here are some of the biggest battles to expect.
Senate farm bill stall will be felt across Capitol
The Senate’s farm bill cloture vote Thursday morning poses a critical test for the Agriculture Committee leadership, which needs a strong showing to clear the way for passage Monday and begin to heal the breach sparked by revisions in the commodity title.
Rep. Bob Gibbs gets reacquainted with Northeast Ohio roots as area congressman
The red tape and glacial pace of the legislative process in Washington irritate the two-term Republican congressman, a Bay Village native who spent three decades as a Holmes County hog farmer before becoming an Ohio legislator and a U.S. House of Representatives member.
Program may help stem tide of toxic algae (Dispatch editorial)
Now the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has targeted six major streams — the Maumee, Sandusky, Cuyahoga, Wabash, Scioto and Great Miami rivers —to begin monitoring and reducing pollution that exacerbates the algae.
Ohio wraps up “normal” planting season
The statewide planting progress reports from USDA also show a normal planting season for Ohio. While planting progress started out slow, corn and soybean planting was right on pace with the five-year average by the May 12 progress report and then moved ahead of the planting pace later in May.
Ohio farms dogged by battery thieves
Sheriff’s deputies in Paulding, Ohio, are investigating reports that batteries are being stolen from farm tractors and barns. The thieves have been targeting tractors parked in fields or along roads, police said.
More Rain Could Slow Crops
Emergence remains slow, especially in the northwest Midwest, which could receive more heavy rain this week.
More farm animals killed in Butler County
Who – or what - is killing farm animals in Butler County?
Two miniature ponies were found dead in a field on Springfield Road Tuesday night - adjacent to the farm where 10 animals were killed or mutilated four weeks ago,
Missouri 'right to farm' constitutional amendment likely to end up in court
Supporters and critics close to the legislative debate that resulted in the General Assembly's decision to place the proposal on the ballot hold different opinions about the purpose and potential of the proposed amendment.
How To Clean Up Fish Farms And Raise More Seafood At The Same Time
So a Canadian researcher named Thierry Chopin is pushing to develop a less expensive technology that could be used to clean up the many fish farms that are already operating in coastal waters.
House set to begin on farm bill
The House opens debate Tuesday on a new five-year farm bill with Republicans encouraged by their vote count but faced with continued infighting among commodity groups over the shape of future subsidies.
Hogs invade Ohio with illegal help
As far as the feral pigs are concerned, he said, state investigators know people are relocating them. “That’s not a situation in which they’ve migrated naturally,” Kohler said. “The highway system is how those animals were moved, and that’s pretty obvious.”
GM wheat escape confined to single Oregon field says agriculture secretar
The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, moved to steady Asian and European nerves about US wheat exports on Wednesday, saying there was no indication that rogue GM wheat had entered into the greater food supply
From West Virginia to Ohio, Food Fuels the Local Economy - See more at: http://b
West Virginia and Appalachian Ohio have a lot in common beyond their shared state border. With a strong agricultural heritage, these vast rural areas are known for their forest and timber industries, and they are integrating food systems into local economic development
Farm Progress Announces Alliance With Expoagro
Farm Progress Show recently signed a cooperation agreement with Expoagro, a major outdoor farm show in Argentina.
Farm Bureau, Full Speed Ahead
At a time of Washington gridlock, when not much of anything is being resolved, Farm Bureau is not only seeing action on three of its policy priorities, we are setting the course. We are being proactive and strategic in recognizing and making the most of opportunities to move our policy agenda forward.
Farm bill could hinge on dairy vote
An overhaul of dairy policy and a new insurance program for dairy farmers included in the farm bill have passionately divided farm-state lawmakers. Most importantly, it has caused a rift between House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota.
Consider farm specifics in pipeline contracts
With this in mind, Arnold said the first thing landowners need to consider with a proposed pipeline on their property are its type and purpose as well as its diameter and pressure.
Commercial kitchens: Can we stir up new food processing in Ohio?
Let’s say you have a great recipe for cheesecakes. You make them for every occasion and even give them as gifts. Pretty soon, people are asking if they could buy them from you. A seed is planted. Could you make a living baking cheesecakes?
Boehner throws weight behind farm bill
He said the rule governing the floor debate on the Committee’s bill would allow amendments to be offered to every title including the commodity and nutrition programs.
Boehner Faces Leadership Test on Farm Bill
Yvonne Lesicko, the senior director of legislative and regulatory policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said she thought Boehner’s choice to back this incarnation of the farm bill was good news both for the bill and for his home state.
Blueberries profitable option in Ohio
The demand for blueberries has exploded in recent years thanks to consumers who covet the tiny, sweet, blue fruit for its many health benefits
Appetite for Meat in China Means Agriculture Imports
The nation’s rising population, urban expansion and growing wealth are coupled with a reduction in the quality and amount of land and water available for farming, the report said. China’s largest pork processor is poised to takeover Smithfield Food Inc. as the pressure encourages companies to look overseas to meet food demand.
Agriculture Department, EPA target food waste
Americans throw away more than a third of what they buy — that's almost $400 a year per person, or more than an average month's worth of groceries. In 2010, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food from U.S. retailers, restaurants and homes was tossed.
Agricultural Myths, & More
agriculture is a technology and has been a technology since we first sowed wheat grasses on the banks of the Nile thousands of years ago. We have to be realistic about that. We have to lose our complete addiction to these romantic images of what farming