BUSINESS
Farm income will jump 28 percent this year to a record $100.9 billion because of higher crop and livestock prices, the government said.
The miniature donkeys that graze at the Mount Laurel homestead of U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan became political fodder as soon as the former Eagles tackle announced his candidacy in 2009. Under a New Jersey law designed to protect farmers from soaring property taxes, Runyan receives a 98 percent tax break on most of his land because he keeps donkeys and sells firewood. Democrats attacked Runyan, whose median net worth is estimated at $7 million, for taking advantage of a farm program to avoid paying the full tax rate on 20 of his 23 acres. Two years later, tax breaks for the wealthy are drawing even sharper criticism as Congress fights over how to spur the sluggish economy and manage the country’s debt.
BRADFORD, Maine -- After 47 years running a farming and dairy operation in town, Adrian Pray was ready to retire. But first, he had to find a new owner for some of his 2,300 acres of farmland spread across Bradford, Hudson and Charleston.
A trip to the grocery store is going to cost more next year, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
South Woodstock -- Vermont FarmsteadCheese Co. started producing cheese only in January and didn’t begin distributing until June, but it’s already struggling to keep up with customers’ requests.
Steve and Karen Sponem have been dairyfarmers most of their adult lives, so they learned a long time ago how to live through the radical ups and downs of milk prices. Earlier this year, and despite the struggling global economy, dairy industry experts were giddy when prices improved to almost $21. Steve Sponem said that was the highest he has ever seen.
These high producing herds netted $1.35/cwt in October, based on a milk price of $19.96/cwt, corn at $6.28/bu, soybean meal at $280/ton and alfalfa at $190/ton.
Up to $18,000 in cash prizes will be awarded in 2012 World Ag Expo competition.
FARMINGTON -- Navajo Agricultural Products Industry is running out of alfalfa hay, a spokeswoman said Monday."We are actually possibly going to run out of hay by Saturday,” said marketing assistant Rae DeGroat. “It could go on till next week, but we wanted the public to be aware of this information.”
Despite strong milk prices, soaring feed costs still threaten dairy producers’ profits.
With its milk production shifting to the northwest region, the Lone Star State’s dairy landscape continues to evolve.
It seems a rare act of civic sacrifice. In the name of deficit reduction, lawmakers from both parties in the United States are calling for the end of a longstanding agricultural subsidy that puts about $5 billion a year in the pockets of their farmer constituents. Even major farm groups are accepting the proposal, saying that with farmers poised to reap bumper profits, they must do their part.But in the same breath, the lawmakers and their farm lobby allies are seeking to send most of that money - under a new name - straight back to the same farmers, with most of the benefits going to large farms that grow commodity crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton. In essence, lawmakers would replace one subsidy with a new one.’'We are very much aware of the budgetary constraints of the federal government,’' said Garry Niemeyer, an Illinois farmer who is president of the National Corn Growers Association. ''We want to do our part as corn growers to help resolve those issues, but we only want to do our proportional part. We don’t want to have everything taken out on us.’'
EUROPEAN Commission proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) include a plan to dedicate 30 per cent of direct farm payments to “green” measures. Controversially, it would only be paid to farmers who leave at least seven per cent of their land fallow - something the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and National Farmers Union (NFU) pledged to fight.
US Agriculture Department officials have faced criticism over recent forecasts that have roiled the grains market, saying that the explosive growth of the ethanol sector had upended traditional patterns. The robust growth of the ethanol sector in the last few years has altered the structure of the US corn market and is complicating the government’s efforts to gauge feed use, the US Agriculture Department said.
The Tillamook area producer agreed to restore and preserve more than 20 acres of historic wetlands to resolve a federal Clean Water Act violation.
As Steve Jobs admirers flocked to Apple headquarters and his Silicon Valley home in the hours after his death, the signs of his influence could be seen everywhere: A farmer in Arkansas who uses his iPhone to monitor how much pesticide to apply to each crop and read market reports while standing in his fields.
Bangladesh, Oct. 4 -- Abnormally high prices of food on the international market have become a cause for serious concern the world over. Against its total production of 2,180 million tonnes, the world consumed 2,240 million tonnes last year. Clearly, it had to fall back upon its previous stock. To avoid a repeat of making up for the shortfall as also covering the increased annual demand for 40 million tonnes, the world needs to produce at least 100 million tonnes more grains this year. But it will have to produce an additional amount of 50 million tonnes if the soaring food prices have to be brought down to a reasonable level. Now the challenge is to achieve this target.
Mid-sized freestall herds averaging 24,000 lb./cow/year were netting $3.17/cwt, based on a milk price of $22.92.
When Michele Bachmann is asked on the campaign trail about her ownership of a Wisconsin farm, she says federal payments to the family partnership have stopped and that she has never pocketed “a penny’’ of the government subsidies she denounces.
Canada’s federal government is funding a team of 16 scientists to try to figure out how farmers can use fewer antibiotics in the chickens, pigs and cows Canadians eat. Antibiotics are used in animal feed to prevent disease and promote growth.
It’s not your imagination: It costs more to fill your grocery cart this fall than it did at the beginning of spring.Staple food items sold at the three most popular groceries in the area have risen in price over the past six months, according to Dispatch research that began in March.Nationwide, grocery-store prices have increased 5.4 percent in the past 12 months, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Producers are expected to have the opportunity to sign up for the federal Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy program once again in late October.
In a world of increased feed costs, uncooperative weather and problems with forage quality, high milk prices and strong demand are helping some dairy producers make ends meet.
Governor Chris Christie today announced that United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack has granted a Natural Disaster Designation for 20 New Jersey counties following flooding and high winds from Hurricane Irene and several other weather disasters for farmers so far this year.
Food prices are expected to rise as the corn surplus shrinks due to a hot summer, which likely scorched this year’s corn crop.
California congressman says it’s “time for Congress to stop picking winners and losers, which is causing a shortage of feed in our country.”
By Josh Rhotenjrhoten@wyomingnews.comCHEYENNE - Drought conditions across the U.S. have created a unique situation for Wyoming ranchers.Demand for hay continues to grow, sparking an increase in prices.Monte Lerwick, a rancher and farmer in Albin, said he was seeing a rise in prices, even for low-quality hay, because of the high demand."Our hay prices have been really high this year, and we have started to bundle it up into larger bails to send to other places because of the demand,” he said. “It doesn’t even really matter if it’s high quality or not, people just need it because of that drought.”
The plant will be the only canola oil facility west of the Rocky Mountains.
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that dairy farmers who were forced to dump milk, due to power outages and washed out roads and bridges preventing transportation, will receive payments at the market value for the milk that they had to dump.
‘Saving for a rainy day’ and liquidity is key to surviving downturns.