U.S. Department of Agriculture
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.
Dairies’ soaring feed expenses put 2011 on a record-setting track.
The 1.779 million cows reported in October gets the state back to where it was five years ago, when California reported 1.778 million cows.
“No one’s interests are well served when the debate surrounding efforts to reform federal dairy policy is subjected to selective or less than complete reporting of pertinent research,” said Jerry Kozak, NMPF CEO and president.
Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school health and wellness program that encourages kids to choose nutrient-rich food first, and get out and play for at least 60 minutes a day.
Funding for the biodigesters is provided through the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
With its milk production shifting to the northwest region, the Lone Star State’s dairy landscape continues to evolve.
September culling was up 4,000 head over a year ago (1.6%) and 2,000 head higher than August.
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.
All-Milk price is projected to drop to $20.00 to $20.10 per cwt. for 2011, and $17.75 to $18.65 per cwt. for 2012.
The LGM-Dairy insurance program is likely to sell out by next month.
USDA and World Wildlife Fund join the panel that will judge the newly launched awards program.
HUTCHINSON - Extreme heat and a severe water shortage have chopped this year’s corn crop drastically across Kansas, especially for dryland corn.This time of year usually is hectic across the state as grain trucks line up to dump harvested corn at grain elevators. But those trucks are only trickling in as farmers come to grips with a grim harvest they hope is only a one-year anomaly.
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.
Producers are expected to have the opportunity to sign up for the federal Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy program once again in late October.
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.
Exports are flourishing amid drought and high feed prices domestically, USDA says.
The practical impact of the proposal is that all U.S. dairy farms will eventually have to meet the 400,000 SCC limit, regardless of where they ship their milk.
Western states, Texas and Florida show biggest year-over-year percentage gains.
Food prices are expected to rise as the corn surplus shrinks due to a hot summer, which likely scorched this year’s corn crop.
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.”
In its September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, USDA also projected lower U.S. feed grain supplies for 2011-12.
The Class III price is forecast at $16.10 to $17.10 per cwt. in 2012.
Western states, Florida and Texas led with increased input, while extreme heat curbed Midwest production.
Recent high temperatures and high-priced feed expected to constrain growth in per-cow milk.
At $23.62 per cwt., June 2011’s overall monthly dairy cost of production is the highest since 2008.
USDA forecasts dairy cow numbers to fall slightly in 2012, but milk production is expected to continue to climb.
The Department of Agriculture no longer serves as a lifeline to millions of struggling homestead farmers. Instead, it is a vast, self-perpetuating postmodern bureaucracy with an amorphous budget of some $130 billion -- a sum far greater than the nation’s net farm income this year. In fact, the more the Agriculture Department has pontificated about family farmers, the more they have vanished -- comprising now only about 1 percent of the American population.
USDA forecasts soaring feed costs, strong demand and high milk prices this year and next.