Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:36:00 GMT
Evidence of tightening global food supplies grew as the U.S. Agriculture Department cut its
estimates for global harvests of key crops and raised some demand forecasts, adding to
worries about rising food prices.
Prices of corn and soybeans leapt 4% Wednesday and wheat gained 1%, continuing the broad
rally in commodity prices that began in June. With yesterday’s gains, prices of corn futures
contracts are now up 94% from their June lows; soybeans are up 51% and wheat is up 80%. For the complete story click here.
Posted in News
Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:00:00 GMT
Budget deficits will play a role in crafting the nation’s next multi-year agriculture spending bill, a
key U.S. senator said Tuesday.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow — chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
Forestry — expects hearings on the next Farm Bill could begin within two months or so.
“I think our biggest challenge is the overall budget and the deficit and making sure that we’re
doing our part in being fiscally responsible,” Stabenow, D-Michigan, told reporters after
speaking at a Michigan Agri-Business Association conference. “That is very, very important.”
The next Farm Bill is expected in 2012. The legislation typically covers a five-year period and
sets the federal government’s financial support for the agriculture sector. It also shapes
nutrition, agricultural energy research and many other programs.
A key item falling under more scrutiny could be what Stabenow calls the “safety net” for farm
producers — the mix of direct payments to growers and crop insurance that helps growers
manage risk. For the full story click here.
Posted in News
Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:45:00 GMT
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack strongly hinted Monday to the nation’s largest farm
lobbying group that large budget deficits will require spending cuts.
However, Vilsack did not explain in detail how cuts might affect the budget of the U.S.
Agriculture Department and its programs. His remarks come as U.S. farmers are searching for
signals about what programs Congress might trim or curtail in the next Farm Bill expected next
year.
That legislation sets the federal government’s financial support for the agriculture sector.
“It’s fairly clear. I’m not going to tell you something that you haven’t already heard from your
leadership,” Vilsack told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“When you’re dealing with having to reduce deficits, you’re going to have to make difficult
choices.” For the full story click here.
Posted in News
Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:40:00 GMT
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a speech to American Farm Bureau members Jan. 10
vowed to work on providing greater stability and profitability for dairymen and to press to open
foreign markets for U.S. agriculture.
“I think it is important and necessary for us to see if we can figure out a way in which we can
provide greater profitability and more stability in (the dairy) industry,” Vilsack told the Farm
Bureau’s annual convention. For the complete story click here.
Posted in News
Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:00 GMT
Due to a growing global economy, unpredictable water supply and rising feed costs, dairy
farmers in San Joaquin County are bracing themselves for another uncertain year in 2011.
Farmers are optimistic that they won’t experience a year similar to 2009, when dairy prices
plummeted and farms were foreclosed on, but they aren’t betting on dairy to unseat grapes as
the San Joaquin’s County’s top agricultural commodity. Higher feed prices, coupled with less
alfalfa being cultivated throughout the state, are squeezing dairy farmers. Constant regulations
also create potential headaches for dairy farmers in 2011. For the full story click here.
Posted in News
Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:31:00 GMT
Although most milk-producing states had a good month last month, production lagged in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Dairy farmers across the nation produced 3.1 percent more milk last month than they did in November of last year. For the complete story click here.
Posted in News
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:35:00 GMT
The next chairman of the House Agriculture Committee thinks the government should consider releasing idled land for crop production if the acreage is needed to stabilize supplies of corn and other commodities.
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., who will take over the committee next month, said the next farm bill, due in 2012, could include a provision allowing the Agriculture Department to reduce the size of the Conservation Reserve Program in case of crop shortages.
For the complete story click here.
Posted in News
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:32:00 GMT
Production climbed to 15.47 billion pounds (7.2 billion kilograms) from 15.07 billion in November 2009, the USDA said today in a report. The dairy herd rose 0.3 percent to 9.121 million head from a year earlier, while the average cow produced 1,696 pounds of milk during the month, up 2.3 percent, the department said. For the full story click here.
Posted in News
Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:48:00 GMT
The November milk production report was released on Friday by USDA. Production continues to show a Year-Over-Year increase. The full report can be obtained by clicking here. The actual data can be accessed from our dataset by clicking here.
Posted in News
Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:32:00 GMT
We have added a PDF that contains the release dates for 2011 Advanced and Announced FMMO prices. Click
here to obtain these dates.
Posted in Web-Site News
