Corn: Lies, damn lies and statistics
The 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli has been credited with pointing out that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. While no one knows for sure whether...
View ArticleCollision coming between biofuels mandates and market reality
In the face of a small corn crop and high prices, there has been a great deal of debate about a partial temporary waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS) mandate for ethanol in 2013. Our analysis...
View ArticleUSDA grants support marketing opportunities for farmers and ranchers
USDA will award matching grants for 22 projects under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program to help create economic opportunities for American farmers and ranchers. USDA will match nearly...
View ArticleFarmers fight in fields and court to block high-speed rail
California is spending more than $300 million to buy out farms and hundreds of other properties along a high-speed rail project route — in many cases, against the landowners’ will. Sam Curran rolls up...
View ArticleEstate tax exemption extension urged
The 2013 change to the estate tax law does a disservice to agriculture because it is a land-based, capital-intensive industry with few options for paying estate taxes when they come due. The NCC joined...
View ArticleEPA and agriculture engage in civil exchange
The man from the EPA bore no resemblance to the villainous Simon Legree. He had neither horns nor a forked tail. He seemed an affable sort—young, intelligent, humorous at times and comfortable before...
View ArticleYear later, MF Global scandal still smolders
It has been just over a year since the collapse of commodities brokerage MF Global and the disappearance of some $1.2 billion — much of it invested by the U.S. agriculture sector — in...
View ArticleUSDA drought actions brought nearly $200 million in forage for producers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s measures to open conservation land to emergency haying and grazing during the 2012 drought freed up a record 2.8...
View ArticleWater fears rise in West over Colorado River and Rio Grande
A “call to action” is required to prevent serious water shortages in the years ahead for city-dwellers, Native Americans, businesses, ranchers and farmers in at least seven states. Interior Secretary...
View ArticleFarmland rush may bring short supply, high value in 2013
Economic uncertainty had some non-operating farmland owners rushing to sell, which was evident in the last three months of the year, according to Farmers National Company, the largest farmland and...
View ArticleFarm bill looking good for next generation of farmers
Ben LaCross, a young fruit grower and Farm Bureau member from Michigan, urged Congress to pass the Senate Agriculture Committee-passed farm bill this year. Speaking ...
View ArticleBeef association opposes mandate on animal agriculture
Tom Talbot, chairman of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee, said despite challenges cattlemen and women face, raising healthy cattle ...
View ArticleEPA greenhouse gas regulations burden farmers
Costs incurred by utilities, refiners, manufacturers and other large emitters to comply with GHG regulatory requirements will be passed on to the consumers of those ...
View ArticleMore confusion than clarification in Supreme Court’s immigration ruling
Monday’s Supreme Court ruling that threw out key provisions of a controversial Arizona immigration law might have left more confusion than clarification, as states with ...
View ArticleFarmers trying to stop flood of regulation
Not all guidance is helpful or benevolent. That is particularly true if the guidance is coming from a government regulatory agency. Take, for example, the ...
View ArticleFarm bill moves toward one-year extension
As the agronomic and political impacts of the nation’s growing drought came into clearer focus this week, House Republican leaders shifted course toward possible consideration ...
View ArticleCongress goes on vacation with no farm bill, no plan
Members of Congress are returning to their districts and constituents for August recess without a clear path for passing a five-year farm bill before the ...
View ArticleUSDA goes after food stamp fraud
USDA announced a broad range of additional strategies to further improve program integrity in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and hold those misusing benefits ...
View ArticleCorn: Lies, damn lies and statistics
The 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli has been credited with pointing out that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and ...
View ArticleCollision coming between biofuels mandates and market reality
In the face of a small corn crop and high prices, there has been a great deal of debate about a partial temporary waiver of ...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....