Ag Events Continue in Carolinas
Thursday was day one of the annual Joint Commodity Conference in Durham. Charles Hall is one of the event coordinators ansd was pleased with the attendance…
“I was really delighted to see all of the farmers that came in to see the yield awards. Most of the ones that actually received awards were there to get them in person, that was great.”
The joint conference of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association, NC Corn Growers Association, NC Cotton Growers Association and the NC Small Grain Growers Association continues today. The event is free, click here to see our coverage.
SC Agribix & Farm Expo Open Through Friday
The first ever Agribiz and Farm Expo continues in Florence, South Carolina. The extension of the farm bill continues to be a hot topic of conversation there.
To see our coverage of this event click here
Young Farmers and Ranchers Seek Credit
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters on a conference call about efforts to expand access to credit for America's farmers through microloans. The USDA says many young and beginning farmers, as well as returning veterans interested in agriculture as a career, often cite access to credit and capital as a major obstacle in putting down their roots in farming and ranching.
“This credit can be used for the purchase of equipment. It can be used in a very flexible way and we believe it will help expand opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers.”
USDA says many young and beginning farmers as well as those returning veterans interested in agriculture as a career often site access to credit and capital as a major obstacle in putting down their roots in farming and ranching.
Food Prices Rising Slightly
For the month of December the government's Consumer Price Index did not show much change. While some items like food went up, other things, like gas, dropped in price:
"We saw a little pick up in food but not a whole lot. And food costs, given that we did have a drought, have been really well contained.”
Economist Joel Naroff says there is good news when comparing 2012 to 2011. Consumer prices only rose 1.7 percent last year. Two years ago the jump was 3 percent.
Restaurants on the Food Porn List
The "Food Police" say it may taste good, but you'll feel bad about it in the morning.
“The Center for Science in the Public Interest is out with its annual list of what it calls ‘Food Porn’. Restaurant items that are loaded up with excessive calories, fat, sugar and sodium. The Cheesecake Factory tops this year’s list with its Bistro Shrimp Pasta- 3120 calories, 89 grams of saturated fat, and nearly 1100 mg of sodium. That 4.5x the amount of fat you should consume in a typical day. Another top offender, Johnny Rocket’s Bacon Double Chedder hamburger, they say its like eating three quarter pounders with cheese.”
Weather Preditions Call for Extended Drought
According to the latest seasonal forecast from the Climate Prediction Center – dry conditions are expected to continue from the central Great Plains to Texas through April. In fact – Director of Agricultural Services for Commodity Weather Group LLC Joel Widenor says the drought will persist through May with warm temperatures and below-normal rain in the western half of the Midwest. Widenor suggested about 50-percent of the Midwest will remain in drought condition.
