Brooks Schaffer Market Report for Friday, March 27th
This is the SFN Market Report with Brooks Schaffer of Palmetto Grain. Reach him at brooks@palmettograin.com or 843-540-4540. War headlines continue to be the main driver of grain and oilseed market direction, with a few rumors and headlines related to grain supply and demand thrown in for good measure. There has been a...
Farm Wages Getting Harder to Calculate in Multiple States
Wages for agricultural labor have gotten to an almost unsustainable level in some states, thanks in part to an increasingly complicated system of calculating what should be paid. Kate Tynan, Vice President at the Northwest Horticultural Council, says whether it's piece-rate or hourly, prevailing wage, or AEWR, surveys ...
Dry, Warm March Fuels Pollen, Fire Risk in Carolinas
It's safe to say when Phil Collins wrote "In the Air Tonight," he wasn't talking about pollen. But across the Carolinas, that's exactly what's covering cars, porches and homes - pollen is in the air. We've got state assistant climatologist Corey Davis here. Corey, talk to us about the plumes of pollen taking ...
Year-Round E15 in a Senate Farm Bill is Possible
Senate Ag Chair John Boozman, speaking at an Agri-Pulse forum, said it may be possible to attach year-round E15 to a Senate farm bill as he pushes back on oil industry demands to exclude small refiners from any deal. Boozman says he'd be glad to include year-round E15 in a Senate farm bill if he can get a sign-off from...
AFBF: Farmers Share of the Food Dollar Keeps Shrinking
New estimates from the Department of Agriculture tell us that the farmer's share of the food dollar keeps shrinking. Faith Parum, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says that the number varies slightly by commodity. "The farmers receive less than six cents of the industry dollar. 2.5 cents of t...
New Bill Would Bring Transparency to Fertilizer Prices
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin joined several colleagues in introducing a bill designed to provide more transparency in fertilizer pricing. Baldwin said fertilizer prices have risen rapidly since the war began in Iran. "Right now, I don't have to tell any farmers about the price that they're seeing for fertilizer...
Precision Calf Care is a Growing Trend in U.S. Dairy
The U.S. dairy industry has shifted its perspective on calves, moving from seeing them as future earners to recognizing them as the immediate "high-value" future of a dairy farm. Kendra Wells, a veterinarian with Valley Veterinary Clinic in Wisconsin, said calf care has come a long way in recent years. "...
Will Higher Fuel Prices Push Struggling Farmers Off the Cliff?
As fuel prices soar, thanks to the war in Iran, and add to the exorbitant costs farmers are already paying for labor, inputs, and equipment, who is to blame for the mess? Save Family Farming's Dillon Honcoop says the rising fuel costs caused by the war could be the final straw for many. "Ultimately, all of these p...
Results from a TOTAL Survey
How many acres of U.S. farmland are rented to ag producers for growing crops? It's one of several questions answered by participating landowners in USDA's latest Tenure, Ownership and Transition of Agricultural Land survey. "The total survey provides comprehensive data on the financial and demographic aspects of a...
National Ag Day Recognizes Farmers' Role in Food, Security
Today marks National Agriculture Day, a time to recognize farmers, producers and agribusinesses that keep food on the table and drive one of North Carolina's most important industries. To talk more about that, we're joined by Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. Commissioner, thanks for joining us. "Well, I'...