Agriculture

Among the many issues on the ballot this November, Missourians will vote on whether to renew the state’s tenth-of-a-cent parks, soils and water sales tax.  The sales tax was first approved in 1984 and reapproved by voters in 1988, 1996 and 2006. It is currently set up to have a renewal vote every 10 years. The tax splits its revenues 50-50, with half going to fund the state’s parks and half going to fund the Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Program, which provides cost-share money for conservation practices implemented by landowners. [node:read-more:link]

Three years ago,Joshua Morgenthau found himself facing a situation that is every farmer’s nightmare.  It was time to prepare his 100-acre fruit and vegetable farm’s cherries and strawberries for harvest, but the workers he’d hired for the job weren’t there to help. His employees were many miles away in Jamaica, waiting for the green light to enter the U.S. and get to work. Without enough hands to weed and prune the delicate crop, Morgenthau’s berries were at risk of rotting on the vine. [node:read-more:link]

Accounts receivable at farm supply cooperatives and other agricultural retailers are growing, and so are their challenges, according to a new report from CoBank. After an extended run of impressive financial performances, retailers are adjusting to a tougher economic environment accompanying the downward phase of the current agricultural commodity cycle.   Current headwinds are directly related to a sharp decline in commodity prices that has reduced farm income and tightened farm cash flows. [node:read-more:link]

A planned $90 million sorghum processing facility will provide farmers in the region a new rotation crop that fetches a stable price every year.  The facility, Treasure Valley Renewables, will also use waste from dairies and other agricultural sources.  “This is an absolutely great project for this area,” said Neill Goodfellow, director of Agrienergy Producers Association, a 25-farmer cooperative that will grow the sorghum used by the facility. [node:read-more:link]

Washington wildlife managers have killed four more wolves in the Profanity Peak pack, bringing the total to six as the Department of Fish and Wildlife seeks to eliminate the entire pack from Ferry County. [node:read-more:link]

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton issued Executive Order 16-07, requiring the state to take specific actions to reverse the decline of bees and other pollinator populations that play a crucial role in agriculture and food production. [node:read-more:link]

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the price of milk in June was about $15 per 100 pounds - more than a 40 percent drop from 2014. Meanwhile, the USDA estimated milk production costs were about $22 per 100 pounds.  Darrel Aubertine, a former commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, said many small family farms now faced a difficult decision: Sell their operations to larger dairy farms, borrow money to cover costs or diversify into other types of agriculture. [node:read-more:link]

We are looking at record crops of corn, soybeans, and wheat this year.  Dairy farmers are suffering with the lowest prices since 2009.  We have too much milk – not just here in the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

More than a just few times this year, I’ve witnessed industry speakers who were reluctant to answer questions on sustainability. It turns many a speaker’s face red. Sustainability carries such broad implications that it’s difficult to define with a short answer. Some people in our industry have apparently come to despise the word, and seem to cringe when they hear it. Many seem to have become suspicious of the concepts it represents. Speakers know this and often avoid the subject. Sustainability simply means the ability to sustain, or put another way, theability to continue. [node:read-more:link]

A district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a tax reimbursement credit that was passed in 2014 with the support of Idaho farm groups.  The tax incentive has already helped Idaho land Amy’s Kitchen, an organic convenience food maker, and facilitated an $82 million expansion by Glanbia Foods, a cheese manufacturer.  The tax credit will be used by a food product manufacturing company that plans to make a $15 million capital investment in Boise that will result in 80 new jobs. [node:read-more:link]