What will the Wasde bring? Grains make small gains, for now

The, modestly, positive tone around in early deals was there at the close too, as traders proved reluctant to take values too far in any direction ahead of key data ahead. Thursday will bring a slew of ag commodity statistics, starting off with monthly data on Malaysian palm oil production and stocks, followed by the monthly briefing on Brazilian crops from Conab.

Farm income could be lowest in 12 years, falls by more than half

Farm income this year could be the lowest since 2006, a reflection of low commodity prices, exporting issues and in some places, lousy weather. Nationwide, net farm income has fallen by more than half since 2013, and it's expected to drop another 6.7% this year - to the lowest level since 2006, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The Guardian Claims Trump’s USDA Blacklists And Censors Use Of Term ‘Climate Change’

Officials at the Department of Agriculture are telling employees at the agency to use terms such as "weather extremes" when referring to "climate change," The Guardian reported Monday. Bianca Moebius-Clune, a director of foil health at the Natural Resources Conservation Service , told employees at the USDA to replace terms referring to global warming with more vanilla terms such as "weather extremes," according to a series of emails the outlet obtained.

Entrenched poverty tough to shake in the Mississippi Delta

Otibehia Allen is a single mother who lives in a rented mobile home in the same isolated, poor community where she grew up among the cotton and soybean fields of the Mississippi Delta. During a summer that feels like a sauna, the trailer's air conditioner has conked out.

USDA Farmland Values Show Iowa Up 1.9 Percent, Nebraska Down

The latest farm real estate values are out and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the average acre of farmland in Iowa rose 1.9 percent from a year ago to $8,000 an acre, returning to the same value posted in 2015. Iowa is the only state in the five-state corn belt region which also includes Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio to see an increase in value.

Our Opinion: Area schools compassionate while struggling with parents’ meal debts

Schools in Central Missouri, along with the rest of the nation, have been struggling with how to deal with outstanding balances on school-provided meals. The Southern Boone school district has amassed about $30,000 in debt from outstanding meal balances.

Minnesota 4-H’ers Set to Compete in Eighth Annual Poultry Prince…

Minnesota 4-H poultry participants will have the opportunity to put their knowledge and industry experience to the test during the eighth annual Poultry Prince and Princess Contest , held at the Minnesota State Fair from August 24 through August 27, 2017. The scholarship program, put on by Minnesota 4-H and Gold'n Plump , recognizes the skills, leadership and confidence of the state's top young poultry experts by awarding two participants with the Poultry Prince and Princess ambassador titles and scholarships of $1,000 each.

CNN’s Headline On This Story Makes Trump’s USDA Pick Seem Racist

CNN published an article Wednesday suggesting that President Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Agriculture has a history of lobbing racial comments against supporters of the Obama administration. Sam Clovis, a former radio host who Trump nominated to head the USDA, once called Democrats and activists "race traitors" and "race traders," according to a report Wednesday from CNN's KFILE.

Texas Wine Industry Debates Labeling Law

If a proposed law had been passed by Texas state lawmakers in the most recent legislative session, all wines bearing a Texas appellation would have been required to use 100% Texas grapes. While the federal government requires that wineries use just 75% appellation grapes for state labeling, California and Oregon require 100%, and Washington state mandates 95%.

USDA: Most GE Corn And Cotton Seeds Now Have Both Herbicide Tolerance And Insect Resistance

USDA: MOST GE CORN AND COTTON SEEDS NOW HAVE BOTH HERBICIDE TOLERANCE AND INSECT RESISTANCE Aug. 1, 2017 Source: USDA news release Genetically engineered seeds have become widely used in major field crop production in the United States. Herbicide-tolerant crops were developed to survive the application of certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the targeted weeds.

Trump’s top trade nominees lobbied for hormone-meat exports

The nature of Britain's trade deals with the United States after Brexit raises serious concerns about the quality of food on supermarket shelves - and the influence of vested interests in the meat industry, reports LAWRENCE CARTER of EnergyDesk, Greenpeace. I can't see the Farm Bureau and the commodity organisations being willing to say yes, let's do a deal with the UK under the same terms that we have with the European Union Donald Trump's nominee to be the United States' chief agricultural trade negotiator previously called for the US to walk away from trade talks with the EU if it refused to drop its ban on beef reared with antibiotics and growth supplements.

Buffington: Population shifts and the effects

It's difficult to believe when you look around booming northeast Georgia, but not everywhere in the country is growing. A large swath of the American Midwest, from northern Texas up into the Dakotas, is seeing depopulation as young people leave rural communities and move into urban areas where there are more job opportunities.

Letter urges USDA to make milk agricultural commodity

U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make milk an agricultural commodity under the Federal Crop Insurance program. Ms. Stefanik joined other members of Congress in submitting a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting the change, which would put the dairy industry in a better position to recover from severe declines in milk prices.

Study finds city’s south side is a food desert

The lack of a major grocery store and having fewer convenience stores nearby makes Warren's southside neighborhoods more food insecure than the rest of the city, according to a recently released study by Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. Examining 91 items from a U.S. Department of Agriculture thrifty food plan survey list, stores on the city's southeast side did not have 68 percent of the items, according to a study on food access conducted by TNP over the past year.

Europe Eats Into Butter Mountain in Sign High Prices to Stay

Europeans are eating so much butter that the bloc's stockpiles are nearly empty, adding to a rush of demand that has sent global prices skyrocketing. The star of the U.S. dairy market in recent years, butter costs have now soared to all-time highs in Western Europe and Oceania.

Worsening drought conditions in parts of US stressing crops

Drought conditions worsened in several states over the past week from extreme heat and weeks with little rain, raising the prospect that grocery staples such as bread and beans could cost more as the region that produces those commodities is hardest hit. Drought conditions have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Higher Costs Make 2018 a Great Time to Cut Carbs

It looks like next year might be a good time to cut the carbohydrates as a drought-fueled jump in wheat costs will make bakery goods the food items with the biggest price gains for U.S. consumers. Higher prices paid to farmers, combined with lower imports, may increase grocery and restaurant costs for baked goods and cereals as much as 4 percent next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday in its first forecast of food-price inflation for 2018.