David Oppedahl, a Senior Business Economist at the Chicago Fed, explained in The AgLetter that, “Agricultural land values for the Seventh Federal Reserve District showed signs of stabilizing in the first quarter of 2018, as farmland values were unchanged from a year ago. [node:read-more:link]
In reaction to changing market conditions, a group of dairy farmers, who have previously marketed their milk independently, have formed Appalachian Dairy Farmers Cooperative and expect to begin operations on June 1. The new organization has entered into an agreement with Piedmont Milk Sales, LLC to market the cooperative’s members’ milk and manage its day-to-day business under the direction of the cooperative’s Board of Directors. [node:read-more:link]
As of Dec. 1, veterinary prescriptions will be required for antibiotics for Canadian livestock. The new federal legislation means big changes and covers everything from beef to bees. It could mean added costs for producers, who must also develop a working relationship with a veterinarian.“Producers are going to have to work with a vet. That is going to be a cost change for them,” said Dr. Keith Lehman, Alberta’s provincial veterinarian.The new rules require the removal of growth promotion claims for antimicrobials used in animal feed. [node:read-more:link]
Producer optimism about the agricultural economy is at its lowest level since the 2016 elections, dropping for the second consecutive month in April. Concerns over trade disruptions and the future of U.S. agricultural exports are fueling the downturn in producer sentiment, according to economists at Purdue University who survey 400 producers nationwide each month.The needle of optimism on current and future economic conditions fell 10 points in April in the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Barometer after dropping 5 points in March. [node:read-more:link]
The Organic Trade Association on Monday strongly condemned the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
LaRue County, Kentucky, dairy farmer Gary Rock sits in his milking parlor, overlooking what is left of his 95 cow operation. “Three hundred years of history is something that a lot of people in our country cannot even talk about,” Rock said.That’s how long the farm has been in his family. While the land has turned out tobacco, soybeans and other crops over the years, since 1980 dairy has nourished the family in and out of tragedy.“In 2013, we had an F2 tornado that totally destroyed all the facilities here except the one we are sitting in, which is the milk parlor itself,” Rock said. [node:read-more:link]
Low milk prices are increasingly forcing small Ohio dairy farmers out of business and third- or fourth-generation family farms are in danger of closing down. Prolonged low prices for milk have left farmers in the region and around the country feeling squeezed. In the past decade, there has been a 33 percent decrease in Ohio dairy farms. And in the past year, the number of farms have dropped from 2,405 to 2,237, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. [node:read-more:link]
Fewer than 20 days remain until Dean Foods terminates its contract with dairy farmer Caleb Watson and his 221 milk cows. The countdown, if nothing else, has become easier to compute; the days can be tallied on fingers and toes now. Watson and 10 other East Tennessee farmers were given a 90-day, out-of-the-blue notice. Time is up May 31.The company cited an overabundance of milk in the market as reason for the cuts. Dean Foods subsidiary companies include Purity, Mayfield Dairy, Land O’Lakes, Dairy Pure, TruMoo and many other regional and national brands. [node:read-more:link]
he Humane Farming Association (HFA) is forming a campaign committee to oppose a controversial ballot initiative that would repeal and replace California's current hen housing law. Voters in California approved a ballot measure known as Proposition 2, which requires that all eggs produced in the state be laid by hens that have adequate room to stand up, sit down, turn around and extend their limbs without touching another bird or the sides of the cage. [node:read-more:link]
American dairy farmers are being squeezed by a triple-headed monster of overproduction, decreased milk consumption and increased consolidation among processors. “Farmers are caught in a Catch-22 game of margins and a worldwide glut of overproduction and over-saturated inventories of dairy products,” said Julie Walker, who works with Ag Central Farmers Cooperative in Eastern Tennessee. [node:read-more:link]
