Cost of Production

The New Ag Economy: Why This Downturn is a Structural Shift, Not Just a Cycle

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:22:20 GMT

What You Need to Know:

Structural Evolution: This downturn is a permanent market shift, not just a temporary cycle.
Friend-Shoring: Trade is moving toward geopolitical allies to ensure supply chain resilience.
Aggressive Cost-Cutting: Farmers are doubling generic input use and delaying machinery purchases to protect margins.
Financial Resilience: Better management and working capital make today far more stable than the 1980s.
Premium Protein Demand: GLP-1 medications are driving consumers toward smaller, higher-quality meat portions

As the industry enters the third year of this downturn, farmers and agribusinesses are questioning if a recovery is on the two-year horizon. While cyclical behavior is normal, two economists suggest the structural evolution within crop protection, machinery, technology, livestock and other individual sectors is creating a different kind of staying power for those who survive the recovery.

The Evolution of the Cycle

When characterizing the current economic cycle in agriculture, historical patterns provide a necessary baseline, yet the present landscape is defined by unique pressures. Typical agricultural cycles consist of roughly six years of expansion followed by four years of decline. Currently, the market is navigating a “corrective period,” returning to long-run averages.

The drivers of growth are typically demand shocks — export surges, fuel demand or policy shifts such as the Renewable Fuel Standard. However, Wes Davis, ag economist at Meridian Ag Advisors, notes the current environment is an intersection of traditional contraction and sector-specific evolution.

“What I think we’re experiencing right now is that typical cycle behavior where we see growth in some business firms, and then some contraction and pullback to adjust to the cycle going back to more of the long-run average,” Davis explains. “I think we’re also seeing evolution of individual sectors within the market where there’s adjustments happening because of the industry itself.”

In other words, this isn’t just a cycle — it’s also a structural shift.

Change Fatigue and Modern Volatility

Farmers aren’t strangers to volatility, but global trade disruptions, policy shifts and rising competition, especially from Brazil, are layering uncertainty onto already volatile markets.
Farmers are grappling with “change fatigue,” a byproduct of the high velocity of information and extreme price swings that dwarf the relative stability of the early 2000s.

“When I go talk to any industry group right now, the phrase that I hear is ‘change fatigue’, and I feel that. Every couple minutes, something shifts,” says Trey Malone, Purdue University ag econ professor. “But to be clear, it’s not that the farm economy isn’t used to volatility, it’s just the uncertainty and the volatility now is, like, ‘hold my beer relative’ to the old volatility.”

Malone attributes this to layers of uncertainty created by global trade and policy. The rise of Brazilian production, coinciding with the disruption of U.S.-China trade relations, has created a permanent state of flux. This sentiment is reflected in the Purdue Ag Economy Barometer, which shares a higher correlation with the Small Business Index (.5) than with actual commodity prices. This suggests farmers view themselves primarily as small business owners facing broad economic pressures rather than just price-takers.

“We don’t see very strong correlations even with lagged soybean prices and corn prices,” Malone notes. “The world is more complicated than just looking at what happened in the market yesterday and gauging how farmers feel.”

Global Competitiveness and the Trade Reallocation

A primary concern for U.S. producers is their position as low-cost providers. While the U.S. maintains an infrastructure advantage that lowers the cost of getting products to export ports, Brazil continues to close the gap.

“It’s a fair question farmers ask a lot: Are we actually the ones who are the low-cost producers, and do we still have a place in the global market if Brazil continues to lower the cost of production and transport their grain to export terminals?” Davis asks.

However, Davis points out that global trade hasn’t shut off; it has reallocated. Only three global regions — North America, Latin America and parts of Southeastern Europe/Central Asia — are net exporters. The rest of the world remains net importers.

“While our trade has kind of shifted around ... that shift has really reallocated stuff in different places. Those calories and products end up going somewhere. It’s just a question of where,” he says.

The Shift to “Friend-Shoring” and Resilient Supply Chains

The industry is moving from “just-in-time” (hyper-lean) procurement to “just-in-case” (inventory-heavy) strategies, a lesson reinforced by the pandemic. This shift is accompanied by “friend-shoring,” where the U.S. prioritizes trade with geopolitical allies.

“We’ve gone from offshoring to onshoring to nearshoring to friendshoring,” Malone explains. “We’ve got a paper that’ll be coming out ... where we document friend-shoring in ag and food supply chains. Over the last 10 years, there’s been a shift where we mostly in the U.S. trade with other people who vote like us in the WTO. That’s kind of one way to measure friends.”

This resilience is also visible in crop protection. In 2019, 80% of active ingredients were sourced from China. Today, that is closer to 60%, with manufacturing shifting to India and domestic sites. Davis calls these “geopolitically resilient” supply chains.

The Rise of Generics and Decision Paralysis

The economic downturn is fundamentally changing the business model for input providers. Farmers are aggressively cutting costs, leading to a massive surge in generic usage.

“The latest survey I saw shows about 60% of farmers use generics today. That was about 30% to 40% just 5 years ago,” Davis says. This forces companies to pivot from differentiation to operational volume.

In the machinery sector, high costs and economic uncertainty have led to “decision paralysis.” Farmers are extending the life of their equipment, treating machinery replacement as the most controllable variable in managing annual ROI. Davis notes the U.S. ag equipment cycle is currently 15 to 20 percentage points lower than typical low points, driven by this hesitation. Furthermore, there is significant skepticism toward subscription-based technology models.

“Farmers don’t terribly love this idea, and I think the other interesting thought here is I’m not sure that retailers like selling them either,” Malone adds.

AI: The “Undergraduate Intern”

While artificial intelligence (AI) is a major talking point, its current role in agriculture is more supportive than transformative. Malone views AI as a “highly capable undergraduate intern” — useful for processing information but incapable of replacing the trust and risk management provided by human advisors.

“I don’t think you need to be replacing your agronomist. I think your mediocre agronomist just got OK,” Malone says, noting while LLMs can pass CCA exams, they cannot manage the risk of a wrong decision. “The risk management value proposition of an in-person Claude, or whoever, is probably going to win out because there’s still a risk.”

Currently, the adoption gap is wide: While 75% of agribusiness managers see potential in AI, only 4% have implemented it, according to a Purdue University survey in 2025.

Livestock and the GLP-1 Impact

The livestock sector is facing a unique demand shift driven by weight-loss medications (GLP-1s). This is leading to “premiumization.” As consumers eat smaller portions, they are opting for higher-quality cuts.

“The explosion in demand for protein is just shocking,” Malone says. “What GLP-1s do to that calorie count is they are all shifting toward premium cuts. You don’t care how much it costs because you’re only going to have seven bites of it. But you’re going to have a steak. That premiumization is going to really, really take off in the next 10 years.”

Conversely, the hype surrounding “fake meat” has largely faded, proving to be more of an investor-led phenomenon than a market-driven one.

Financial Stability: Not the 1980s

Despite the downturn, the financial health of the American farmer remains more stable than during the crisis of the 1980s. Currently, 10% to 12% of farmers are in a “tight” financial position , compared to 20% to 30% in the 80s.

“We do have a completely different, more professional ag workforce than we did back then,” Malone says. “The farm policy we have right now does not necessarily match what we need for the future, but all of these things make me think we’re in a much more stable position.”

Farmers have built-in “shock absorbers,” Davis adds, including off-farm income and working capital built up during the expansion years. However, in his research Davis has seen how alternative financing is becoming a major tool for the 50% of farmers who use it — either to manage stress or, for larger operations, to leverage relationships with retailers.

Strategic Reassessment: Winning at the Bottom

The experts agree the “bottom of the cycle” is the time for professionalization and upskilling. Surviving — and thriving — will require sharper management. It is an opportunity to reassess farm transitions and management disciplines, such as financial management, accounting and planning, which become critical in tight margins.

“Farmers are going to have to get smarter and get more creative with how they manage,” Malone says. “This is a good opportunity to take a step back and think about what the strategy needs to be moving forward.”

Davis emphasizes relationships are solidified during these periods: “Farmers are going to remember the folks who were around when they were in the bottom of the cycle, and who were there to support them. The best farmers will continue to get better ... I get excited about what we can look like as we come out of this cycle.”

So Is This Ag Cycle Different?

These experts say yes as every cycle presents its own unique reshaping of future opportunities.

To download the full report on why this ag cycle is different and what it means for your operation, click here .

Michigan State University Releases First Cost of Blueberry Production Study

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:42:47 GMT

Michigan State University has released the findings of its first cost of highbush blueberry production study in the state. The results show that production hit $10,000 per acre in 2024, and MSU reports that figure matches revenues for the average blueberry field in the state.

The study’s findings show the average grower operates at an economic breakeven, with an income for growers of about $240 per acre.

Also of note in the study is that input costs for blueberry growers make up about 29% of production costs. While harvest costs, which include picking and fresh packing, make up about 56% of the costs.

Due to weather conditions and sort-outs from packing lines, MSU estimates the current industry split in the state is about 54% fresh and 46% processed.

Chris Bardenhagen, a farm business management educator with Michigan State University Extension, says this was the first time that the university put together a comprehensive study, calling this one foundational. The plan is to continue these studies every five or seven years moving forward.

“These are really handy for benchmarking and for comparison in the future,” he says. “It gives growers a window into what the average grower is doing.”

Bardenhagen says cost of production studies were popular in the past but fell by the wayside; now they’re garnering attention again as growers face rising input costs.

“The landscape is changing in the blueberry industry in Michigan, and there’s more effort toward looking at different varieties that different quality aspects,” he says.

Bardenhagen notes that, unlike other crops, highbush blueberry plants have a long life cycle, but the industry has hit a crossroads where growers seek to compare more cultural activities and pruning and how that impacts overall profitability.

Learn more about the study and download it here .

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved after 40 years?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:42:08 GMT

Trapped inside a hollow tree trunk, nature’s cruelest coffin, a hunting dog manically clawed for a sliver of space and desperately fought for life. The greater the hound’s effort; the greater the tree’s grip. Wedged in a wooden vise, the dog spent its last breaths within the heights of the trunk, final whimpers unheeded, and died as a permanent part of the oak—mummified in motion.

Lost in the canopy, almost 30’ above the floor of heavy northeast Alabama woods, the hound remained lodged in the trunk for roughly twenty years, hidden from the searching eyes of a forlorn master, but also shielded from predators, insects, and the elements. In 1980, a logging crew entered the hilly ground, toppled the oak, and chanced upon the stunningly well-preserved canine. Macabre to some, poignant to others, and fascinating to all, the story of the coon dog’s demise, discovery, display—and possible origin—is too bizarre for fiction.

Closing the Coffin

Tucked in the southeast corner of Georgia, at the edge of 438,000 acres of Okefenokee Swamp—Waycross serves as the seat of Ware County, as well as the home of a unique museum and a most curious resident—a dog that draws attention from all quarters of the globe.

The museum, Southern Forest World , opened its doors in 1981. “You name it, they come from states all over America,” says Bertha Dixon, owner and director. “England or Europe or Japan—people come all the way here for a look at Stuckie.” (Stuckie, indeed. In 2002, Southern Forest World opened the dog’s naming rights to the public, and “Stuckie” garnered the most votes as the winning moniker.)

Southern Forest World’s main building, a rotunda structure lined inside and out with Georgia pine, features a chestnut oak log as an unofficial showcase. The 7’ log, resting vertically above the floor with swinging glass protection plates attached to both end openings, contains the preserved body of the bluntly named hound, Stuckie, and draws a visceral response from most visitors. With no taxidermy, limb manipulation, staging, or ornamentation of any kind, he is frozen in situ at the log’s lip, as if in the strained process of emergence—claw and teeth exposure enhanced by approximately 60 years of dehydration.

(Farm Journal)

Viewed from the log’s front end, Stuckie’s legs, head and front shoulders are visible, along with a small bit of leather strap on his upper back, probably the remains of a collar. Viewed from the rear, through the log’s reverse opening, hind quarters and tail are visible. The log’s ample diameter of 2’ is misleading—the hollowed cavity is only a handful of inches wide, a death tube for a full-size hound.

Dixon, well-versed in all manner of silviculture and forest oddities, easily recalls her first encounter. “I was amazed by him. Realizing what I know about forestry and trees, I understood how unique the circumstances had to be for Stuckie to be preserved. He is a hound breed and appears to be some shade of brown with some white coloring, and died at around four years old, chasing a coon up a chestnut oak.”

At some point in the 1960s, entering via a hole at the chestnut oak’s bottom, Stuckie scrambled up and inside the trunk that grew increasingly tight with height, Dixon explains. Translated, the tree’s wide and welcoming bottom hole slimmed to a narrow exit, providing an ideal escape hatch for a raccoon, but a tomb for a dog. Once Stuckie was trapped in place, the oak operated as a preservation chamber: “It’s the tannins,” Dixon explains. “A chestnut oak has acid, tannins, that actually soaked into the dog to preserve him. On top of that, his scent of decay went out the top of the tree in a chimney effect as the air went bottom to top. Anything that normally would have consumed the dead flesh, like a predator or insect, couldn’t smell him or get to him.”

“I always wondered about the backstory on what had happened,” Dixon continues, “and then one day a man walked in the door of our museum and told me: ‘I’m the one that cut down the tree. I’m the one that found the dog.”

Saws and Claws

In 2017, Dixon pulled back the curtain on the highly improbable canine discovery. “This man came in from Alabama and he was a logger on the original crew that cut the chestnut oak, and I was in shock,” she says. “In fact, I was so overwhelmed with information I never got the man’s name, but I sure remember his story.”

(Farm Journal)

In 1980, according to the information provided to Dixon by the visitor (John Doe), a logging crew out of Rome, Ga., (Kraft Co.) was harvesting trees for pulpwood along the upper Alabama-Georgia border, in Cleburne and Haralson counties. On the Alabama side of the line (Cleburne County), the loggers began cutting hardwoods on hilly terrain in a relatively remote area—with no communities nearby, excluding four isolated houses in proximity.

The chestnut oak was cut into eight 7’ lengths. “Back in 1980, Georgia loggers didn’t transport trees in full length. They cut trees in 7’ sections.” Dixon explains. “Stuckie was in that tree and even though his preservation by nature is incredible, his preservation from logging damage is also incredible.”

Stuckie was waiting in the top of the section from the fourth cut—an approximate height of 28’. “First, when the tree was sawed down and fell, he wasn’t damaged at all. Second, it’s unbelievable that the saw completely missed him and didn’t turn him to sawdust when the tree was cut into sections. Third, when they put him on the truck, he again wasn’t damaged. When you understand the power and force involved in the falling, cutting, and transporting of logs, the fact that Stuckie never moved is unreal. The fact that he didn’t end up as pulpwood beats all the odds.”

“There is only a tiny space between the cut at the end of the log and where his paws are at,” Dixon continues. “No doubt, once you include the stump and count up, he was 28’ up the tree. Amazing.”

However, John Doe and the logging team were unaware of the canine passenger inside the fourth cut of the chestnut oak. Several logs at a time, the crew filled a trailer, periodically pausing to ensure the load was secure.

“One more time, he was going to make sure the trailer was loaded right. He walked around behind the logs, got up close—and saw claws. He backed way, way up, and told me, ‘Oh my Lord, what is coming out of this tree for me?’ In that moment, he had no idea what it was, and he didn’t even know if it was dead or alive. Somehow, someway, Stuckie avoided being turned to pulpwood.”

(Farm Journal)

John Doe provided the puzzle pieces related to discovery, but what of Stuckie’s origin?

Enter Roger Prater, renowned coon hunter. “I know where that dog came from; I know what breed it was; and I know who lost him.”

Lost Redbone?

A coon hunter since childhood, Prater, 71, lives in Concord, Ga., roughly 50 miles south of Atlanta, but was raised in Haralson County, 20 miles from the chestnut oak that held Stuckie. Prater is a lifelong devotee of coon hunting and his true passion is a love of dogs. “My dogs are my family. God had a genuine purpose when he made dogs, and you won’t ever, ever find a more wonderful animal.”

(Farm Journal)

Alongside a 40-year career spent in construction, Prater owns 600 acres of Pike County land he once worked between crops, cattle, and hay. Today, he rents out the 600 acres, and the self-titled “shade tree” farmer is a true authority on treeing walker coonhounds. His breeding business is championed by hunters across the United States: “I used to hunt redbone hounds in the 1960s and 1970s, but now I’ve had the same treeing walkers for 40 years from the Finley River strain and my dogs are hunted in about 30 states, mainly coons, but also bobcat, bear, and mountain lion.”

In 1980, Stuckie’s discovery put to rest a family hunting mystery, Prater says. “At the time, that whole area where he was found was heavy coon hunting because it was a huge section of woody hills, and there wasn’t much there except bootleggers and pulp-wooders. I was sitting in the barbershop and heard about this dog that was as old as Methuselah found by some loggers, and then the story was in the Haralson County newspaper, and then somebody hauled the dog and log to the county courthouse, before it went to the museum.”

Hunters by the dozen declared ownership of Stuckie, according to Prater. “Everybody around claimed the dog, but I knew the likely truth. That dog belonged to my cousin Keith Robinson.”

During a hunt in the early 1960s, Robinson (now deceased) lost a redbone hound in the precise vicinity of the chestnut oak, according to Prater. “Keith spent weeks and weeks in those woods, looking so hard for that redbone, and never found his dog. No trace and no clue—until the loggers showed up.”

(Farm Journal)

At first comparison, a redbone hound, classically chestnut in color, doesn’t match the description of a brown and white hound. However, a redbone hound can have patches of white on the chest, and sometimes white coloration on the paws. Prater believes the dogs are one and the same: “That dog was Keith’s redbone. I believe that with my heart and mind.”

“His redbone was a treeing fanatic—fanatic like you ain’t never seen, and that is one of the most important keys to figuring out who the dog is,” Prater adds. “There’s a whole lot more going on than just a dog stuck in a tree, and hunters know what I’m talking about. If you truly want to understand the dog inside the tree, then you have to realize what was happening on that hunt. You’ve got to understand coon hunting.”

Slobbermouths Rule

“I’ve never left my dogs in the woods, and I’m not going to now, even if I have to look for them myself,” –12-year-old protagonist Billy Colman, speaking in ‘Where the Red Fern Grows,’ Wilson Rawls’ benchmark 1961 novel centered on a young hunter’s bond with a pair of redbone coonhounds.

Despite an individual’s prowess or outdoor skill, coon hunting relies squarely on the ability and training of phenomenally intelligent and durable dogs. Chasing a telltale, bawling symphony of hounds in the dead of night, on the trail of a masked bandit through tangled gullies, sloughs, and wooly cutovers is arguably the most evocative chase in all of hunting, and when executed by top dogs, it is a timeless display of instinct and primal bloodlust.

Typically, hunters release coon hounds and wait for the dogs to strike a coon (a predominantly nocturnal animal) scent. In the 1960s, decades before GPS and digital tracking technology, hunters watched the hounds disappear into the woods in a general direction, but were blind to true individual or pack location until a coon scent was struck.

(Farm Journal)

When a hound crosses a hot scent (sometimes cold), it cuts loose with a deep, guttural bawl—laced with a beautiful musical quality unique in nature. The coon scent is captured, dogs give chase, long bawls resound, hunters scramble after the sounds, and the hunt is on.

Bawl. Bawl. Bawl. The physical distance between master, dogs, and coon is always variable, and is heavily contingent or terrain and weather, ensuring a hunt may require mere minutes or extend to several hours. Time is controlled by the speed of the dogs, distance upon strike to the coon, how far the coon chooses to run, and a seemingly endless host of additional factors.

Consistently bawling on the track of the coon, the dogs close the distance and when the pressure eventually gets too hot, the coon goes up—into the relative safety of a tree. When the coon takes to a tree and a hound arrives in the vicinity, the sound of the long bawl often switches to a changeover—a distinct inflection declaring an end to the coon’s ground movement. In rapid succession, the hound sniffs out the tree sheltering the coon, and when certain, makes an absolute commitment—“fell treed”—by placing it’s front paws on the trunk, raring back, and opening up with a staccato series of chop barks. The chops are manically incessant, distinguishing some hounds as “slobbermouths,” capable of rattling off 80 to 100 chops per minute.

The hound, nearing the climax of a hunt, is in a primal zone, zeroed on the coon prey. The catch-at-all-costs mode of some hounds is the full explanation of how and why Stuckie was trapped in the chestnut oak, Prater emphasizes. “Some dogs lose their minds when they get close to a coon. That’s what happened when he saw that hole at the bottom of the tree and went in. At that exact moment, that wasn’t a normal dog; that was a dog with everything except the coon locked out of its brain.”

“I’ve seen dogs do unbelievable things when chasing a coon,” Prater continues. “Dogs fall through ice or I’ve seen dogs chase coons underground into holes and smother. I’ve watched dogs climb up into trees through the limbs like a cat, keep going up after a coon, and then fall out and die. In the wrong circumstances, they will get crazy and nothing will stop them getting to the coon. Nothing.”

Into the hole and up the oak trunk, Stuckie put his back on one side of the hollow, paws and claws against the other, and pushed toward the coon, which merely ascended further up the wooden tube, ensuring pursuit—and death of a hound.

“There was no way to track the dog back then,” Prater adds. “How could Keith have known where his dog was? Most of the time back then nobody had a tag on their dogs, and sometimes not even a collar.”

(Farm Journal)

Dogs on a hunt always know where the master is waiting, or at least the locale where they were released to begin the hunt. And significantly, particularly in the 1960s, an owner had no reliable means to know where the dogs might be roaming, other than the audible cacophony of the moving pack. No dog sounds; no clue on location. For decades, and likely for centuries, when hunting dogs got lost, owners left behind a coat or article of clothing at the point of release, in hopes the missing dog would return to the spot. On many, many occasions, the time-honored technique worked to perfection, with a hunter returning the following day to find a lost hound resting on a coat.

“When a dog gets away in coon hunting, it can be miles and miles,” Prater says. “Sometimes they just go and go until they find the game and tree. Even if you were only a half mile away in those hills, they were out of hearing fast. Keith laid down his jacket that night, but the dog never came back. It couldn’t get back to him. It couldn’t get back home.”

Rest in Peace

At Southern Forest World , Stuckie is the resident of honor, and his drawn and withered appearance evokes a steady chain of response. “Some adults are a little scared at first, but when most people see Stuckie, they feel sad about what happened and want to know more,” Dixon says. “One thing for sure, we’ll always take care of him here. People will be talking about Stuckie long after we’re all gone. No matter how you see what happened, he’s a very, very special dog.”

R.I.P. Stuckie—the coon dog that refused to quit.

“The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.”— Robert Falcon Scott , 1911

For questions or to read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com), see:

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Food Inflation Makes Your Super Bowl Party Cost More

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:14:16 GMT

The economists at Wells Fargo, led by Dr. Michael Swanson, have some insights on how this year’s snacks for the Super Bowl are reflecting the trend of food inflation.

“Food inflation is a hot topic,” Swanson says noting that overall prices in the category are running at 6% higher than a year ago, whereas typically year-to-year food inflation is 1%.

The economists pulled data from USDA, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nielsen data at the supermarkets, and insights from the bigger team at Wells Fargo.

Broadly, the categories more dependent on packaging and general logistical resources show the highest increases comparing at-store prices this year to last year.

By category here are some key takeaways from their findings:

Chips are only up 1%.

“We’re a great potato growing country, and so we have a good supply of potatoes this year. The chip manufacturers are very efficient at turning them into potato chips. And so even though they’ve had challenges with their packaging and their labor and their freight, they’ve kind of kept a lid on the potato chip and chip prices,” Swanson says.

Two popular dips, two different stories.

Guacamole is only up 1%.

“Avocados and guacamole have become really popular. Most people should know but maybe they don’t that most of our avocado is coming from Mexico and Peru. And we’ve seen a lot of expansion down there. They’ve found it profitable to grow avocados and turn them into guacamole,” he says. Salsa is up 6%.

“It wasn’t so much in the tomato and chilies, but it’s the packaging and labor and transportation that caught up with salsa prices,” Swanson says.

Go for bulk packaged vegetables

Swanson shares as a category you can evaluate vegetables as either bulk goods or the pre-package convenience options. He shares to save a bit on the inflationary costs, go with bulk carrots and celery and wash and chop them yourself so you are only exposed to 2 to 3% higher prices. He says the packaged salads and other such products are seeing higher cost increases.

Proteins are more expensive—some showing double digit higher prices

“We’ve seen almost every protein jump up,” Swanson says. “This is where we’re starting to see some double digit, you know, between 15 and 25% type increases depending on what protein and cut you’re talking about. So far pork has really been the bargain, in terms of increases. You can still find some really good values in the pork category,” he says.

And popularity has propelled one poultry product very high.

Wells Fargo economists quote USDA data showing prepared chicken wings are up 14% to 26% (bone-in and boneless respectively). The IQF (individually quick frozen) chickens are up 26%. So IQF wings are $3.57 per pound, and $7.24 per pound is the average for prepared wings.

Double dip on cheese, perhaps

“The American dairy complex and American dairy producers have really stepped up,” Swanson says. “We’re actually seeing about a 7% decline as a cheddar cheese from a year ago. Dairy is a category where it’s actually helping control the budget, without any runaway inflation.”

Some beverage categories quench your thirst with less inflation

(Farm Journal)

Swanson’s team evaluated the costs of soft drinks, beer and wine. The report shows how packaging and logistics have swelled soft drink prices by 14%. However, market dynamics have kept beer and wine inflation more in check. He says beer prices have only increased 4%--mostly due to diversification in the market with more craft breweries in production. Wine prices are up only 3% thanks to a global market supply of products from Australia, Chile, South Africa and Europe.

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:38:18 GMT

When Ron Gollobin disappeared into snake hell and descended into the expansive tangle of a veritable cottonmouth nest on a four-month hunt, he undertook the most outrageous summer job ever performed by an American teen and unleashed one of the most hair-raising entrepreneurial efforts in pit viper history.

Working alone in remote ponds, 15-year-old Gollobin, with the prayers of a pagan and patience of a stone, caught and milked hundreds of 3’-5’ cottonmouths by hand, all in a chilling effort to obtain venom via a glory-and-riches scheme for the ages.

His cottonmouth account is an absolute jaw-dropper with few parallels—high adventure at its toe-curling best. Welcome to Gollobin’s addicting madness and a tale too insane for fiction: a cottonmouth farmer seeking a venom crop for harvest.

Taking Up Serpents

A son of Elizabeth City, N.C., a town perched on a bend of the Pasquotank River, young Gollobin spent the 1950s roaming forested wetlands at the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp —a 112,000-acre wonderland for a precocious, towheaded boy with a boat and a motor.

“It was swampy and I was a swamper,” Gollobin, 81, says, through words laced with a hearty chuckle. “I lived in town, but I had almost complete freedom. It was nonstop pursuit of frogs, lizards, turtles, and snakes—I was in my element.”

Into junior high school, Gollobin’s interest in amphibians and reptiles picked up steam with an intense fascination of snakes, under the tutelage of classmate and brother in arms, “John,” an amateur herpetologist with a research-oriented approach to all creatures cold and scaly. Under John’s influence, Gollobin crafted a snake laboratory in his attic, populated by dozens of specimens bobbing in alcohol-filled jars—essentially pickled snakes.

(Farm Journal)

Gollobin was lord of his attic realm, able to pull up the ladder and disappear into a serpentine no-go zone, an upper room off-limits to his parents by their own choosing, except for a single overarching dictum—no live snakes allowed.

Gollobin’s reptilian education jumped from small, harmless snakes to deadly pit vipers. “I clearly remember the first time John showed me how to handle a poisonous snake—a cottonmouth. I grabbed the snake behind the neck, and it instantly wrapped its body around my arm and began squeezing as if it was a constrictor. Maybe I was hooked, because even though I was scared, I started to enjoy it.”

Beyond a science-based perspective, Gollobin also viewed snakes through a lens coated in greenbacks. In the summer of 1955, catching wind of a standing offer by the Ross Allen Reptile Institute in Silver Springs, Fla., to pay $1 per foot for live snakes and 5 cents a pop for lizards, Gollobin, 14, sold his bicycle and several more personal items, hoarded paper route income, and scrounged for loose change, convinced the seed money would spur a windfall of profit in central Florida.

Recruiting a 15-year-old friend, “Richard,” (an inauspicious companion choice due to Richard’s inordinate fear of reptiles) Gollobin, 14, hatched a Huck Finn-esque expedition to hunt reptiles in the Sunshine State. With a total kitty of just over $74, the duo of wannabe Tarzans hitchhiked out of Elizabeth City, on the road to fortune.

Considering his youth, feather-like weight under 100 lb., mop of blond hair, and complete disregard for safety, Gollobin was a prime target for predators of all stripes. “I was a spring chicken in the domain of wolves and anything could have happened to a boy my age and size. We were running away from home, intending to live in the Everglades and sell reptiles to Ross Allen,” he recalls. “What could go wrong?”

The Lizard King

Catching a chain of rides through the Carolinas and Georgia, Gollobin and Richard arrived in Marion County, Florida hemorrhaging dollars from the original $74 kitty—thanks to a $20 speeding ticket contribution on the Georgia line, several steak dinners, and an entire evening of bumper cars at Daytona Beach. No matter, a goldmine was surely around the corner.

They secured a 50-cent per night room at a shanty-like boarding house in Ocala, approximately 6 miles from Silver Springs, and hitched to the Ross Allen Reptile Institute. Spread over 10 acres, the facility was a mixture of entertainment and science, with activities ranging from alligator wresting to snake handling to invaluable anti-venin research. (Allen’s work was instrumental in providing venom protection for G.I.’s in World War ll.)

(Farm Journal)

However, when the North Carolina teens waltzed through the facility’s doors, Ross Allen was nowhere to be found, gone on a genuine scientific expedition. However, his son, Tom Allen, took pity on the pair of waifs and gave them several days of free run to all rattlesnake handling and alligator wrestling on site, as well as venom milking.

Despite idyllic surroundings akin to a reptile Shangri-la, Gollobin and Richard soon were skinned of cash and food. “We’d been away from home for a whole week, and had been two days without food, living on nothing but our wits, which sure weren’t very sharp,” Gollobin says. “We were still waiting for the money to come rolling in.”

Low on options, the pair hit the woods, in adherence with their raison d’être in Florida: wrangling.

Gollobin snagged a pillowcase from the dismal room at the boarding house and set off into the bush, scouring the ground for any sign of snake presence, alongside a reluctant Richard. “I don’t know where in the hell all the snakes went,” Gollobin explains. “Maybe they were hunted out of that area, but all we found were lizards.”

Weary to the bone after a day spent chasing down 100 lizards in Florida’s summer steam, the boys collapsed with a palpable sense of relief in straw beneath a stretch of piney woods, envisioning the smorgasbord of food to come once the lizards were cashed in at the Reptile Institute for $5 (100 @ 5 cents).

Minutes into the rich, but brief rest, their dream of buffet-style food disappeared during a silent jailbreak. Richard left the pillowcase untied on the forest floor—allowing every lizard and each vital nickel to flee the scene.

Dusk and panic descending in tandem, Gollobin and Richard hunted in manic fashion, only capturing four more lizards before tromping out of the woods and back to the Reptile Institute to sell their meager catch for a mere 20 cents.

Walking toward the highway back to Ocala, dry-mouthed, thirsty and hungry, the boys stopped at a roadside orange juice stand fronted by a tempting sign: “All You Can Drink: 10 cents.” Slapping four nickels on the barrelhead, Gollobin and Richard tucked in with the parched desperation of castaways, each pounding an entire pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, much to the disgust and chagrin of the helpless business owner, hogtied by the guarantee painted on his sign.

Hydrated, but reeling from the sudden intake of sugar and fruit pulp on stomachs devoid of solid food for 48 hours, the boys staggered 20’ toward the blacktop, leaned in unison, and vomited massive, twin rivers of orange liquid painted against the golden hew of fading Florida sunlight.

Parting ways with Richard early the next morning, Gollobin abdicated the mantle of lizard king, thrust a thumb to the highway, and started the 750 mile stop-and-go journey back to Elizabeth City, accepting the inevitable draconian punishment for a “damn hellion” yet to be delivered by his father.

(Farm Journal)

Days later, recovering his pride in the solace of the snake attic, Gollobin’s entrepreneurial drive was tempered, but only for the tiniest moment. Following his inglorious return to North Carolina, he chanced upon a newspaper article containing a clarion call for a reptile-obsessed young boy with a wild streak. A tiny snippet of text mentioned the high value of snake venom to anti-venin research facilities, upwards of $400 per ounce—a princely sum to 14-year-old Gollobin.

Exit stage right, the impulsive lizard hunter. Enter stage left, the visionary cottonmouth farmer.

“I kept everything on the quiet side,” Gollobin remembers. “Nobody was aware of what I was planning for that next summer. I knew that if scientists needed snake venom, there was no one more capable than me of getting hold of it in large amounts, because who else was crazy enough to go deep into the habitat of the truly big snakes? They were offering what was big, big money to a kid, more than I ever dreamed of, and I wasn’t about to watch the chance skip by.”

Gollobin pounced on a chance to corner a $400 per ounce market.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Venom Candy

The economics and logistics of Gollobin’s venom harvest venture demanded a poisonous snake available in relatively high volume, i.e., a cottonmouth, the mainstay viper of the swampy southeastern United States, often dubbed a water moccasin, snap jaw, gaper, swamp lion, or a host of similar monikers.

Known for frequently holding its ground when disturbed, head up and mouth agape revealing white tissue within, a broad-headed mature cottonmouth is semiaquatic, typically black-gray in color with a mottled belly, a thick, muscular midsection, remarkably blunt tale, and length ranging up to 5’, but often reaching 6’ and slightly beyond. In short, the snake is an absolute hoss, and merited or not, in most unexpected, close encounters with humans a cottonmouth elicits the fear of God, or at a bare minimum—a punctuated stream of primal invective and cursing.

(Farm Journal)

Gollobin’s cottonmouth honey hole was hidden roughly 50 miles east of Elizabeth City, tucked in a series of freshwater ponds on the Outer Banks—a chain of islands hugging the Carolina coast. Considering the fetid and wooly habitat around the water holes, freshwater ponds might be considered a misnomer—slough or bayou could also be accurate. The ponds were a hot zone for mosquitos, and Gollobin describes the small bodies of water as, “about 50’-60’ across, surrounded by vines, briars, poison ivy, spiders, lizards, chiggers, ticks, all filled with sticks and leafy debris.”

As the calendar rolled into the first weekend of June 1956, Gollobin suited up in jeans, a t-shirt, and army boots, and launched a cottonmouth harvesting enterprise. He walked out of his house in early morning sunlight and building heat, presumed by his parents to be en route to standard haunts within the Great Dismal Swamp or on the Pasquotank River.

Instead, in total secrecy, he carved a travel pattern repeated every single weekend day of the 1956 summer, weather permitting, June to early September. Carrying a sawed-off broomstick, and strapped with a backpack containing extra jeans, a burlap sack, venom collection paraphernalia, and a highly ineffectual snakebite kit providing a placebo of assurance, Gollobin darted down a few sleepy Elizabeth City side streets and emerged on the highway, thumb up, bound for a cottonmouth grand central station located 50 miles east.

(Farm Journal)

“The ponds were just outside the town of Nag’s Head. It’s an area within the Intercoastal Waterway, full of sand dunes, and very near Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers first flew,” Gollobin describes. “I hitchhiked the whole way there, walked for a mile to the beach, and walked another mile through brush and woods to the ponds. Just me. Not another soul in the world knew what was going on, because I didn’t want to get in trouble, and I didn’t want anyone else to get the $400. No cell phone, no way to signal anyone, and nobody around. I was wiry, but I was still probably not much over 100 lb., and I was very much aware that if I got bit, the chances of me getting to a hospital alive were not good.”

Gollobin’s hunting technique began with entry into an algae-covered pond, wading approximately 5’-10’ off the bank into water reaching his upper thighs. Turning around, Gollobin skirted the base of the pond, easing along the perimeter, eyes out for cottonmouths coiled on the bank waiting for prey.

The physical act of snagging a cottonmouth was contingent on the mastery of broomstick handling and a heavy dose of touch-and-go madness. Gollobin’s self-fashioned broomstick featured a large clothesline hook on one end and a nylon-line slipknot at the opposing end. Gollobin’s No. 1 option to catch a cottonmouth, depending on terrain and bank foliage, was the slipknot, essentially a snare.

“I’d reach the broomstick out, drop the loop just past the head and yank up. Then I’d pin him down, remove the knot, and slip him in my burlap bag. If the snare couldn’t get him, I’d go in with the hook to pin him down.”

The typical size of cottonmouth candidates plucked from the banks ranged from 3’-4’, but Gollobin frequently encountered specimens upwards of 5’-6’. “There were always some thick, fat ones that you had to see to believe. Whenever I saw more than one at the same spot on the bank, I always picked the biggest to catch—whichever had the largest venom sacs.”

Snakes have an extremely poor sense of hearing, but an extraordinary ability to detect vibration, a characteristic that wreaked havoc with Gollobin’s nerves. “A cottonmouth will let you ease the nylon loop over its neck, but if you touch any surrounding stick or branch in the process, even under your feet in the water, they’ll explode off the bank and seek cover in the water,” Gollobin details.

“When I was standing in the pond and made a mistake, the cottonmouths wanted the safety of the water, and didn’t want to exit onto the land,” he continues. “When they would rocket off the bank and hit the water feet in front of me, I held my breath because they’d glide by and sometimes bump into my legs—a terrible feeling that scared the living hell out of me.”

At each pond, Gollobin operated with business-like efficiency, methodically moving down the banks until the burlap sack grew heavy, cognizant that subsequent venom milking required additional time and caution—heavyweight factors for a 15-year-old boy required to be home before dark.

Each day’s haul varied in precise number, but Gollobin normally stopped at 10-12 snakes, either because of time or the difficulty in wielding a bulging bag of cottonmouths. Once a hunting session was complete, he toted the bag to nearby dunes, and began milking venom.

“I took the snakes to the sand dunes, away from the water, so there was no splashing by one snake to scare the others. I estimate each snake took 5 to 10 minutes to milk, but it was really a matter of getting the gear ready. I was so cautious when handling the cottonmouths and never careless. I’d been bitten by countless water snakes, but never by a venomous snake. I was adolescent and bulletproof, but I knew there was no room for error. There was no competition, no crowd, not anyone but me, and the danger was titillating, but I knew just one miscalculation meant I wasn’t going home. Same risk every weekend.”

(Farm Journal)

“I had my milking kit ready,” he adds. “In the kit, I had a tumbler, and I’d hold the snake just behind the head, and put his fangs over the tumbler, squeezing the venom sacs. The venom ran down into the glass. I’d stopper the sterile vial and move onto to the next snake. Then I’d let the snakes all go after milking and there is no doubt I caught and got venom from some of the same repeats that summer.”

Week after week of summer, as the milking numbers went from dozens to scores to hundreds, what did Gollobin do with the vials?

Back to the snake attic and a bit of alchemy with a razor blade, glass sheeting, and mason jar. Time to make venom candy.

Curing the Crop

Fifty cents bought Gollobin one plate of foot-square glass. Every weekend, after his return home before dark from Nag’s Head, he ascended into the attic, opened the vials, and poured the venomous hemotoxin over the glass plate—evenly spread in the manner of pancake batter. Glistening with a pale sheen, it appeared as if Gollobin poured a thin layer of yellow varnish atop the clear glass.

After air-drying for roughly seven days, Gollobin used a single-edge razor blade to scrape the hardened liquid into a tiny pile of crystallized residue. Even during the scraping process, he was on edge, aware his friend and budding herpetologist, John, had been poisoned during a similar process. A year earlier, while scraping dried and crystalized venom slivers with a razor blade, John’s thumb was pierced by a tiny shard of residue, resulting in hospitalization due to snakebite by proxy.

Intent on avoiding a repeat of John’s freak injury, Gollobin gingerly deposited each load of golden residue into a 16 oz. mason jar, sterilized by alcohol and boiling water. “I never weighed it, but I had a jar of what the research scientists wanted. I had purified venom,” Gollobin says, “at least from the vantage point of a 15-year-old.”

The cottonmouth season was over; it was time to sell a crop.

Teardrops in the Rain

September progressing, summer dying, and a heart bursting with expectation, Gollobin spun the circular disk of a rotary phone and dialed for the Ross Allen Reptile Institute.

After excruciating minutes of waiting, passed from one low-level handler to the next, Gollobin was finally patched through to the Reptile Institute’s research facility and a staff official in command of the anti-venin project.

(Farm Journal)

Brimming with confidence, Gollobin blurted out his bottom line—an offer painstakingly crafted over four, death-defying months: “Sir, I have a mason jar of crystalized water moccasin venom and I’d like to sell it to you.”

The scientist responded with a single question, “Son, is it purified?”

“Yes sir, it’s purified,” Gollobin replied. “I milked the snakes. I put the venom in a sterilized vial. I air-dried the venom. I scraped it into a sterilized jar. What else would I need to purify it?

The phone line went silent with a pregnant pause. In a sense, Gollobin’s question answered itself. “You’d need a roomful of machines and people with advanced degrees to run those machines,” the scientist concluded. “I’m sorry, but the venom must be purified before it is dried.”

With those words of rejection, the crash of the cottonmouth harvesting scheme was complete. The venom was worthless—teardrops in the rain.

The Great Lumber Hustle

Sixty-six years later, Gollobin is heartened by his audacity and teenage nerve. “I was always a risk-taker, always riding the edge, and catching cottonmouths taught me to remain calm in the rigidity of tense situations and was a good background for life in general.”

Gollobin was a middle-class kid with a foot on both sides of the tracks—a rare individual comfortable running with rednecks or the refined. “I was always a guy hovering between two worlds, and it served me well later in life.”

(Farm Journal)

Indeed. Gollobin became an investigative reporter and a master in his field, receiving two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize, five Emmy Award wins, and 30 years tracking the mafia and corruption.

Six-plus decades past the 1956 summer of cottonmouth farming, does the lizard king and pit viper wrangler still reflect on his time in the dark ponds, thigh-deep in muck, wielding a slipknot and hook?

“I think about those days more and more,” Gollobin concludes. “It was a crazy time in a young boy’s life that I can only compare to Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. I had a charmed life in many senses, and it was a lucky way to grow up.”

At 15, after the collapse of his cottonmouth venom proprietorship, was his maverick streak curbed?

“Hell no,” Gollobin adds. “Let me tell you about The Great Lumber Hustle.”

(Gollobin lives in a Boston suburb, working on a book of short stories and memoirs to be called, “Fraught and Frivolous.” For more detail on the escapades of Ron Gollobin in the 1950s, see narratively.com and The Teenage Prank That’s Lasted 60 Years , and The Great Cottonmouth-Catching-Get-Rich-Quick Scheme of 1956 .)

To read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com — 662-592-1106), see:

Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.

Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man

How a Texas Farmer Killed Agriculture’s Debt Dragon

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

The Arrowhead whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland

Where’s the Beef: Con Artist Turns Texas Cattle Industry Into $100M Playground

Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam

Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History

US Farming Loses the King of Combines

Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy

Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs

Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer

Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields

Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?

Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death

Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam

Grizzly Hell: USDA Worker Survives Epic Bear Attack

Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior

Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig

Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer

Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice

Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History

In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer

Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows

Against All Odds: Farmer Survives Epic Ordeal

Agriculture’s Darkest Fraud Hidden Under Dirt and Lies

Bipartisan effort hopes to freeze H-2A wages

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:23:49 GMT

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., and 74 of his colleagues have sent a bipartisan letter to House and Senate appropriations leaders requesting an H-2A visa guest worker wage freeze in an upcoming spending package.

Huizenga’s office said in a news release that the Adverse Effect Wage Rate — the required wage that farm employers must pay H-2A workers — has more than doubled since 2005. Huizenga said the national average for AEWR is $17.55 an hour this year, a more than 5% increase year over year. The AEWR in the representative’s home state of Michigan is $18.50.

Added increased costs of farming, including fuel and fertilizer, have put a pinch on farmers, the release said.

“A temporary wage freeze is a reasonable way to alleviate this skyrocketing financial burden and give our farmers a chance to compete, stay in business, and put food on the table for millions of Americans and the world,” Huizenga’s office said in the release.

In the letter , the congressional members said the freeze would provide much-needed relief.

“USDA data shows that hired farm labor costs account for nearly 15 percent of total cash expenses. More labor-intensive industries will be hardest hit, including specialty crop growers, who already spend nearly 40 percent of their total cash expenses on labor alone,” the letter stated. “If we do nothing, many of our constituents will be forced to shutter their businesses, despite good-faith efforts to ensure our national food security and feed families across our nation.”

Agricultural leaders across America are voicing support for the inclusion of a proposed H-2A wage freeze and detailing the negative impact an increase would have on farmers, growers and producers, according to the release.

Industry support

Some of the industry representatives offering statements in favor of the proposal include:

Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association — “The fresh produce supply chain cannot survive, let alone thrive, under the constant barrage of regulatory burdens and cost increases imposed on our industry. This bipartisan effort led by Rep. Huizenga to provide much-needed meaningful relief as Congress seeks broader reforms is exactly what our industry needs right now. Absent a comprehensive solution to agricultural workforce challenges, Congress must act immediately to provide wage relief to producers before we lose more farms in America.”
Jim Bair, president and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association — “The U.S. Apple Association thanks Representative Huizenga for leading this bipartisan effort to bring stability and relief for growers throughout the nation. The cost of growing apples increased 65 percent in three years, and the main culprit is the cost of labor. Nearly all apples are grown by multi-generational family farms and they cannot sustain another year of these cost increases. We call on the Congress to enact this freeze and pass common-sense reforms to the H-2A program.”
Carl Bednarski, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau — “Michigan farmers are at a crossroads — we are stuck with an unrealistic and unpredictable wage rate structure that is forcing many to think twice about growing fruits and vegetables in our state. Michigan Farm Bureau is incredibly grateful to Congressman Huizenga and the bipartisan group of his colleagues for their leadership on this critical issue. They understand the dire situation Michigan farmers face as a result of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate and are working to find commonsense solutions that keep farmers in business and U.S.-grown fruits, vegetables and other foods available on the store shelves for all our consumers.”

4 Keys to Building Land Lease Relationships that Last

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 18:29:01 GMT

With farmland sale prices reaching $30,000 in some parts of the Midwest, the prospect of leasing land—as the owner or producer—has become increasingly more favorable.

If you’re renting farmland to or from others, you have many things to consider – from managing long-term lease agreements and land improvements to zeroing in on the right farm insurance and liability protection.

Max Wenck, who farms and leases land in both South Dakota and Wisconsin, tells Andrew McCrea he’s learned a thing or two from being on both sides of the lease fence. Here are his tips:

1. Find Your Equilibrium

Trust is the mold to a lasting farmland lease relationship, in Wenck’s view.

“It’s hard to build trust when one party doesn’t feel that they’re being treated fairly,” he says. “If something isn’t working for you, it’s your job to explore that and figure out how you can make that right.”

With trust as the mold, Wenck says fairness is the mortar that needs to be reapplied each season.

“A lot of people have different approaches to price negotiations. My approach has always been to have some basis for why I believe the transaction is worth whatever it is. This helps to come to an agreement that is fair, meets each person’s needs and based on fact, rather than something I’ve heard or feel.”

In order to build on trust and fairness, Wenck expects a steady stream of communication.

2. Bring Data to the Negotiation Table

According to Wenck, high commodity prices are a catalyst for a lot of conversation in his neck of the woods, and he’s concerned for those leasing and leasing out.

However, if either side of the fence proposes a change in rental prices, Wenck says both sides can prepare by having data at the ready.

“You want to make it fair. But as a tenant, you need to prove what’s fair,” he says. “If you can provide some information to back up the cost of inputs and what it takes to raise your crop, you might be able to take a significant rent increase off the table.”

Along with data, Wenck says it’s also important to have insurance knowledge on hand.

3. Ask the Difficult Insurance Questions

If you don’t know what to ask, ask what to ask. That’s the insurance advice Wenck imparted on McCrea in the episode of Farming the Countryside.

In Wenck’s experience, there are a few heavy hitters that often get overlooked:
• Mutual understanding of the liability insurance.
• Items covered in the farm’s buildings—structure and its contents.
• FSA payment entitlement

“In the past, when I was farming leased land, I wasn’t proactive in communicating to the landowner some aspects of a farm program we were enrolled in. The landlord felt entitled to an FSA payment and had to go to the local agency to get an answer. But that was a big miss on my part as the tenant,” he says.

And he adds the scenario taught him to be more upfront with landlords about all aspects of FSA programs, while also working to communicate he cares about the land and the landowner.

4. A Time to Share

According to Wenck, there are three “great” opportunities to communicate as a landowner.

“With most of our leases, there’s a spring and fall payment. These are opportunities to write a little note about how the season has played out on their land in particular,” he says. “If I have a moment, I’ll snap a picture of their farm and the newly planted or harvested field and send it in a text.”

Over time, Wenck says these small acts will amount to a stronger relationship that might “surprise” both parties. He says the tenant will understand this surprise once he sends the note and text.

“Sometimes it has nothing to do with price and everything to do with the extra things you’re willing to put forth, to know, and to care about your land or someone else’s,” he says.

Want to Know More?

McCrea’s conversation on insurance will continue in coming weeks as he will moderate farmland lease panels on Nov. 29 and Dec. 9.

To register for the panels, visit AgWeb .

More on farmland :

$30,000 Per Acre? Yep, The Details on the Latest Record-Breaking Farmland Sale
High Exposure: Understand How Record Farmland Prices Impact Your Estate Plan
Foreign Farmland Ownership to be Addressed in New Study

New Legislation Would Require USDA to Study Fertilizer Industry

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 22:06:12 GMT

New legislation, called the Fertilizer Research Act , has been introduced to require USDA to study competition and trends in the fertilizer market.

The bill was introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). Grassley shared with Ag Day’s Michelle Rook it is a result of the fertilizer industry being too concentrated into too few hands.

“This whole bill is to get the Secretary of Agriculture looking into all this. So, if there is collusion, if there’s antitrust, he can suggest action to the FTC and to the Justice Department to take action through a lawsuit,” he says.

Within one year of the bill’s passage, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Economic Research Service, would be required to issue a report on USDA’s website regarding the U.S. fertilizer industry.

Specifically, the report should include:
• A description of impacts on the fertilizer market that influence price
• Market trends in the past 25 years
• A description of the imported fertilizer and market impacts
• Impacts of anti-dumping and countervailing duties
• A study of fertilizer industry concentration
• A study of emerging fertilizer technologies
• A description of whether current public price reporting is sufficient for market transparency

“Farmers’ bottom lines thin as the price of fertilizer rises. With fertilizer being one of the ag industry’s highest input costs, it’s problematic farmers have such a limited window into market fluctuations. Our bill will provide farmers in Iowa and across the Heartland with needed transparency and certainty as they navigate production costs,” Grassley said in a release about the legislation.

At the same time, Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer at StoneX, says while he appreciates the Congressional attention to fertilizer prices, the market has somewhat corrected the problem with values down sharply from the record highs 18 months ago.

“Overall, a lot of the high price situation we’ve been dealing with have largely been solved and if you look at things like urea, I thinks its urea, UAN and potash are all down 60% from where they were at the high. I think phosphates closer to 40,” Linville says. “So there’s been a lot of the price depreciate since of highs. Obviously, we’d all like to see a cheaper but it’s a good ratio today compared to where corn values are.”

Linville also believes the high prices were less about anti-competitive practices and more about global supply and demand fundamentals.

“It’s Chinese government export restrictions, its European natural gas markets being sky high to where they normally are and production issues around the world. We thought we’d lost exports from Russia when they invaded Ukraine,” he says. “So, a lot of the factors that have driven volatility have had much more to do with the international market than has been domestic.”

Linville adds he agrees with the bill’s aim to improve price transparency in the industry.

Sen. Grassley shared he aims to have this legislation included in the next Farm Bill but is open to other avenues for passage.

To view the legislation in full, click here .

New Legislation Looks To Connect Farmland And Ranchland To Broadband

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 15:39:11 GMT

U.S. growers and livestock producers increasingly rely on the internet across the farm and ranch, yet many still don’t have access to it. A report USDA released this past August, “ Technology Use, Farm Computer Usage and Ownership, ” found that 15 percent of farms and ranches have no access to the internet today.

New legislation announced Nov. 1 looks to change that by expanding high-speed broadband internet access across rural America.

Two members of the House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-R) and Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo (CO-D), introduced the legislation called “Linking Access to Spur Technology for Agriculture Connectivity in Rural Environments (Last Acre) Act,” within the

USDA’s Office of Rural Development.
The Last Acre Act would create a new competitive grant and loan program at USDA to expand high-speed broadband internet access across eligible farmland, ranchland, and farm sites.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) currently defines minimum broadband internet service as internet access with a minimum of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed and upload speeds of 3 Mbps or more.

One generally accepted rule of thumb is that anything above 100 Mbps is considered “fast” internet because it can connect multiple devices at once.

How Farmers Connect
In its Technology Use research, USDA found 51 percent of internet-connected farms utilize a broadband connection while 75 percent of internet-connected farms have access through a cellular data plan. Additionally, 69 percent of farms have a desktop or laptop computer while 82 percent of farms had a smart phone.

(Farm Journal)

The Last Acre Act is among the latest moves by legislators to address the digital divide between urban and rural America.

“As a farmer, I understand the important role precision ag technology plays in increasing production and maximizing efficiency. Yet, many rural areas of southern Minnesota and across the country don’t have reliable access to the wireless connectivity needed in order to utilize these techniques,” said Rep. Finstad, in a news release.

“The Last Acre Act will help drive agricultural innovation into the 21st century by bringing the latest farming technology and tools to every corner of farm country, giving farmers and ranchers – in even the most remote areas – greater ability to adopt precision ag applications and ensure optimal efficiency in their operations,” added Finstad.

The USDA Technology Use report released in August shows that 32 percent of farms used the internet to purchase agricultural inputs this year, which was an increase of 3 percent from 2021.

“Additionally, 23 percent of farms used the internet to market agricultural activities, which was an increase of 2 percent from 2021,” the USDA said. “Farms which conducted business with non-agricultural websites in 2023 increased by 2 percent to 49 percent.”

Precision Agriculture Needs
Increasingly, legislators and broadband providers have fine-tuned how they look at the internet needs of rural America, according to Mitchell Bailey, CEO for GRM Networks, a member-owned cooperative that supplies broadband and other communication services to residents in parts of northern Missouri and southern Iowa.

“The terminology used has changed from ‘fiber to the premise,’ which focused on connecting homes to more of a focus on ‘fiber to the acre,’ because we understand the need to make sure we’re connecting every acre of farmland to advanced technology,” Bailey told Farm Journal.

“In an ever-changing marketplace, it is imperative that corn farmers use the latest in precision agriculture technology to remain competitive and sustainable, and this is only possible through access to high-speed broadband,” added Harold Wolle, National Corn Growers Association president.

The Last Acre Act is endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Competitive Carriers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Milk Producers Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Farmers Union, John Deere, Ethos Connected, and Wireless Internet Service Providers Association.

Monthly Average Costs
As part of its Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, the Biden administration committed $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to affordable internet service.

The price of internet service ranges widely across the U.S., from $20 to well over $100 a month.

The price consumers pay depends on a range of factors, including internet speed, the type of connection, and what’s available in a specific area.

A Forbes survey of 37 internet service provides (ISPs) across the U.S. earlier this year found consumers paid an average cost of $65 a month. That’s in line with recent findings by Consumer Reports , which found in 2022 the median monthly internet cost was $74.99.

How States Stack Up
A February report from BroadbandNow Research , a firm that conducts comparisons on internet companies using data from the FCC and internet providers, identified what it calls the “best and worst states” for broadband internet service in the U.S. Its considerations were based on two factors – overall coverage and quality of connections.

The report ranked Maryland as the best overall state for broadband internet, followed by New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Washington. The rankings considered overall access to broadband, access to low-cost broadband, download and upload speeds, and access to fiber-optic service.

At the other end of the spectrum, in the worst category, West Virginia came in last.

West Virginia was followed in the report by Alaska, Mississippi, Arkansas and Vermont. All five states at the bottom scored a zero on internet quality, or latency, which is the time it takes information to go from one source to another.

There were 16 states in the report that scored a zero in the quality category, including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The state with the slowest average download speed was Kansas, followed by Alaska and South Carolina.

John Phipps: Is Broadband the Secret to Reviving Rural America?

Texas Farmer’s Top Five Technologies

“Technical Debt” Continues To Grow Rapidly In The Agriculture Industry

Tough Regulations over Water Rights for Colorado Farmers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:58 GMT

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — While Harry Strohauer lay unconscious in his hospital bed for four days, his doctor gave his wife an ultimatum.

Strohauer had a reasonably good diet and farming hundreds of acres in Gilcrest kept him fit. His doctor, therefore, knew it could only be one thing that triggered his massive heart attack.

“The first thing that the doctor — after talking to my wife a little bit — said was ‘you cannot let him talk to anybody about water,’” Strohauer said.

Farmers need water. But Strohauer, like dozens of farmers along the South Platte River, has suffered from the effects of curtailed well pumping, the result of legislation, a Supreme Court case and battles with downstream surface water rights owners.

For Strohauer, the results of the court order forcing him to stop pumping were doubly devastating. Not only did it eventually dry out hundreds of acres of corn, it also raised the water table, causing his potatoes to rot. Residents suffered, as well, as their basements flooded, forcing them to install expensive sump pumps and make other repairs.

The timing of Strohauer’s heart attack couldn’t have been worse, coming right in the throes of his attempts to get a water augmentation plan approved. It was a massive fight, with other water rights holders opposing a plan that would have allowed Strohauer to pump his wells to water crops based on certain criteria. It could have saved his crops years later. It also would have relieved some stress.

Eventually, after his heart attack, Strohauer said they just let the augmentation plan go. He’s calmer about it now, even if he says things haven’t gotten much better.

THE DEAD SEA

Underneath Gilcrest lies an aquifer, and the water in that aquifer should slowly make its way north, underground, to the South Platte River.

When it didn’t, at least not at the rate some say it should have, downstream surface water rights holders weren’t too happy and blamed the newer wells in this area as the culprit.

Irrigation wells were first put into Colorado’s prior appropriation system following legislation in 1969. Prior appropriation is a fancy way of saying water rights, and water rights are organized by the date a farmer or ditch owner or reservoir owner or well owner first used the water. People who first diverted water have senior water rights as early as the 1850s.

So, when farmers across Gilcrest began digging wells in the early 1900s, they were infringing upon longstanding senior surface water rights downstream, because that well pumping affected downstream flows in the river.

Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of well pumping, and how it depletes river flows even years later. But for farmers around Gilcrest, the court solutions and augmentation decrees are out of balance with well owners’ perceived wrongdoings and even with Mother Nature.

Folks like Strohauer see it this way: Gilcrest-area farmers are drowning so those out east can drink.

Strohauer admits he’s not the most subtle person at times. But he’s frustrated.

About seven years ago, when he was growing potatoes on the old Lorenz Farm on the east side of U.S. 85 at Gilcrest, he called up John Stulp, the special adviser to Gov. John Hickenlooper on water issues, and started screaming at him.

Stulp came up the next day.

“He put his hand down in the ridge, and we pulled out some nice, big russet potatoes,” Strohauer said. “We walked about 10 feet, and I had him put his hand down again, and it was full of slime from the rotten potatoes.”

The potatoes were sitting in high groundwater, the result of the court-ordered curtailed well pumping, as well as water court decrees and augmentation plans that force farmers here to replace nearly everything they pump out during times of high demand on the river — which is most of the time these days.

The impacts of less well pumping are many:

- Less well pumping means less water for crops during crucial times, such as when Strohauer had to deal with weeds in a potato crop because he couldn’t pump enough water to treat the fields with weed killer early in the season.

- High groundwater leaves mineral deposits, including salt, near the surface, rendering portions of fields useless and stunting crop growth.

THE LAST POTATO FARMER

When a farmer gives a crop less water than it needs, it’s called “shorting.”

A farmer can short corn. He can short hay. The result is better than nothing but less than ideal: They don’t get as much yield on that particular plot.

“It’s not that way with potatoes; it’s all or nothing,” Strohauer said. “If you short potatoes at any given time, you’ve got zero. It’s not half a yield, it’s zero.”

It hasn’t been that easy since the turn of the century, and rather than risk not having enough water, some farmers have switched to less water-intensive crops, more salt-resistant crops or simply moved their crops out of the area altogether.

Strohauer moved more than half of his potato crop to New Mexico in the past several years. He’s got 1,400 acres right where Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico meet. He keeps about 400 acres of potatoes in Weld County, but most of that is in the Lost Creek area, which is considered non-tributary, meaning groundwater there doesn’t make its way back to the river. That means farmers can pump wells there without strict replacement rules.

That makes Strohauer the last potato farmer in Weld County, earning that title after a neighbor pulled out of the demanding crop a couple of years ago.

Other farmers have switched things up as well.

Glenn Fritzler, owner of the famed Fritzler Corn Maze, used to plant one-third of his land in onions, another third in carrots and the final third in corn. Apparently, carrot and onion mazes haven’t yet taken off.

But there’s a problem. Carrots and onions need a lot of water — about as much as corn. They’re also quite sensitive to salty soils, something exacerbated by high groundwater, which deposits salts near the surface once they recede, and by less well pumping, because over-watering is one way of dealing with salty soils.

So Fritzler has changed crops. He’s now planting a quarter of his land in onions, a sixth in carrots and the rest in corn and winter wheat, which uses less water.

Winter wheat isn’t a money maker, certainly not when compared to produce, which, when healthy during a strong market is a farmer’s lottery, capable of paying off farm equipment and setting aside a nice chunk of dough.

“You’re probably breaking even at best; probably minimizing your losses,” Fritzler said of winter wheat. “It’s better than not growing anything.”

WELLS RUN DRY

Jan. 1, 2006.

At least half of the wells along the South Platte River Basin were either reduced or shut down. Thousands of wells, built to get farmers through dry years, couldn’t be operated without an augmentation decree from water court.

Such a decree requires farmers to replace portions of what they pump.

Even farmers who obtained such decrees saw the face of farming change overnight thanks not only to requirements that well pumpers replace portions of what they pump, but that they replace what they had pumped since 1976.

It’s called augmentation, and there are a variety of ways to do it.

One such way is called artificial recharge, and typically it involves digging a shallow pond, filling the bottom with rock or sand to make it more porous, and then filling that pond with water as often as possible.

Artificial recharge, essentially putting water back into the underground aquifer well pumping has drained, pays dividends for farmers.

Almost every acre-foot of water poured into an artificial recharge pond can be claimed to allow well pumping in the future.

It’s why Randy Ray, executive director for Colorado Central Water Conservancy District, says farmers in the LaSalle-Gilcrest area are better off today than they were in 2006.

But it has come at a cost. Some farmers weren’t able to pump their wells for seven years, including the drought year of 2012, when farmers dried up hundreds of acres of corn.

Strohauer doesn’t like to look upon his eastern neighbors with envy. But he does notice things. He has his pilot’s license, and when he was taking potato samples to Imperial, Neb., to get tested for pests in 2012, he noticed something.

“I would see everything east of us, and all of those circles of nice, green corn,” Strohauer said. “Then I would come home and see all of those thousand acres of corn we had let go.”

The key difference between the droughts of 2002 and 2012 was well pumping. In 2012, Gilcrest-area farmers, who weren’t pumping as much, were shoving a lot more water downstream via the underground aquifer. In the process, they were forced to dry out already-planted corn all while exacerbating the effects of high ground water. They had water. It was just in all the wrong places.

“There’s no doubt about it that those guys (out east) were in better shape in 2012 than in 2002, and there’s no doubt about it we were in horrible shape compared to 2002,” Strohauer said.

WINTER IS COMING

For farmers, the formulas used to determine how long recharge water takes to get to the river and how many days they’re able to pump are a headache-inducing mess.

In 2010, when Strohauer’s field was full of rotting potatoes, Stulp recommended Strohauer put in a de-watering well. Essentially, he wanted Strohauer to dig a well, pump water out of that, put it in a pipeline or ditch and send it back to the river.

Strohauer threw up his hands, pointing to his existing irrigation well on the property, the one the courts shut down.

“I looked at John, and I said, ‘John, right there’s your de-watering well. It’s right there. Let us pump the stupid well, and we’ll let the surface water go down the river, and it doesn’t cost the state a single dime. It will cost us some power, and somebody receives some extra water down the river. How hard is that?’”

It’s quite hard, actually, because things are never simple when it comes to water.

If a farmer here sends that water downstream, that will affect the flow of the river, and believe it or not, even the senior water rights holders may not want that extra water all the time. For instance, those rights holders out east may not want extra water coming downstream in March because they don’t have the reservoir capacity to store it.

The formula, called the Glover formula, was first used in the 1950s, and it tells everyone how much that well pumping will affect the river and when. Nearly 70 years later, we’re still using the formula, and Ray, Strohauer, Fritzler and countless others don’t know why.

Bob Longenbaugh, who once worked in the state engineer’s office, and has spent decades studying groundwater, is one of those others.

Longenbaugh said the Glover formula overestimates the impacts of pumping on the aquifer, meaning farmers around Gilcrest are forced to push more water downstream than Mother Nature says.

Further, the formula makes too many assumptions, Longenbaugh said. Among the assumptions are no precipitation, the idea none of the water used to irrigate crops soaks into the soil to recharge the aquifer and an assumption the geology underground between any farm and the river is completely uniform.

Strohauer said it doesn’t have to be this way. He said the old system was working reasonably well, with irrigation and rainfall recharging the aquifer beneath his farmland.

Indeed, groundwater studies going back nearly 100 years show the aquifer around Gilcrest regularly rises and falls with each growing season, with no trend line to indicate a shrinking aquifer over time.

“The wells were put here for a purpose,” Strohauer said. “For the 1950s, the 1930s, 1977, 2002, 2012. For the dry years.”

Since his heart attack, Strohauer hasn’t let the issue affect his health the way it affects his crops. He has since climbed Longs Peak.

And though he may not be able to pump as much, he is pushing forward and adjusting.

That doesn’t solve the problem, but it has kept him out of the hospital.

Information from: The Tribune of Greeley, Co, http://greeleytribune.com

Growers Feel the Squeeze as County's Citrus Industry Drops

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:54 GMT

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — From a 2-acre plot on north Merritt Island, Steve Crisafulli looks at rows of orange trees, searching for a glimmer of hope for Brevard’s dying citrus industry.

Crisafulli — a Merritt Island resident whose last name has been synonymous with the citrus business for five generations — has given over this small grove on his family’s land for a U.S. Department of Agriculture experiment that he prays will unlock the secret of a more disease-resistant orange tree.

The test grove contains about five different varieties of citrus trees planted in combination with about 10 different root stocks. The goal is to determine which combinations work best.

The Crisafullis view the USDA project as perhaps the last-ditch effort to stem the painful, long-term downturn of the citrus industry. Citrus production in Florida has dropped 59 percent since the 2008-09 season.

Production plunged even more in Brevard County, by 87 percent. And, recently, two of the area’s last traditional citrus retailers — Harvey’s Groves stores in Rockledge and West Melbourne and the Policicchio Groves retail store on north Merritt Island — announced they not open their stands for the 2017-18 season. The companies will keep operating their mail order businesses.

For some, the closing of these iconic roadside attractions is a bittersweet reminder of an older Brevard, a sleepier community before the rumble of rockets, when citrus was king and a muck-free, crystal-clear Indian River teemed with sea trout and manatees. Sorting warehouses dominated the landscape on U.S. 1, and trucks filled with pungent fruit plied the roads.

Now, some of those warehouses are crumbling derelicts, as diseases like canker and citrus greening — and hurricanes — have hit the industry hard. Many growers decided it was more lucrative to sell their groves to developers to transform them into residential subdivisions, rather than continue growing oranges or grapefruits.

And a looming question is where to buy the renowned orange and grapefruit juice that only comes from Indian River-grown fruit?

Indian River citrus has always been world-renowned for its quality and still is, albeit with a deeply declining production — if you can find it.

Even longtime local citrus growers like Crisafulli and Frank Sullivan of Cocoa say their families now buy their orange juice at the grocery store. But it’s not nearly the same as the fresh-squeezed juice.

“None of it really measures up,” Sullivan said.

Crisafulli agrees.

“Nothing is as good as the real thing,” he said with a grin.

Thinking about the citrus industry’s downturn, Crisafulli says: “I think it’s sad, because it’s an identity not just for Brevard, but the entire state.”

“Along the river, on both sides of the river, and certainly all of Merritt Island, was nothing but citrus groves,” Sullivan said. “There were 9,000 acres of citrus inside NASA,” referring to the sprawling federal reserve that is home to the Kennedy Space Center.

That land was “some of the best growing land in the state” for citrus, Sullivan said.

The downturn didn’t happen suddenly. Florida citrus production peaked in 1997-98, when 304.45 million boxes of oranges, grapefruits and other citrus were produced. By 2016-17, that figure dropped 74 percent to 78.13 million boxes. The latest projection for the current 2017-18 season puts expected production at 54.65 million boxes. Each box would weigh 85 to 95 pounds, depending on the type of fruit.

Sullivan, who is in the third-generation of his family in the citrus business, traces the local industry’s problems back even further — to the devastating freezes of the 1980s.

“That took a lot of citrus out. Then, there was the disease,” said Sullivan, who no longer grows citrus, but continues to operate the Sullivan Victory Groves citrus mail order business on U.S. 1 in Cocoa.

Sullivan and other citrus mail order businesses in the region coordinate their purchase of citrus for resale from a handful of remaining local growers, including one in Scottsmoor.

“It facilitates buying the best fruit” that’s available at any particular time, said Sullivan, who also is a former Canaveral Port Authority commissioner. “We go wherever we can get it.”

This is a peak season for the mail order business, as many people want fresh fruit ahead of the holidays.

Even with the thinning of the citrus industry in Florida, Doug Bournique, executive vice president of the Fort Pierce-based Indian River Citrus League, said he is hopeful growers in Brevard will make a resurgence in producing oranges and grapefruit on the Space Coast.

Calling the Crisafullis, Harveys and Sullivans “rock star” growers of Indian River fruit, Bournique believes researchers are very close — maybe within two years — of “cracking the code” when it comes to ending citrus greening — a disease, also known as “yellow dragon disease” — that severely damages and discolors the fruit and eventually kills the tree.

Once the code is cracked, Bournique believes citrus will stage a big comeback in Brevard and elsewhere in Florida.

It’s not just the fruit and juice that’s enticing growers, but the Indian River citrus byproducts that are finding their ways into soaps, shampoos, beer, spirits and many other areas. The products often carry on “Indian River” citrus on the label, and it’s an entirely new market to exploit that wasn’t available 20 years ago.

“It used to be growers would simply use it for livestock feed,” Bournique said. “The byproduct market that wasn’t there 20 years ago is there now.”

Sullivan thinks back to the time when Brevard County’s population was relatively small, but there were a dozen or more citrus packinghouses in the area.

“And it seemed like everybody who had 20 acres has a little fruit stand,” Sullivan said. “When U.S. 1 was the only route going from the north to Miami, everybody had a fruit stand.”

Sullivan said much of his family’s citrus acreage was on land that now is part of Kennedy Space Center.

Historically, Sullivan said, most of this region’s citrus has been used for juice, with much of the remaining fruit used for the holiday gift fruit business.

Referring to the industry’s decline, Sullivan said: “It’s discouraging, but we haven’t give up hope. New varieties are showing signs of resistance to diseases. Farmers are always optimistic. We just have to work a little harder doing what we do.”

“Obviously, it’s a very unfortunate time in the industry,” Crisafulli said.

While disease has played a role, so has the weather.

“Mother Nature has her time, and she’s had a say in where we are today,” Crisafulli said. “Whether it’s freeze, flood, drought, heat or cold, we’re also dealing with disease, and that’s a challenge that we’ll continue to have.”

Hurricane Irma, for example, impacted the industry in two ways when it passed through Florida in September, Crisafulli said. The high winds blew fruit off the trees prematurely, decreasing this year’s crop. But, more significantly, if an orange grove is flooded and water sits on a tree root for more than 36 to 48 hours, it can kill the trees for good, he said.

“The storms were the straw that broke the camel’s back” for the remaining retail stands, Crisafulli said. “It’s very unfortunate.”

The Crisafulli family now is using much of its former citrus land for other business interests, including residential development and as cattle grazing land.

Still, Crisafulli said, he and others in the industry are not ready to abandon the industry.

“Looking forward, looking to the future, we’re certainly not going to give up,” said Crisafulli, who is a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. “Farmers are a resilient breed. If it wasn’t for farmers, we’d be eating grass next to the cows. So it’s certainly a time where we have to pick up and look for the future and look for the opportunities that are before us.”

Crisafulli said his 2-acre site on north Merritt Island is part of a widespread efforts involving USDA and state researchers to develop new breeds, new varieties, new root stocks and new places to plant citrus throughout the state.

“I will certainly say that we’re not going to give up. There are opportunities for us,” Crisafulli said. “The sad thing is the mom-and-pop operations will have a harder time enduring this period. And you’re going to see the larger corporations are going to continue to move forward and try to find opportunities to grow in this industry. We’re certainly interested in the future of what citrus holds.”

For his business, part of that future could be an orange variety being called the “Crisafulli navel” that has been developed over the last several years.

Crisafulli said, while some of the issues may be unique to Florida citrus, the agriculture industry in general constantly has obstacles to overcome.

“Farmers have that, whether it’s citrus or corn or wheat or whatever it might be,” Crisafulli said. “There’s always going to be challenges. And we’re certainly going to fight to the end to try to make sure that we can preserve this great industry.”

Information from: Florida Today (Melbourne, Fla.), http://www.floridatoday.com

Most Expensive U.S. Hurricane Season

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:54 GMT

This year’s U.S. Atlantic hurricane season is officially the most expensive ever, racking up $202.6 billion in damages since the formal start on June 1.

The costs tallied by disaster modelers Chuck Watson and Mark Johnson surpass anything they’ve seen in previous years. That shouldn’t come as a complete surprise: In late August, Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast, wreaking havoc upon the heart of America’s energy sector. Then Irma struck Florida, devastating the Caribbean islands on the way. Hurricane Maria followed shortly after, wiping out power to all of Puerto Rico. And the season’s not over yet: It officially ends on Nov. 30.
“Given our infrastructure today, the question is: Was 2017 unusual? I think we answered that pretty well,” said Watson, a modeler at Enki Research. “2017 wins no matter what you do. At one point I was working disasters in Asia, Central America, the U.S., and Ireland. It felt like I had jet lag even though I never left the office.”

As this devastating season draws to a close, here are a few statistics that show the extraordinary strength of this year’s storms:

The season delivered 17 named storms, 10 of which became hurricanes that altogether killed hundreds across the Atlantic basin. While 2005 still holds the record, with 28 storms, the intensity and dangerous paths of this year’s tropical systems caught even seasoned forecasters off guard.
For the first time in records, three Category 4 storms hit U.S. shores, with Hurricane Harvey becoming the first major hurricane to slam the country since 2005.
Harvey also set a new tropical rainfall record with just over 60 inches (152 centimeters) in Texas, according Michael Bell, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University.
Hurricane Irma , which bowled over the Florida Keys in September before threatening Tampa, set a record by maintaining Category 5 strength for 37 hours. That broke the old mark of 24 hours set by Typhoon Haiyan, Bell said.
Accumulated cyclone energy, a measure of storm power and longevity, also set a record in September, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center .
Worldwide, storms caused $369.6 billion of damage, the second-most costly year since 1960.

This hurricane season is “in the top 10 in most of the metrics we use to measure hurricane activity,” Bell said.

And we haven’t even mentioned Ophelia, a “crazy storm” that maintained hurricane strength within 12 hours of nearing Ireland, said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was the worst tropical system to threaten Ireland since 1961.

A construction boom along U.S. shores in recent years acted as a damage multiplier this year, when nature threw its worst at beach homes, waterfront resorts, power grids and Gulf Coast refineries.

Watson’s storm costs are based on physical damages, clean-up expenses and lost business activity that isn’t recovered within a year. To account for buildings, homes and factories that weren’t around 150 years ago, his models look at storms dating back to 1871 in the U.S. and 1960 globally, and project the damages they would inflict had they occurred today.

If every hurricane that hit the U.S. in 1893 were to strike now, the cost would be $185.6 billion.

The U.S. hasn’t been the only country feel the pain this year. Typhoons and hurricanes struck countries including China and Japan, Watson said. The totals are a testament to the damage storms that hit major cities can do.

“Megacities such as New York City, Houston, or Miami in the U.S., Tokyo in Japan, or the incredible dense infrastructure around Hong Kong in China, are susceptible to a single event causing in excess of $100 billion in damages,” Watson and Johnson, a professor of statistics at the University of Central Florida, wrote in a study.

Rat Bomb: Farming’s Death of a Thousand Bites

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 04:47:15 GMT

What sex-crazed, eating machine gorges on a portion of profit from every farm, ranch, dairy, hog barn, feed mill and grain elevator on the planet? Guess rat, and guess right. Without fail, each year the agriculture industry endures the death of a thousand bites from a rodent that reigns supreme as a survivalist in the animal kingdom.

All told, rats rack up to $20 billion in damages to the U.S. economy each year, and agriculture pays a hunk of the bill, covering for damage to field crops, stored grain, equipment, building structures, and much more. Coast to coast, rat presence is near-ubiquitous at some level on agriculture operations of all types, but beyond the propensity to eat, gnaw and burrow, most producers know very little about a rat’s phenomenal ability to thrive in all quarters. Know thy enemy—especially one that has sex dozens of times per day.

The Rat Czar

Ironically, understanding the impact of rats on agriculture requires a trip into the urban realm of Bobby Corrigan, the “Rat Czar” of New York City. Simply, no one knows rats like Corrigan. A rodentologist with 25 years of experience, his reputation extends far beyond U.S. borders and carries him around the globe to Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, and beyond, offering consultations to cities afflicted by relentless rat populations. Television documentaries, movie directors, major newspapers, magazines by the dozen, university recognition, and much more, Corrigan is lauded for an encyclopedic grasp of rats. Yet, the affable Corrigan, 65, is far removed from the ivory tower of academia. When he’s not on a rat-lecture tour, he’s typically found with a flashlight crawling through the pitch-black of an abandoned building, crouching in a dim alley, or lowering a microphone into a burrow to record the incessant chatter of a rat colony.

In subways, sewers, basements, beneath subflooring, or below buildings, Corrigan enters the dark confines of rat-ruled domains that attack the physical senses and send nauseous chills up most spines, as musky, gamey odors emanate from layers of defecation, with the smells piggybacked by the rat colony’s unmistakable vocalizations slicing through the darkness. “It’s like all of your senses assaulted at one time,” Corrigan describes. “Once you go in their world, the odors are pungent, almost like a zoo in a tight space. You hear scurrying, audible communication, squeaks, and teeth chattering. You stand still and watch them dart, jump, and stand on back legs to box one another. There are lots of shrieks of pain because they’re always biting each other in dominance, attacking each other’s flanks and taking big bites out of other males.”

Twice in his career, Corrigan has been bitten—a pain of reckoning from an animal capable of six bites per second with jaws delivering a 7,000 lb. per square inch crunch. “I’ve had rats within a couple inches spit right at me,” he continues. “They’ll grunt and stomp their feet just like a buck in the woods.”

Corrigan has seen rats burrow beneath foundations and take out sidewalks, streets, retaining walls and even sewer systems. “If you have a grain bin with a slab footing, or any other farm building, they’ll burrow under in a blink and crack the slab. A major, major expense to fix.”

Despite burrowing hazards, the biggest threat, he says, is consistent gnawing damage. “Wherever you have wires, they’re going to chew and cause high dollar damage. Gas lines, water lines, vehicle wires, building wires—so much expense. Even for airplanes in agriculture, they’ll chew on those wires. It’s such a big deal and you never want to let rats live on your farm. Never take the complacent attitude that every farm has rats.”

All You Can Eat

Farm rats are divided into two types of the same species, black and brown. The black rat (roof rat) usually lives above ground, often building nests in trees or rafters, and is a steady blight on the citrus and orchard industries. The brown rat (Norway rat) is the grand burrower, at home in the sewers of New York City or beneath a Midwest dairy barn or in the side of a Mississippi Delta irrigation ditch. Brown rats arrived in the U.S. during the late 1700s, as stowaways on European ships, and then spread across the country, riding the coattails of human habitation. Find people, find brown rats.

Rodents make up nearly half (43%) of all mammals on Earth—an undeniably strong indicator of survival skills. And in the mammalian kingdom, brown rats have a spot at the head of the survival table. They can go from easy pickings in a livestock barn to scraping a living in bare rocks beside the ocean, swimming underwater when necessary to find food. Coal mines, mountains, or cities: Whatever pitch the planet throws, the rats hit.

Along with remarkable adaptation skills, brown rats possess a mind-boggling capacity for reproduction. “They will crank out offspring like you can’t believe,” Corrigan says. “A single female can produce a chain of 15,000 offspring in a single year. Doesn’t happen often, but it can, given the right circumstances.”

And what are those “right circumstances?” What element triggers massive breeding? Abundant food. Combined with easy access, surplus food allows rats to take energy spent foraging and transfer it to mating. Females can copulate hours after giving birth, ovulate once every four days, and produce litters throughout their entire lives. (Life span in the wild is about 7-10 months, although a rat without stress can live for several years.) “With ample food and average pressure, rats can start breeding at 8 weeks of age (roughly 12 weeks with limited food). That’s 10-12 pups with plenty of food, and 4-5 pups with less food. Under stress and without food, they’ll kill and eat their own young to maintain caloric needs. Again, plenty of food is key.”

Grain is nature’s premium food source for rats, and their favorite meal, but when possible, rats select for complete nutritional balance (fruit) and need protein intake. They attack birds and smaller mammals as a meat source, and often supplement with insects. Generally, an average brown rat requires 3 oz. of food and 1 oz. of water to keep it strong in the wild; approximately 55-100 calories every 24 hours.

And where can rats access a bounty of food? Cities and farms. “Take a feed mill, for example, or even a set of grain bins,” Corrigan describes. “If a farmer doesn’t clean up properly, or the mill isn’t kept tight, you’re guaranteed hundreds of rats. People in the situation often think it’s thousands of rats, but it usually doesn’t work like that.”

“Astonishingly Smart Animals”

As with a beaver or squirrel, a rat’s front incisors never stop growing and are kept in check by incessant chiseling against the opposing pair. Whether electrical wire damage in equipment or buildings, most agriculture operations are frequent victims of rat teeth. Corrigan frequently places microphones inside burrows, and the noise from grinding or chattering teeth is a constant. “They can keep their own teeth filed down and don’t need to gnaw—that part is a myth. But we all know they do gnaw on anything and everything, and nobody is certain, but we think it’s because they are looking for reaction. Gnaw on bark searching for a cavity; gnaw on a stem and water drips out; gnaw on plastic or rubber and see what’s inside. Gnawing is exploring and hoping for something beyond or beneath.”

The blunt-muzzled brown rat is usually 12”-18” in length, and averages roughly 16 oz. in weight. Yet, particularly around farms, how does a creature that sometimes can grow to almost a pound-and-a-half move with incredible dexterity through tiny access holes? It’s all about the head.

“Once the head goes through, the body follows suit. I tell farmers, any hole where a quarter fits, or even less, is a rat door and needs repair because rats’ rib cages operate like hinges; they’re compressible. Shave a rat of its fur and you’ll be stunned by a scrawny mammal. Measure from the top of skull to bottom of the skull, and it’s half an inch and almost the same on side,” Corrigan notes.

Physically, rats are top athletes in the animal kingdom, capable of scaling rough surfaces, including the sides of brick buildings, or moving with a gymnast’s ease between pipes and rungs. “Watch them in a barn and you see unbelievable agility,” Corrigan describes. “This is a creature that can swim 72 hours without fail, or hold’s it breath several minutes underwater, swim up or down into/out of a toilet bowl, or dive in a creek for crawdads.”

(For related, see Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs )

Riding shotgun alongside its adaptive qualities, breeding capacity, physical characteristics, and all-you-can-eat buffet diet, is a phenomenally high level of intelligence. The popular image of rats as dull and reactionary is false.

“Astonishingly smart animals,” Corrigan says, “We’ve been wrong in thinking every behavior we observed in rats was instinct. Measuring brain activity shows they experience a range of emotions and make calculations ahead of time, and make decisions based on previous experiences. The research is incredible and shows high intelligence—so high that it contains many of the capabilities we thought were reserved just for us and primates.”

“For example, let’s say a piece of food gets stuck between two barn doors. A rat will forage for a stick, and then use the stick as a tool to extract the food. That is game-changer intellect, and presents farmers with a question they might not want to hear, but it’s absolutely true: How do you control an animal with that level of intelligence? When it comes to rats, nothing is as simple as it first appears.”

“Rats are by no means stupid varmints. If you’ve got a rat problem on your property, then you’d better treat it carefully and with best management practices, just as you would with any type of livestock.”

Baptism By Fire

As a teenager growing up in Long Island, N.Y., Corrigan was the classic nature nerd, and after high school, he answered an advertisement for extermination work in an attempt to save money for college. It was baptism by fire: Corrigan was thrown into the sewers of New York City—the world’s emblematic hot zone of brown rat infestations.

The exterminator stint was followed by several years at Purdue University, where he cut his rat teeth in agriculture. Literally, Corrigan got on staff at Purdue and began rat research on Indiana farms and feed mills. (He still owns a small farm in Wayne County, and splits time between Indiana and New York.)

Corrigan, director of RMC Pest Management Consulting, is consistently bombarded with the same questions: How many rats live in the five boroughs of New York City? A trip through Google reveals a wild variation of purportedly concrete rat population totals—all false, Corrigan explains. “They’re just guessing, but they don’t want to say that. We don’t know a hard number, but it’s likely in the millions. One thing for sure, I suspect the cost of control is in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year. A great indicator of our rat population is the $4-$5 million in rat-related cleaning fines the city levies to people each year. Think about that: Almost $5 million in fines because of brown rats.”

Numbers, however, can be deceiving according to city size, and far more significant than population, Corrigan notes, is per capita presence. “Let’s say, just for argument, that New York City has 3 million rats, but much smaller Washington, D.C. has 500,000 rats. Who has the worse problem?”

The Rat War

Excluding the polar regions, the globe is a rat haven. There is only one mainland holdout—the ever-vigilant Canadian province of Alberta, which has…so far…won the rat race. Slightly larger in land mass than France, Alberta has kept brown rats at bay for 70 years, since the first recorded incident in 1950, when inspectors found rats on a farm in the southeast part of the province, along the Saskatchewan border. Government officials went into nuclear mode, sending armed men to the area to exterminate any and all rats, along with a publicity campaign including posters, pamphlets, free poison and public meetings on how to kill rats.

Bottom line: The effort paid off in spades, and as of 2020, Alberta has no resident or breeding population of brown rats. An eight-man rat patrol continues to monitor the border, and checks thousands of farms every year. In addition, Alberta maintains a rat hotline (310-RATS) and keeps rat prevention in the public eye.

However, take Alberta’s story off the table, along with rat elimination success on a few islands, and it’s readily apparent that rat races seldom end with human victories.

The Warhorses

Film producers consistently badger Corrigan for a money shot—thousands of rats in one place, existing as a camera-ready hoard. Such a location, Corrigan insists, is pure fiction. Rats are highly gregarious, but as multiple families form colonies, the rats migrate into new territory, shifting in search of balanced food opportunity. “You can end up with 400-500 rats on a single acre, but when it gets that bad, they move down the road or follow the creek to the next property. Your rat becomes your neighbor’s rat.”

However, Corrigan has seen exceptions. “Again, it’s all about food. I’ve been on some mismanaged swine operations where there were thousands of rats in one location, but those types of situations are not the norm.”

Below ground, or deep in the bowels of a city or farm structure, rats live in family units, typically sleeping in basketball-sized nests, Corrigan describes. “I’ve opened a nest and seen 30 rats explode in all directions. Especially in winter, they’ll all hugger-mugger together for body heat, but if food is in short supply, they’ll stay separate and get extremely aggressive.”

Aggression is standard in the rat world and dominant males are a force, Corrigan insists. “They’re truly tough looking, almost like an old warhorse, and packed with bulk, muscle, and a ‘Don’t mess with me,’ attitude. The biggest rat on a farm totally runs the show.”

Despite near-mythic status, king rats are fiction, he insists. “I’ve personally never seen anything confirmed in a brown rat over 1 lb. and 6 oz. Lots of guys tell me they’ve seen rats the size of cats. No, you saw a cat.”

Deputy Dog

Tucked deep in the Mississippi Delta, 1,200 miles from New York City, Mike Wagner’s Two Brooks Farm is an exceptional rice and soybean outfit focused on crop quality and conservation. Wagner’s farming operation is unique; his rat problem is not.

In the winter of 2018, he bought an old, low-dollar combine, exclusively for cutting test plots, and prior to the 2019 harvest, was forced to rewire the machine due to depredation from rats. Rice and rats are an unholy pair, and although Wagner experienced an onslaught of rodent damage, he managed to find a unique solution.

Rats were a financial drain on his Tallahatchie County grain bin system, often inflicting $10,000 to $20,000 in damage per year. On a whim, Wagner brought in a six cats to his farming headquarters, hoping to stem the bin damage—and clockwork, the rat problem ceased. “It was amazing, but it only worked for a short time—then the coyotes showed up and killed the cats at night.”

Cats killed the rats; coyotes killed the cats; the rats returned. Once again, Wagner relied on Mother Nature, adopting an abandoned Great Pyrenees dog to protect a second batch of cats. The new dog, Deputy, flipped the balance back in Wagner’s favor. Afraid of Deputy, the coyotes stayed on the perimeter, and the cats were free to prey on rats. Wagner’s old-school solution, through the soldiering of a Great Pyrenees, won the day—and still keeps the rats at bay around the bins. “That special dog was the end of my trouble,” Wagner says.

Plain Truth

Rat control on a farm (or in a city environment) is packed with irony, because the best control is obvious, yet seldom practiced: Cut off the food supply. If a family unit of 16 rats consumes just a pound of food per night, multiplied by seven each week, and extrapolated to 30 lb. of intake per month, how can a farmer, surrounded by augers, bins and livestock, stop the flow? “There is no magic wand. Nobody can clean or secure everything,” Corrigan says, “but you can have an immediate impact on whether you have 50 or 500 rats. Keep your rat population at 50 and then you can have a shot at them with rodenticides and rat traps.”

In an urban location, brown rats will forage up to 500’ from their nests, but typically stay within 100’, provided a food source exists. In a farming environment, proximity is much narrower, and forage distances significantly shrink. “The No. 1 concern is to shut off food sources, but you’d be amazed by how few people do that,” Corrigan explains. “Don’t go the hardware store, buy poison, and put it out at random. We can all fix a leaking pipe, but to what degree? The secret to poison is proper location where the rats truly are, otherwise it’s ineffectual, costs a ton of money, and may hurt other animals.”

Despite the destructive power of rats, Corrigan maintains tremendous respect for a species geared to survive. “What’s not to admire about a species specializing in success? There is still a ton of mystery surrounding rats and the more we learn, the better off we can control them in cities and in agriculture.”

“The truth is plain about rats in farming ,” Corrigan adds. “If you don’t clean up spilled grain and leaking augers, and if you don’t cut off the main food sources, then you’re going to have huge rat problems that poison and traps won’t fix. You can’t bail out an ocean.”

For more, see:

Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs

Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer

Predator Tractor Unleashed on Farmland by Ag’s True Maverick

Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields

Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?

Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death

Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam

A Skeptical Farmer’s Monster Message on Profitability

Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior

Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig

Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer

Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice

Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History

In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer

Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows

Blood And Dirt: A Farmer’s 30-Year Fight With The Feds

Against All Odds: Farmer Survives Epic Ordeal

Agriculture’s Darkest Fraud Hidden Under Dirt and Lies

Grower profitability a must when reducing food waste, study says

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:24:38 GMT

If the grower can’t profit from efforts to reduce food waste, the effort won’t happen.

That’s one observation from a new 39-page report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service in late January.

USDA estimates for fruits and vegetables in the North American supply chain reveal 30% of all fresh produce waste occurs at the farm level, 6% in post-harvest handling, 3% in processing and packaging, 18% in retail distribution, and 42% at the consumer level.

Farm-level food loss is influenced by:

Price volatility in the marketplace;
Labor constraints;
Supply chain factors;
Grades and standards;
Consumer preferences; and
Policies that unintentionally exacerbate food loss.

Prices below the cost of production provide no incentive for growers to harvest surplus product, and when prices are high, growers send more lower-quality produce to the market, which also could result in food loss at the wholesale or retail level, according to the report.

Quality and appearance standards can lead to food loss, according to the study.

“Growers, shippers and retailers make decisions about what and when to cull based on perceived consumer preferences; if any of these supply chain stages anticipate a buyer will not accept their produce, the produce will not be harvested or advanced through the supply chain,” according to the study.

Restrictions on gleaning and marketing order regulations also can lead to increased food loss.

“Once the effects, incentives and competing goals are considered together, one can begin to understand how to balance resources devoted to reducing food loss alongside other goals, such as maintaining farm profitability,” according to the study.

Attempts to cut food waste don’t happen in a vacuum.

“If reducing food loss takes away resources devoted to farm profitability, for example, it is unlikely that any grower would choose to participate,” according to the study. “However, if reducing food loss is considered alongside more traditional goals like improving farm income, industry adoption of food loss initiatives may be more likely.”

The report noted emerging retail markets and opportunities that can alleviate food loss and improve growers’ income, such as consumer interest in “ugly/imperfect” produce.

“As the conditions for food loss are multifaceted, so, too, are the strategies that alleviate that loss and improve grower welfare,” according to the study. “To be successful, efforts to mitigate food loss by recovering or recycling food must have viable markets and demonstrate their economic value to growers.”

Related articles

Year in Produce No. 7 — Industry increases focus on food waste

Half of fresh produce is lost on the journey from farm to consumer

Government agencies partner with alliance to fight food waste

Struggling Florida Citrus Growers Face Tough Decisions

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:33 GMT

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — Although the 2017-18 citrus harvest has barely begun, growers are already planning for the 2018-19 season, and they have critical decisions to make in the coming months that will affect next season’s crop and perhaps others in years to come.

Growers say all but the luckiest among them will profit in 2017-18. Because hurricane-force winds hit the state’s entire citrus-producing area south of Interstate 4, there aren’t many growers who escaped major damage.

Irma destroyed more than 50 percent of this season’s oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos. Before Irma, Florida’s citrus industry battled greening, a devastating disease.

The latest official U.S. Department of Agriculture survey released Nov. 9 shows 50 million boxes of oranges, a 27 percent drop from the 2016-17 season, and 4.65 million boxes of grapefruit, a 40 percent decline from last season. Growers expect those numbers to decrease through the end of the harvest in May as storm-damaged trees drop fruit before harvest.

“If I had to take a guess, I would say we’ll end this season with 40 million boxes of oranges,” said Allen Morris, an agriculture economist and consultant with decades of experience in Florida citrus.

That would mean a drop in U.S. supply of orange juice, most of which in past seasons has come from Florida oranges, Morris said. Each year, about 95 percent of the state’s orange crop goes to juice.

“We will survive, but imports will play a critical role in our survival,” he said.

The Ledger reports that when Florida will recover as the major supplier of orange juice to the U.S. market depends on when the state’s citrus trees will return to pre-Irma production.

There’s little question that damage caused by Irma to most of Florida’s 62 million citrus trees will affect future crop production at least through the 2018-19 season. That was growers’ experience following the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.

But more than a decade ago, operating a grove was a much cheaper proposition than it is now because growers didn’t have to deal with the fatal bacterial disease citrus greening. Since its arrival in 2005, greening has reduced the state’s annual citrus harvest by more than 70 percent while more than doubling grove-caretaking costs.

Costs have risen because of the additional fertilizer and pesticide applications growers must make to fight greening, said Ariel Singerman, assistant professor of agricultural economics at the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.

That means it costs a lot more to wait for trees to recover from hurricane damage.

In the 2016-17 season, the average Florida grower spent about $1,800 per grove acre, including fertilizers, pesticides, labor and other inputs, That’s based on an annual statewide survey he conducts every summer after the conclusion of the harvest.

That figure does not include other fixed costs, such as capital expenses; land costs, such as a mortgage; and other management inputs.

Maintaining an adequate level of grove caretaking will be a key challenge for growers this year, Singerman said.

“That is exactly why the Florida citrus industry is shrinking - they (growers) cannot afford the cost of staying in business,” he said. “If a grower has lost 50 percent of his fruit, it’s unlikely he will make a profit.”

The Associated Press, 2017

Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com

Carbon Markets: Farmers Want More to Hang Their Hat On

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:20:44 GMT

The carbon market will grow over the next three years
Farm Journal’s August 2021 Carbon Survey found that 3.32% of respondents were participating in an non-governmental carbon market, up from an Ag Barometer last spring where only 1% of farmers had entered into a contract. And 55% of survey respondents said that they plan on joining the market in the next three years.

(Farm Journal)

Money in the dirt?
While the carbon market is poised for growth, there are some lingering issues. Almost half of the respondents to Farm Journal’s Carbon Survey said they would need a return on investment of more than $20,000 to participate in carbon markets.

Many respondents said that the available programs were only paying on newly adopted practices and not pre-existing practices. Others thought their operation was too small to count or that the expenses required to adopt new practices would not be offset by the return on investment. A few viewed the carbon markets as a means for others to make money and said they didn’t see how it benefited them.

(Farm Journal)

It’s time for carbon markets to roll up their sleeves. There’s work to do.
Farmers also struggle to trust the motives behind the carbon market. Respondents to Farm Journal’s Carbon Survey cited fears that markets could lead to regulations that unfairly penalize them or create circumstances where they lose control over their operation.

Many of farmers said they don’t have enough information to adequately understand the opportunity, find programs in their area or find information on how to apply. The good news: they’re looking for reputable sources for more information.

(Farm Journal)

How to increase farmers’ trust
Some trust issues can be overcome by having university extensions verify compliance with carbon market program requirements, according to Farm Journal’s Carbon Survey. Farmers expressed a preference for a third party that would not directly benefit from the outcome of their findings or create penalties.

(Farm Journal)

So what about the things that farmers are already doing?
Another way to build trust may be to answer a key objection raised by farmers and give them credit for practices they already have in place. Many farmers report they’re already engaging in conservation practices, with conservation tillage practices topping the list. See the chart below.

For more updates and information on carbon market programs, visit Farm Journal’s Carbon Innovation Center .

(Farm Journal)

Related Links:
Clarity in Carbon Marketplace Needed, say Iowa State and EDF Reports
Iowa Farmer Shares Firsthand Experience with Carbon Markets
Farmer Shares Top 10 Considerations With Carbon Markets
5 Tools to Unravel Carbon Market

BREAKING: Report: China Asked for Russia to Delay Attack on Ukraine Until After Winter Olympics

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 21:42:49 GMT

UPDATE: 03/02 4:40-pm-EST-(Reuters) - Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing Biden administration officials and a European official. The Times said a Western intelligence report indicates senior Chinese officials had some level of knowledge about Russia’s plans or intentions to invade Ukraine before it started last week.

UPDATE: 03/02 4:23 pm-EST-There are reports a missile struck a vessel flying under the flag of Bangladesh. Reports are that the bulk carrier has been waiting to load since February and couldn’t leave due to restrictions in the area. Videos posted to Twitter appear to show a ship on fire near Olvia Port, Ukraine. Several news reports say a Bangladeshi sailor died.

KHERSON, Ukraine - (AP) A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson - a claim that the Ukrainian military denies. The city is under Russian soldiers’ “complete control,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday. He said that the city’s civilian infrastructure, essential facilities and transport are operating as usual and that there are no shortages of food or essential goods.

UPDATE: 03/02 3:43 pm -EST-GOTLAND, Sweden (AP)- Sweden says four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday. The four aircraft - two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters - flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces. “In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,” Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. “This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side.” Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photos of the Russian jets, the statement said.

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian officials have reported a powerful explosion in Kyiv, between the Southern Railway station and the Ibis hotel, an area near Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. defense official says the Russian convoy still appears to be stalled outside the city center of Kyiv, and has made no real progress in the last couple days. The official on Wednesday said the convoy is still plagued with fuel and food shortages and logistical problems, as well as facing continued fierce resistance from Ukrainians.

WASHINGTON - The White House has announced additional sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus, including extending export controls that target Russian oil refining and entities supporting the Russian and Belarusian military. Among Wednesday’s new measures are sanctions targeting 22 Russia defense entities that make combat aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia’s military.

UPDATE: 03/02 12:06pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The U.N. General Assembly has voted to demand that Russia stop its offensive in Ukraine and withdraw all troops, with nations from world powers to tiny island states condemning Moscow. The vote Wednesday was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions. It came after the 193-member assembly convened its first emergency session since 1997.

UPDATE: 03/02 12:05 pm-EST-MOSCOW (AP) - Russia’s Defense Ministry says 498 of its troops killed in Ukraine, 1,597 wounded in 1st report of military casualties.

UPDATE: 03/02 10:45 am-EST-Wheat prices reach $11. Follow the markets here .

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 03/02 10:03 am-EST-WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is “very open” to imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas industry as it also weighs the potential market impact, the White House said on Wednesday as global oil prices touched eight-year highs and supply disruptions mounted.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:49 am-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices are surging again as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, pushing crude up to $110 a barrel.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:31 am-EST-DUBAI/LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - OPEC+ oil producers agreed on Wednesday to stick to their plans for a modest output rise in April, ignoring the Ukraine crisis during their talks and snubbing calls from consumers for more crude even as crude prices rocketed higher.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:25 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine’s State Emergency Service says over 2,000 civilians dead in week of war; independent confirmation not possible.

UPDATE: 03/02 8:55 am EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russia renewed its assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city in a pounding that lit up the skyline with balls of fire over populated areas. That came Wednesday even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the new devastating war in Europe. The escalation of attacks on crowded cities followed an initial round of talks between outgunned Ukraine and nuclear power Russia on Monday that resulted in only a promise to meet again. It was not clear when new talks might take place - or what they would yield. Ukraine’s president earlier said Russia must stop bombing before another meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried Russia’s bombardment as a blatant terror campaign.

President Biden is talking about the situation in Ukraine in his State of the Union speech. It starts tonight at 9 pm EST. Watch it here .

UPDATE: 03/01 4:48 pm-EST-(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Tuesday it has paused all product sales in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 03/01 4:41 pm-EST-(AP) WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Tuesday injected a strong note of caution into the persistent reports that Russian military progress - including by the massive convoy outside Kyiv - has slowed, plagued by food and fuel shortages and logistical problems.

One senior Defense official said that the U.S. has seen Russian military columns literally run out of gas, and in some places running out of food, and that morale is suffering as a result.

But the official added that it is important to be pragmatic. The Russians still have a significant amount of combat power that has not yet been tapped, and “they will regroup, they will adjust, they will change their tactics.”

UPDATE: 03/01 3:38 pm-EST-WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 1 (Reuters) - Canada’s Nutrien Ltd (NTR.TO) , the world’s biggest fertilizer producer, said on Tuesday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could result in prolonged disruptions to the global supply of potash and nitrogen crop nutrients.

Interim Chief Executive Ken Seitz said Nutrien will boost potash production if it sees sustained supply problems in Russia and Belarus, the world’s second-and third-largest potash-producing countries after Canada.

UPDATE: 03/01 2:00 pm-EST-(Reuters) The world’s three biggest container lines are temporarily suspending cargo shipments to and from Russia. They are Swiss-headquartered MSC, Denmark’s Maersk, and France’s CMA CGM. Maersk also added that the suspension covering all Russian ports, would not include foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies.

UPDATE: 03/01 11:10 am-EST-FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - International Energy Agency says 31 member countries agree to release 60 million barrels of oil from reserves.

UPDATE: 03/01 10:57 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukrainian parliament says Russian forces have hit the TV tower in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.

UPDATE: 03/01 10:46 am-EST-Crude oil futures continue to trade above $100.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 03/01 10:37 am-EST- Corn, soybeans and wheat all up double digits. Follow the markets here .

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE 03/01 9:35 am-EST-From Farm Journal Washington Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer: U.S. oil jumped to a 7-year high above $101 a barrel as the Russian assault prompts supply oil shortage fears. The U.S. and other countries are discussing releasing around 70 million barrels of strategic oil reserves, but the major unknown is whether OPEC will boost production, with an important meeting on the topic tomorrow. Pressure continues on Biden and U.S. allies to include oil trade in sanctions on Russia.

UPDATE: 03/01 9:20 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian strikes pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian targets, and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital. Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow on Tuesday of resorting to terror tactics to press Europe’s largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops advanced on Ukraine’s two biggest cities. In strategic Kharkiv, explosions tore through the region’s Soviet-era administrative building and residential areas on Day 6 of an invasion that has shaken the 21st century world order.

U’PDATE: 02/28 5:05 pm-EST-WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Americans should not be worried about nuclear war, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The President was asked about by a reporter it while attending a White House celebration of Black History Month.

UPDATE: 02/28 4:54 pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian forces are shelling Ukraine’s second-largest city, rocking a residential neighborhood, and closing in on the capital, Kyiv, in a 17-mile convoy of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:57 pm-EST-TORONTO - Canada will be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons systems, upgraded ammunition and is banning all imports of crude oil from Russia.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:32 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union has slapped sanctions on 26 more Russians, including oligarchs, senior officials and an energy insurance company, in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, bringing the total of people targeted to 680.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - International Criminal Court prosecutor to open probe into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

BEREGSURANY, Hungary (AP) - The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine to the eastern edge of the European Union has showed no signs of stopping as they flee Russia’s burgeoning war. The U.N. estimated Monday that more than 500,000 people have already escaped.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:10 pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine - Satellite images show Russian troops are attacking Ukraine on multiple fronts and are advancing on the capital city of Kyiv. On Monday, a convoy consisting of hundreds of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was just 17 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv. The city is home to nearly 3 million residents. The images from Maxar Technologies also captured signs of fighting outside Kyiv, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge.

UPDATE: 02/28 1:13 pm-EST-LONDON (AP) - Shell says it pulling out of Russia as President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine costs the country’s all-important energy industry foreign investment and expertise. Shell announced its intention Monday to exit its joint ventures with Gazprom and related entities, including its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-II liquefied natural gas facility, its 50% stake in the Salym Petroleum Development and the Gydan energy venture. Shell also intends to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

UPDATE: 02/28 11:59 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A top adviser to Ukraine’s president says the first round of talks with Russia about ending the fighting in Ukraine has concluded, and more talks could happen soon.

UPDATE: 02/28 11:45 am-EST-KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) - Ukraine’s leader Zelenskyy applies for Ukraine to join the 27-nation European Union on the 5th day of Russian invasion.

Picture posted to Twitter:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 02/28 10:53 am-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Markets quivered Monday amid worries about how high oil prices will go and how badly the global economy will get hit after the U.S. and allies upped the financial pressure on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Stocks fell, investors herded into gold in search of safety and the Russian ruble tumbled to a record low below a penny at one point.

UPDATE: 02/28 10:18 am-EST-(Reuters) - Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as Western sanctions tightened the screws on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s economy was already reeling on Monday. The rouble plunged as much as 30% to an all-time low, while the central bank doubled its key interest rate to 20%, kept stock markets and derivative markets closed and temporarily banned brokers from selling securities held by foreigners

UPDATE: 02/28 9:54am-EST-LVIV, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday asked the European Union to allow Ukraine to gain membership under a special procedure immediately as it defends itself from invasion by Russian forces.

“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it,” he said in a video speech shared on social media.

UPDATE: 02/28 9:02 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks amid high hopes but low expectations for any diplomatic breakthrough. The talks Monday come after Moscow unleashed the biggest land war in Europe since World War II but met unexpectedly stiff resistance. As outgunned but determined Ukrainian forces slowed the Russian advance and sanctions crippled the Russian economy, the military confirmed that its nuclear forces were on high alert. While that raised the unimaginable specter of nuclear conflict, it was unclear what practical effect it had. A tense calm reigned Monday in Kyiv, explosions and gunfire were heard in embattled cities in eastern Ukraine, and terrified Ukrainian families huddled overnight in shelters, basements or corridors.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 2/27 3:56 pm-EST-Brussels (AP)-The European Union agreed Sunday to close its airspace to Russian airlines, spend hundreds of millions of euros on buying weapons for Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets in its latest response to Russia’s invasion.

In what he described as “a defining moment for European history,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers had greenlighted the unprecedented support for Ukraine and that those actions would take effect within hours.

Kyiv, Ukraine (AP)-President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert Sunday, while Ukraine’s embattled leader agreed to talks with Moscow. Right now, Putin’s troops and tanks are driving deeper into the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office announced that the two sides would meet Monday at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border, where a Russian delegation was waiting Sunday.

(CNN)-Ukraine has filed an application to institute proceedings against Russia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a “dispute … relating to the interpretation, application and fulfillment of the 1948 Convention and Prevention of Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide,” according to an ICJ news release on the filing.

The following was tweeted by Ukraine’s president:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 5:15 pm-EST-(Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s spokesman said on social media on Friday.

“Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace,” spokesman Sergii Nykyforov added.

UPDATE: 5:12 pm-EST-RICHMOND, Va.-Criminal ransomware operators are posting messages on the dark web pledging to launch retaliatory cyberattacks if Russia is attacked.

The ransomware group Conti, which experts say has ties to Russia, said in a note on its dark web site Friday that it would “use all our possible resources to strike back at the critical infrastructures of an enemy.”

Ransomware gangs are mostly Russian-speaking and operate with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries.

In a follow up note, the Conti group stressed it was not an ally of any government and said: “we condemn the ongoing war.”

Major ransomware attacks in the last year, including against the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline, have underscored how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk. The U.S. government has been warning critical infrastructure entities to prepare for possible attacks and to make sure their defenses are up to date.

Non-state hackers have promised to be active in both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The online collective Anonymous recently pledged to conduct cyberattacks to support Ukraine.

UPDATE: 4:06 pm-EST-WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Russian assault on Ukraine was more brutal on Friday with attacks on civilian infrastructure and Kyiv, but Moscow’s forces did not advance as planned and the capital remained firmly in Ukrainian control, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains in Kyiv and he held a “very productive” phone call with President Joe Biden on Friday, the ambassador told reporters.

Russia has deliberately targeted some of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and hospitals, she said, and Ukrainian officials are gathering war crimes evidence to present to the International Criminal Court.

UPDATE: 3:47 pm-EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden plans move to freeze assets of Putin, Russian foreign minister, matching EU sanctions against Russian leadership.

UPDATE: 1:14 pm-EST-Tweet from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 1:06 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - NATO chief says leaders agree to send rapid response troops to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine.

UPDATE: 10:03 pm-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Relief flowed through Wall Street on Friday, even as deadly attacks continued to rage in Ukraine. Stocks rose, oil fell and investors turned away from gold and other traditional havens they favor when fear is high.

UPDATE: 12:12 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union has agreed to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Latvia’s foreign minister. A decision to freeze Putin and Lavrov’s assets indicates that Western powers are moving toward unprecedented measures to try to stop Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine neighbor and a major war in Europe. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgards Rinkevics said in a Tweet on Friday that he and the EU’s other foreign ministers adopted a second sanctions package and “the asset freeze includes President of Russia and its Foreign Minister.”He said the EU plans to prepare another package of sanctions.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 11:33 am-EST-CNN Business is reporting China is relaxing restrictions on imports of Russian wheat. It says the decision to allow imports of wheat from all regions of Russia was made when Russian President Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the Olympics earlier this month. It says the details of the plan were only announced by China’s customs administration this week. Russia is the world’s top producer of wheat. Previously, Beijing had restricted wheat imports from Russia out of concerns about dwarf bunt fungus.

UPDATE: 11:12 am-EST-Concern is growing about exports from the region, specifically fertilizer. Arlan Suderman of StoneX tweeting this:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 11:10 am-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - Council of Europe suspends Russia at Europe’s foremost human rights organization.

UPDATE: 10:15 am EST-John Deere Co. says its offices in Ukraine are now closed. John Deere told WQAD-TV “We are closely monitoring the developments in these countries and are actively assessing the potential impact to our people.” Deere officials report employees in Ukraine were evacuated at the start of the year.

UPDATE: 9:44 am EST-Global farm commodities trader Cargill Inc (CARG.UL) said on Thursday that an ocean vessel it chartered was “hit by a projectile” on the Black Sea, but that the ship remained seaworthy and all crew were safe and accounted for.

The incident occurred offshore from Ukraine on Thursday after Russia launched an invasion of the major grain-producing country where Cargill operates an export terminal.

UPDATE: 9:40 am EST-From Farm Journal’s Jim Wiesemeyer:

WSJ report: U.S. agriculture companies operating in Ukraine are closing offices and shuttering facilities there in response to Russia’s attack. WSJ details:

— Archer Daniels Midland Co. said Thursday that it had stopped operating its facilities in Ukraine, where, a company spokeswoman said, the crop trader and processor employs more than 630 people. ADM’s Ukraine facilities include an oilseed crushing plant in Chornomorsk, a grain terminal in the port of Odessa, six grain silos and a trading office in Kyiv.— Bunge Ltd. closed company offices as well as temporarily suspended operations at processing facilities in two cities in Ukraine, the company said Thursday. Bunge employs more than a thousand workers in Ukraine who operate two processing facilities as well as grain elevators and a grain export terminal in various parts of the country.— CHS Inc., a farm cooperative and major grain shipper and retailer of seeds and chemicals, said it has been drawing down its export activity in Ukraine for the past few weeks. It employs 46 people in the region but doesn’t own port operations in the country.

UPDATE: 8:43am EST-There were several key developments overnight: KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The Kremlin says Russia is ready to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to discuss a non-aligned status for Ukraine. Moscow has demanded Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, and adopt a neutral status. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send the delegation in response to that offer.

Russian troops are bearing down on Ukraine’s capital, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter. The invasion of a democratic country has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. Amid growing casualties from the deadly warfare were increasing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government. It is his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence. The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world’s economy and energy supplies. U.N. officials said they were preparing for millions to flee Ukraine.

Russian military says it has seized strategic airport outside Ukrainian capital; claims it cut Kyiv off from the west.

Pope Francis has made a personal, in-person visit to the Russian Embassy to “express his concern about the war,” in Ukraine. It was an extraordinary, hands-on gesture that came on the same day the Vatican announced he was canceling upcoming events because of an “acute” flareup of knee pain.Usually popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for Francis, as the Vatican head of state, to summon the ambassador to him. For Francis to leave the Vatican and travel a short distance to the Russian embassy to the Holy See outside the Vatican walls was a sign of his anger at Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and his willingness to appeal personally for an end to it.Vatican officials said they knew of no such previous papal initiative.

Twenty million dollars in U.N. humanitarian funds for Ukraine. A raft of new, stronger sanctions against Russia from Japan, Australia, Taiwan and others. And a cascade of condemnation from the highest levels. As Russian bombs and troops pounded Ukraine during the invasion’s first full day, world leaders began to fine-tune a response meant to punish the Russian economy and its leaders, including President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. While there’s an acute awareness that a military intervention isn’t currently feasible, the strength, unity and speed of the financial sanctions - with the striking exception of China, a strong Russian supporter - signal a growing global determination to make Moscow reconsider its attack.

UPDATE: 5:22 pm EST-MOSCOW, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday and gave him an “exhaustive” explanation of the reasons for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said the call took place at Macron’s initiative, and he and Putin agreed to stay in contact.

Macron undertook strenuous diplomacy in recent weeks to try to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine, including holding talks with Putin in the Kremlin.

UPDATE: 5:18 pm EST-President Biden has sent out the following tweet, saying that sanctions imposed on Russia are already having an effect.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 5:11 pm EST- WARSAW (AP)- Some of the first refugees from Ukraine have arrived in European Union member Poland by road and rail.

A scheduled train from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine arrived Thursday afternoon in the Polish town of Przemysl, near Ukraine’s western border, carrying a few hundred passengers.

The passengers of various ages, arriving with bags and backpacks, told The Associated Press they were fleeing war. Some live in Poland and were returning urgently from visits to their homeland.

The chief of Poland’s border guards, Gen. Tomasz Praga, said there was a visible increase in the number of people wanting to cross into Poland.

Officials said Poland has prepared at least eight centers with food, medical care and places to rest.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that “innocent people are being killed” in Ukraine and appealed to the Poles to extend every possible assistance to the Ukrainians who have found themselves in need of help.

UPDATE: 4:31 pm EST-NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. markets stabilized and ended higher Thursday after an early swoon brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Technology stocks, in particular, rebounded strongly, erasing an early drop of 3.4% in the Nasdaq and leaving the tech-focused index up 3.3%. The S&P 500 also came back from an early loss and ended up 1.5%. Oil prices had surged earlier but ended with moderate gains.

UPDATE: 3:44 pm EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine’s health minister: 57 Ukrainians killed as a result of the Russian invasion, 169 more wounded.

UPDATE: 3:00 pm EST-Farm Journal Live-analysis of what has transpired today in Ukraine. AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths hosts a panel discussion with Standard Grain’s Joe Vaclavik and Dan Basse of AgResource Company. See what they had to say about the market moves today and what to watch going forward. Click here .

UPDATE: 2:36 pm EST-Key points from President Biden’s speech:

-President announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russian banks, oligarchs, and high-tech sectors

-Says Putin “chose this war” and that his country will bear the consequences of his actions

-U.S. will be deploying additional forces to Germany to help NATO

-President Biden held off on cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system. It allows the transfers of money from bank to bank around the world

-No sanctions were announced on Russia’s energy sector

UPDATE: 2:25 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - US sanctions Belarusian banks, defense industry, security officials over support for Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 2:01 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden says US deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO in face of Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 1:50 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden: ‘Putin chose this war’ in Ukraine, and he and Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of new sanctions.

UPDATE 1:22 pm EST-President Biden expected to address the nation at any moment. Watch it here .

UPDATE: 12:55 pm EST -KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A presidential adviser says Ukraine has lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site after a fierce battle.

UPDATE: 12:33 pm EST - (Reuters) - Global agricultural commodities trader Bunge Ltd. (BG.N) said Thursday it has shuttered company offices in Ukraine and temporarily suspended operations at two oilseed crushing facilities in Nikolaev and Dnipro following a Russian military invasion.

Bunge employs more than 1,000 people in the country and also owns and operates grain elevators and an export terminal in Ukraine, the company said. It also operates a corn milling plant via a joint venture.

UPDATE: 12:30 pm EST - MOSCOW (AP) - Russia gave its first confirmation that its ground forces have moved into Ukraine, saying troops entered from Crimea.

UPDATE: 11:35 am EST -UNITED NATIONS (AP) - US official: UN Security Council to vote on resolution condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine despite expected veto.

UPDATE 11:18 am EST - From The Associated Press: A senior U.S. defense official says Thursday’s attack by Russia appears to be the first phase in what will likely be a multi-phased, large-scale invasion.

The official said it began around 9:30 p.m. U.S. EST, with land- and sea-based missile launches. The official said that roughly more than 100 missiles, primarily short-range ballistic missiles, but also medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and sea-launched missiles, were launched in the first few hours of the attack.

The official said the Russians are moving on three axes: From Crimea to Kherson, from Belarus toward Kyiv, and from the northeast to Kharkiv.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it’s not clear how many Russian troops are in Ukraine now, and the main targets of the air assault have been barracks, ammunition warehouses and 10 airfields. The official said Russian ground forces began to move into Ukraine from Belarus around 5 a.m. EST.

UPDATE 11:11 am EST - White House tweets photo of President Biden meeting with the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 10:36 am EST- AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths just spoke with Farm Journal Washington Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer about what’s happening in Ukraine, and what to watch for next.

UPDATE 10:26 am EST-Tweet from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE 10:22 am EST-Ukraine’s deputy interior minister Anton Gerashchenko just made the following post on Facebook:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 10:08 am EST- President Biden will address Russia’s attack on Ukraine at 12:30 pm EST. You can watch it live here .

UPDATE: 10:03 am EST- The U.S. government is now on high alert for possible Russian cyberattacks. A senior FBI cyber official is warning businesses and local government they should be vigilant against potential ransomware attacks. In fact, some of the biggest cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure in the past two years have been linked to suspected Russian hackers.

UPDATE: 9:49 am EST- The S&P 500 sank 2% on opening. It’s now down almost 14% from the record high it set in early January. Here’s a look at the big commodity moves happening right now:

March corn:

(Farm Journal)

March soybeans:

(Farm Journal)

March wheat:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 9:38 am EST- A White House official says that President Biden met with the National Security Council this morning in the Situation Room to discuss the situation going on in Ukraine. The President is expected to address the nation this afternoon, during which he is expected to announce “further consequences” the U.S. and its allies will impose on Russia. Click here to read the latest statement from the White House. Markets continue to move. Follow them here .

UPDATE: 9:33 am EST- Dow sinks nearly 800 points following the attack on Ukraine.

UPDATE: 9:21 am EST- Ukraine’s military has now suspended operations at its ports because of the invasion by the Russian military, furthering concerns about the flow of supplies out of the area. Reuters reports that Russia had earlier suspended movement of commercial vessels in the Azov sea until further notice but kept Russian ports in the Black Sea open for navigation.

“The market is still struggling to get a clear picture about the actual military situation on the ground. The ports in the Azov and the Black Sea so far seem not to have been damaged according to the initial shipping agency reports,” one European grain trader told Reuters.

Russia produced 76 million tonnes of wheat last year and is expected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to export 35 million tonnes in the July-June season, 17% of the global total.

UPDATE: 9:11 am EST- The financial and commodity markets reacted strongly to word that Russian President Vladimir Putin had launched military action in Ukraine. Global markets tumbled overnight and U.S. markets pointed toward a sharply lower open. Oil prices jumped by more than $7 per barrel, climbing above $100 a barrel, and futures for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were off by more than 2.5%.

Market benchmarks in Europe and Asia fell as much as 5%.

Meanwhile, commodities such as corn, soybeans and wheat soared. Soybean prices rose above $17. Wheat prices surged past a nine-year high and are now up 20% since the start of the year.

Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter and, together with Ukraine, supplies more than a quarter of the world’s wheat exports. There’s concern about supplies from both countries being disrupted because of military action.

Experts say that, with wheat being a staple element for human and livestock diets, any disruption can have an impact on prices.

Besides reaction from the financial markets to the situation, world reaction has been swift.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia has launched a war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent. Stoltenberg is now calling for a summit of NATO alliance leaders for Friday.

The European Union says it is planning the “strongest, the harshest, package” of sanctions it has ever considered.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the target is the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order, and we will hold President (Vladimir) Putin accountable for that.”

An adviser to Ukraine’s president says about 40 people have been killed so far in the Russian attack on the country. There are reports of airstrikes or shelling on cities and bases in the country, with people in Ukraine attempting to flee by piling into trains and cars.

This is a developing story. Keep watching for updates.

U.S. Commerce Rules Russian UAN Imports Unfair, Opens Door for Tariffs and Even Higher Fertilizer Prices in U.S.

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 15:37:34 GMT

The Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a preliminary determination this week showing urea nitrate from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago is being sold into the U.S. at less than fair value. The determination could open the door for countervailing duties, and in turn, even higher fertilizer prices for U.S. farmers.

The Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) announced countervailing duty (CVD) rates based on their finding.

According to Pro Farmer Washington Correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer, the Federal Register shows the dumping rates for Trinidad and Tobago are 63.08% for Methanol Holdings and for all other firms. And rates for specified Russian entities range from 9.15% to 127.19%, with a rate of 15.48% for all other firms.

The ITC already ruled last summer that UAN imports from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago are hurting domestic fertilizer producers. That allowed the DOC to conduct the most recent investigation.

Facts and Figures

In the report, the Commerce Department said imports from Russia totaled 1,186,295 short tons in 2020 with a value at $137.8 million, with imports of 996,136 short tons from Trinidad and Tobago with a value of $99.7 million.

As a result, Wiesemeyer says, “the Commerce Department will impose cash deposit requirements on imports of UAN from Russia and Trinidad, based on the preliminary rates of dumping. Additional CVD cash deposit requirements are already in place based on Commerce’s previous preliminary finding that Russian UAN imports are unfairly subsidized at rates ranging from 9.66% to 9.84%, and that Trinidadian UAN imports are unfairly subsidized at a rate of 1.83%.”

Higher Fertilizer Prices Ahead?

Fertilizer prices are already posing price pain for farmers looking to lock in inputs for the 2022 season. The latest Purdue University/CME Ag Economy Barometer was just released Tuesday, and it showed a producers expect a sharp decline in income in 2022 compared to 2021, and the driving factor was input prices and availability. The monthly barometer hit the lowest reading since July 2020.

Far from Over

While the preliminary findings are now public, the Commerce Department says the final determination will be delayed and will now be released June 17 with a final determination by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) due Aug. 1.

Fertilizer Prices Just Fell 30% in One Day, Farmers Saw Prices Skyrocket 133% in a Year

Fri, 27 May 2022 17:16:47 GMT

Fertilizer prices, led by CF Industries, fell in Thursday’s trading. Nitrogen prices reportedly plunged 30%, partly due to demand destruction.

According to Bloomberg , the June spot price in Tampa, Florida, for ammonia nitrogen fertilizer settled at $1,000/metric ton, a 30% drop from May’s $1,425/ton.

Southeast Asia and other places are seeing more buyers who are unwilling to pay the record high prices that were seen in April and May, and the cost of ammonia production has declined as European natural gas prices fell in Q2, Green Markets analyst Alexis Maxwell told Bloomberg.

Nitrogen Prices Surged 133% From 2021 to 2022

A recently report by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M University shows higher input prices are having a larger impact on farmers than originally thought. That’s after Texas A&M economists recently found nitrogen prices surged 133% in a year .

The latest report, compiled by Joe Outlaw, Ph.D., and Bart Fischer, Ph.D., co-directors of the AFPC, found

Net cash farm income on the representative feed grain and oilseed farms is projected to decline by an average of $534,000 from 2021 to 2022 across the 25 feed grain and oilseed farms.
Representative wheat farms face an average reduction in net cash farm income of $399,000.
Representative cotton farms face an average reduction in net cash farm income of $716,000.
Rice farms face the largest reduction in net cash farm income per farm at $880,000 and a per acre reduction of $442.

Idaho-East Oregon onion growers contend with inflation

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:21:47 GMT

Inflation has been a challenge for East Oregon and Idaho onion grower-shippers, but they say rising supermarket prices haven’t affected sales of their product.

“The cost of everything has gone up considerably,” said Dallin Klingler, marketing and communications manager for Eagle Eye Produce , Idaho Falls, Idaho.

In some cases, the cost of fertilizer has more than doubled, he said. And fuel, labor and packaging costs are up as well.

“The good thing is that yields are going to be up, so those costs will be spread out more than they were last year,” he said. “But production costs ae still at an all-time high compared to pre-COVID and pre-inflation levels.”

Fob prices have risen, but not enough to counter rising input costs, he said.

Riverfront Produce Co. LLC , Payette, Idaho, also has felt the effects of inflation, said Nick Gomeza, who handles sales.

“Inflation is right up there with all-time highs, and thus costing us more to produce our onion crop,” he said.

Gomeza said he hasn’t yet seen any leveling off of the inflationary trend.

“We are hopeful there are some big-needed changes down the road,” he said.

Wada Farms Marketing Group LLC , Idaho Falls, also is dealing with rising costs.

“Every piece, from the bag to the wineglass label, the staples that close the 3-pound bag, everything is up at least 30%,” said John Vlahandreas, onion sales director.

And it gets worse.

Related: Onion industry leaders, researchers to host National Onion Association Convention

“You can’t get half the [needed inputs] unless you’ve got at least a six- to eight-week advance notice,” he said. “Before, you’d just call the guy, and they’d bring it over.”

The rising minimum wage has affected labor costs, and sometimes it’s a struggle to find people to work, Vlahandreas added.

Labor and fuel are the two major areas of inflation that Nyssa, Ore.-based Snake River Produce Co. LLC faces daily, said CEO Josh Frederick.

The cost of packaging, parts and repairs also increased over the past year along with bank interest rates, he said.

“Idaho Power Co. has increased all industrial electrical [rates] 20%, and that is a huge part of the expense needed for our storage facilities,” he said.

Frederick doesn’t anticipate price cuts anytime soon.

“The country is already in so much debt, and it continues to just increase,” he said. “In order for businesses to survive and farms to continue, we have to pass that increase along in our cost of goods.”

The good news is that higher prices don’t seem to have driven away consumers.

“Sales for us have always remained steady,” Frederick said. “The customers we have and work with understand the cost of farming and packing, and they fight daily to hold the markets needed to cover the cost of goods we pack and ship.”

Without loyal, supportive customers, “it would be hard to survive,” he said.

Consumers didn’t cut back on onion purchases even as prices rose because onions are an everyday staple, said Bailey Meyers, agritourism and marketing manager for Owyhee Produce , Parma, Idaho.

Inflation is affecting consumers too, but “everybody had to eat,” Gomeza said.

“We try and put a supreme product on everyone’s table and move forward with sales,” he said.

Learn: More about onions from PMG

Cost of Production

The New Ag Economy: Why This Downturn is a Structural Shift, Not Just a Cycle

What You Need to Know:

The Evolution of the Cycle

Change Fatigue and Modern Volatility

Global Competitiveness and the Trade Reallocation

The Shift to “Friend-Shoring” and Resilient Supply Chains

The Rise of Generics and Decision Paralysis

AI: The “Undergraduate Intern”

Livestock and the GLP-1 Impact

Financial Stability: Not the 1980s

Strategic Reassessment: Winning at the Bottom

So Is This Ag Cycle Different?

Michigan State University Releases First Cost of Blueberry Production Study

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved after 40 years?

For questions or to read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com), see:

Food Inflation Makes Your Super Bowl Party Cost More

By category here are some key takeaways from their findings:

Chips are only up 1%.

Two popular dips, two different stories.

Go for bulk packaged vegetables

Proteins are more expensive—some showing double digit higher prices

Double dip on cheese, perhaps

Some beverage categories quench your thirst with less inflation

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Taking Up Serpents

The Lizard King

Venom Candy

Curing the Crop

Teardrops in the Rain

The Great Lumber Hustle

Bipartisan effort hopes to freeze H-2A wages

Industry support

4 Keys to Building Land Lease Relationships that Last

1. Find Your Equilibrium

2. Bring Data to the Negotiation Table

3. Ask the Difficult Insurance Questions

4. A Time to Share

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Grower profitability a must when reducing food waste, study says

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BREAKING: Report: China Asked for Russia to Delay Attack on Ukraine Until After Winter Olympics

U.S. Commerce Rules Russian UAN Imports Unfair, Opens Door for Tariffs and Even Higher Fertilizer Prices in U.S.

Facts and Figures

Higher Fertilizer Prices Ahead?

Read More: “Has The Farm Financial Picture Turned Dire? Ag Economy Barometer Reveals Reality of Input Price Pain for 2022"

Far from Over

Fertilizer Prices Just Fell 30% in One Day, Farmers Saw Prices Skyrocket 133% in a Year

Nitrogen Prices Surged 133% From 2021 to 2022

Idaho-East Oregon onion growers contend with inflation