Indiana farmers have increased corn acres by 20 percent, to 6.6 million acres, the largest acreage on record with USDA data going back to 1866. farmers plant more corn than expected American farmers planted more corn this spring than earlier planting intentions reports indicated they would. Ohio increased corn acreage to 4 million acres, a 27 percent increase and the largest planting since 1985. In Indiana, the number of soybean acres dropped by 19 percent and Ohio farmers planted 14...

Staff Reports February 9, 2007 Print Email Staff Reports The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that a mature bull from Alberta was confirmed positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy -- mad cow disease -- as part of its on-farm testing program. Staff Reports February 9, 2007 Print Email Staff Reports The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that a mature bull from Alberta was confirmed positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy -- mad cow disease -- as part of...

The USDA is promoting the premise registration as a means to track the source of food animals, such as cattle, sheep and hogs,should an outbreak of disease occur. Food safety a worthy reason for new rules Health trumps privacy, property concerns of 4-H'ers' parents Even kids have to face the realities of public health. If business wants a tracking program, let business do it and leave small/private farmers, homesteaders, hobbyists, and 4-H/FFA out of it, Registering animals seems to...

The USDA regulates the markets for sugar, milk, and other products with respect to pricing, production, and distribution. The USDA provides up to $30 billion annually in cash subsidies to farmers of corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, wheat, and other commodities. It also funds an array of support activities for farmers including research, loans, and insurance. Most of the USDAs budget is devoted to food welfare activities, including the food stamp and school lunch programs. The USDA operates a...

USDA surprised the trade last week with significantly larger estimated corn planted acreage, and significantly smaller soybean planted acreage, than expected. Importantly, USDA s preliminary estimate of harvested corn acreage increased even more, in percentage terms, than the planted acreage estimate. Before the report s release most analysts expected planted corn acreage to be near, or increase slightly, from USDA s estimate released in late March. Still, it s possible to infer what the...

We want to ensure that our states farmers have access to all of the emergency assistance available to them to help them recover from this agricultural disaster. A designation from USDA would allow farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans that could help them manage losses and plan for next year. State Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens says one of the most immediate and hardest hit areas of production is in the livestock sector, where producers have had to reduce and sell off...