It’s always the same. Food prices rise, grocery bills get bigger, and the media take to their exposes about big, bad agribusiness taking money from the cash-strapped American consumer. But a recent study released by the USDA, may have some reporters rewriting their copy. The report, titled, “A Revised and Expanded Food Dollar Series: A…
On Feb. 17, at least one senior House member suggested that the week’s hearings on the state of the farm economy may have marked the beginning of the 2012 Farm Bill debate. I believe the whole week may have. The week was kicked off with the annual nonevent of the President’s budget submission to the…
The men and women of American agriculture are as diverse as the crops they grow, but they all seem to share one thing in common these days: a general distrust of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Earlier this month, this distrust was on display at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 92nd annual conference. In addition…
Earlier this month, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that U.S. farm exports reached an all-time high of $116 billion in 2010. “Export sales surged…in bulk commodities, which increased 19 percent to $47.2 billion,” he noted. This is great news for America, Vilsack said, because agricultural exports drive economic activity and create jobs. “Every $1 billion…
Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry USDA 2011 Outlook Forum February 24, 2011 Crystal City, VA I’m so proud to represent the Great State of Michigan, where we know how to build things and grow things. Agriculture is incredibly important to Michigan’s economy — I know a lot of…
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City might have well asked, “do you want the good news or the bad news,” prior to releasing two recent white papers about the farm economy. On one hand, the Fed bolstered spirits by noting that agriculture has been in the driver’s seat of America’s recent economic recovery. On…
Those of us in the farming community have long complained that big-city newspaper editorial boards are quick to bash farm policy but rarely print letters submitted in defense of the world’s safest, most affordable, abundant food and fiber supply. In fact, we’ve given an online home to some of these unpublished letters. But farmers are…