Graphic of the Week
GRAPHIC: Nearly all cash crops are genetically engineered now
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More than 90 percent of all corn, cotton and soybeans planted in the U.S. are genetically engineered, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.
Opinion
Opinion: Big Meat lets down public…yet again
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JBS SA owned Pilgrim's Pride is the second-largest chicken processor in the United States. But now as it turns out Pilgrims Pride is also more crooked than Lombard Street.
Opinion
Opinion: EPA is wrong to allow dicamba be sprayed this growing season
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We now have an admission of guilt from EPA that it wrongly issued 2018 dicamba registrations for Bayer's XtendiMax herbicide, BASF's Engenia herbicide and Corteva's FeXapan herbicide. New acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff said as much to EPA staffers in an internal e-mail on March 10 that read in part:
Agribusiness
Illinois billionaire Shahid Khan investing in thousands of acres of the state’s farmland
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In recent years, Urbana billionaire Shahid Khan has added to investments by quietly purchasing farmland through a company he owns called Baloo Enterprises LLC. A spokesperson for Khan confirmed earlier this month that Khan has purchased roughly 24,000 acres of farmland in central Illinois.
Opinion
Opinion: USDA was duplicit in passing new pork inspection final rule
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Everybody kept telling us that USDA's new Swine Inspection Service was just dandy. Former USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue literally gushed and fawned over it:
Espanol
Undocumented immigrants qualify for rent relief, but Wisconsin sends mixed signals
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Some regional nonprofits administering Gov. Tony Evers’ $322 million emergency rental assistance program may be unintentionally discouraging non-U.S. citizens from applying — even though immigration status holds no bearing on eligibility for the federally financed program.
Coronavirus
‘We need an emergency plan now’: Housing problems persist for Imperial County farmworkers
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With a history of double-digit unemployment and poor health indicators, Imperial County was among the hardest hit in the state in the early months of COVID-19. Its farmworkers, the backbone of the county’s $4.5 billion agriculture industry, have continued their high-risk work during the pandemic.
Climate Change and Agribusiness
Alpine chicken rancher rejected for fire insurance. He’s not alone in California.
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San Diego County’s nearly $1.8 billion agriculture industry is facing significant risks as fire insurance becomes harder for farmers to get. Insurers are reluctant to offer policies in rural areas where climate change has increased the risk of destructive brush fires.
Graphic of the Week
GRAPHIC: Environmental regulation enforcement varies widely from state to state
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The number of enforcement actions and the size of fines levied against companies for violating environmental protection laws is vastly different from state to state.
Graphic of the Week
GRAPHIC: Seed and fertilizer make up more than half of the operating costs for corn and soybean producers
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Seeds and fertilizers make up 62% of the operating costs to produce corn and 51% of the operating costs to produce soybeans, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.