Author: Dave Alexander

  • USDA Ag Research Service Listening Sessions

    USDA Ag Research Service Listening Sessions

    The USDA is holding Stakeholder Listening Sessions, October 6–17, 2025.

    The vegetable crop session will be on Oct. 14.

    Every five years, the USDA Agricultural Research Service reviews program accomplishments and develops a new Action Plan to guide future research. Your input is essential to help them identify needs and priorities, ensuring their Action Plan and Commodity-based Roadmaps are effective and responsive.

    All Listening Sessions:

    • October 6 – Ornamentals and Nursery Crops
    • October 7 – Grapes and Small Fruits
    • October 8 – Grain Crops
    • October 9 – Pulses and Oilseeds
    • October 10 – Tropical Crops (Cacao, Coffee, Sugarcane, Tea, Banana)
    • October 14 – Vegetable Crops
    • October 15 – Fiber Crops and Sugar Beet
    • October 16 – Fruit and Nut Trees
    • October 17 – Plant Biosecurity and Emerging Plant Diseases

    Please register by September 29 using this link: Register Here.

    SOURCE: NOA

  • Farmer Sentiment Weakens as Confidence in Future Wanes

    Farmer Sentiment Weakens as Confidence in Future Wanes

    Farmer sentiment dipped for the third straight month in August, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index falling 10 points to 125. Producers expressed markedly less optimism about the future, as reflected in the Index of Future Expectations, which fell 16 points to 123. This marks the lowest reading for the future index since last September.

    Producers’ perspective on current conditions changed little this month, as the Current Conditions Index rose 2 points from July to 129. Sentiment differed widely among producers according to whether their operations focused mainly on crops or livestock.

    Crop producers responded with much less optimism than their livestock counterparts, reflecting the profitability disparity between the two enterprises. Beef cattle operations in particular are experiencing record profitability as the smallest cattle inventory since 1951 has pushed cattle prices to record levels. This stands in sharp contrast to returns for crop production, which have weakened in 2025.

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  • Cost of Summer Cookout Nearly Unchanged from 2024

    Cost of Summer Cookout Nearly Unchanged from 2024

    Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday continue to find high prices at the grocery store, based on the 2025 American Farm Bureau Federation annual marketbasket survey. An Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 guests this year.

    This is down only 30 cents from last year’s record-high cost. At $7.09 per person, 2025 will be the second-highest cost since Farm Bureau began the survey in 2013. The cookout favorites include cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, among other products. While the survey does not include an exhaustive list of Fourth of July options, it serves as a snapshot of prices families are facing this summer.

    “Inflation and lower availability of some food items continue to keep prices stubbornly high for America’s families,” said AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub. “High prices don’t mean more money for farmers, however. Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15%. The cost of running their farm is up, from labor and transportation, to taxes.”

    The marketbasket survey shows an increase in the cost of beef, potato salad and canned pork and beans, while there are drops in the cost of pork chops, chips and hamburger buns.

    The retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef increased 4.4% to $13.33. Pork and beans will cost $2.69, up 20 cents from 2024. Potato salad is up 6.6% to $3.54. Several factors influence these increases, reflecting the sort of challenges farmers regularly face. Fewer cattle are available for processing, which is affecting supplies. Steel and aluminum tariffs mean increased prices on canned goods. The cost of eggs – used in potato salad – is still elevated, although they are much lower than record highs earlier this year as egg-laying chicken populations are recovering from avian influenza.

    Our survey found a reduction in cost for six cookout staples. Among them is a 3-pound package of pork chops, which is down 8.8% from last year, at $14.13. Chips average $4.80 a bag, a dime less than 2024. Hamburger buns are 2.6% less expensive, at $2.35. The amount of pork available to stores is up, which is pushing prices down. The demand for potatoes has eased, helping bring down the cost of chips. Wheat prices are still much lower than record highs of three years ago, contributing to the slight decrease in the cost of buns.

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  • Farmer Sentiment Reaches a Four-Year High in May

    Farmer Sentiment Reaches a Four-Year High in May

    Farmer sentiment improved for the second consecutive month in May, reaching its highest level since May 2021. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 10 points to a reading of 158, up from 148 in April. Both the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations contributed to the increase, with the current conditions index up 5 points to 146 and the future expectations index jumping 12 points to 164. The sentiment boost was driven by a more optimistic outlook on U.S. agricultural exports and a less negative view of how tariffs will impact farm income in 2025. The May barometer survey took place May 12-16.

    A key factor contributing to this month’s climb in farmer sentiment could be linked to a more positive view of the U.S.’s long-run agricultural trade prospects. In May, 52% of producers said they expect agricultural exports to increase over the next five years, surging from 33% in April and the highest percentage of positive responses to this question since November 2020. Meanwhile, 12% of producers said they believe exports will decline, down from 24% the previous month.

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  • ARA Denounces Anti-Science Pesticide Claims in MAHA Report, Warns of Potential Threats to Food Security

    ARA Denounces Anti-Science Pesticide Claims in MAHA Report, Warns of Potential Threats to Food Security

    The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) expressed deep concerns regarding comments on pesticide safety in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report, which was released May 22. While the importance of evaluating agricultural practices is undeniable, the report’s conclusions contradict longstanding scientific research and fail to acknowledge the critical role pesticides play in ensuring food security and public health.

    Pesticides are among the most heavily regulated tools in agriculture, supported by decades of rigorous scientific oversight. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) of 1947, along with its major update through the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) in 1996, introduced stringent regulations, particularly emphasizing the safety of infants and children.

    Further, under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every pesticide undergoes extensive testing for human and environmental safety, with public and scientific scrutiny at every stage. The EPA continuously reevaluates and updates product labels as new data becomes available.

    Hidden in the report is a call for consideration of “actions that further regulate or restrict crop protection tools beyond risk-based and scientific processes set forth by Congress.” In other words, the MAHA Report calls for the United States to abandon its gold standard regulatory system and instead embrace a hazard-based precautionary system that includes non-scientific factors, such as that in the European Union.

    In short, the pesticide testing that the report calls for has already been done by regulators in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. None of them has found a causal carcinogenic link.

    The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations highlights the significant threat pests pose to global agriculture, with annual crop losses ranging between 20 percent and 40 percent. ARA maintains that the MAHA report’s recommendations would undermine—not enhance—America’s health and well-being.

    “Without pesticides, farmers will struggle to control invasive insects and plant diseases, particularly those affecting perishable crops like fruits and vegetables,” says ARA CEO Daren Coppock. “This would result in reduced food availability, diminished quality, increased consumer costs, and heightened food safety risks.”

  • Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Opens New Seed Health Lab in the Netherlands

    Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Opens New Seed Health Lab in the Netherlands

    Syngenta Vegetable Seeds announced today the opening of a new $9 million state-of-the-art Seed Health Lab in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, further bolstering the company’s global quality control capabilities.  The leading vegetable seed company has invested nearly $30 million since 2022 in building a worldwide network of vegetable Seed Health Quality Control labs of excellence in the United States and India, reinforcing Syngenta’s commitment to providing growers with the highest quality seed products.

    The new lab in Enkhuizen represents a significant investment in seed health and technology and is designed to meet the constantly evolving challenges around seed health in global seed production and distribution. The laboratory houses both the seed health new protocols development team as well as the routine seed health team which performs testing related to our main processing facility in the Netherlands.  Seeds tested at this new facility will serve customers all over the world.

    With the capacity to process tens of thousands of tests annually, the facility will play a crucial role in managing seed health risks across Syngenta’s extensive portfolio of 30+ crops produced in 20+ countries and sold in 124 markets worldwide.

    For more information on Syngenta carrot seeds, click HERE.

  • Farmer Sentiment Improves as Long-Term Optimism Outweighs Tariff Concerns

    Farmer Sentiment Improves as Long-Term Optimism Outweighs Tariff Concerns

    Farmer sentiment improved in April as producers expressed more optimism about current and future conditions on their farms. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 8 points to a reading of 148, up from 140 in March. The Index of Current Conditions climbed 9 points to 141, while the Index of Future Expectations increased 8 points to 152. The improvement in sentiment came amidst ongoing tensions with many of U.S. agriculture’s largest trading partners, including Mexico, Canada and China.

    Notably, a majority of producers said they believe the increased use of tariffs will ultimately benefit the U.S. agricultural economy; a view reflected in the stronger future expectations reading.

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  • University of Idaho Grant to Help Farmers Terminated by USDA

    University of Idaho Grant to Help Farmers Terminated by USDA

    The largest grant in University of Idaho’s history, intended to provide payment directly to Idaho producers for developing sustainable agricultural practices, was terminated this week as a result of new criteria implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture. 

    The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) program included nearly $59 million for U of I’s Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership (IAMP) project.  

    USDA recently identified new criteria to evaluate the Climate-Smart grants, referred to as Farmer First policy priorities. The new criteria include a requirement that at least 65% of grant funds must go directly to producers. In the original IAMP proposal, more than 50% of funding was allocated for direct incentive payments to producers, with the rest of the grant, excluding direct administrative costs, intended to provide technical and marketing services to enrolled producers — saving them the cost of contracting those services independently.   

    U of I faculty, staff and graduate students were providing technical support and guidance to producers to collect and analyze data generated by these practices through this program. The data from this project would have helped producers make informed decisions about how these practices would affect their bottom line, reducing the risk to the producers to engage in new practices.  

    USDA is relaunching the former PCSC program as the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Initiative. U of I has the opportunity to resubmit a proposal by June 20, with adjustments to meet the new criteria.  

    As of March, the IAMP project received applications from 201 Idaho producers representing 27 Idaho counties, across seven commodities. Several producers had completed all the paperwork and were enrolled, and others were in the final stages. In a press release announcing the PCSC program cancellation, USDA committed to honoring all eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13. U of I is in contact with its implementing partners and several producers to ensure any eligible expenses incurred prior to this date are reimbursed.  

    “While we are disappointed by the USDA decision to terminate the IAMP grant, we are thankful for the opportunity to resubmit our proposal,” IAMP Co-director Sanford Eigenbrode said. “The objectives of the IAMP project are in line with the expected guidelines from USDA/NRCS and their Farmer First priorities, and we are in a good position to reconfigure the project to meet those guidelines.” 

    SOURCE: UI PRESS RELEASE

  • Farm Bureau Warns Increased Tariffs Threaten the Economic Sustainability of Farmers

    Farm Bureau Warns Increased Tariffs Threaten the Economic Sustainability of Farmers

    American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on President Trump’s announcement that the United States will impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners.

    “Trade is critical to the success of farmers and ranchers across the country. We share the administration’s goal of leveling the playing field with our international partners, but increased tariffs threaten the economic sustainability of farmers who have lost money on most major crops for the past three years.

    “More than 20% of farm income comes from exports, and farmers rely on imports for crucial supplies like fertilizer and specialized tools. Tariffs will drive up the cost of critical supplies, and retaliatory tariffs will make American-grown products more expensive globally. The combination not only threatens farmers’ competitiveness in the short-term, but it may cause long-term damage by leading to losses in market share.

    “We encourage the administration to work toward a swift resolution to trade disagreements to avoid tariffs that put farmers and ranchers in the crosshairs of retaliation, and to pursue strategies that expand market opportunities for the men and women who grow the food every family in America relies on.”

    SOURCE: AMERICAN FARM BUREAU