Recently added articles from The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter:
Dear client.
Sep 12, 2008 ... As farmers assess their 2008 output ... It's clear the year will be another winner, reaping a record net cash income of over $100 billion, thanks to bumper crops and strong livestock sales. That's 50% better than the 10-year average, with most of the increase going to crop ...
Dear client.
Aug 29, 2008 ... Dear Client: With the farm bill putting a cap on CRP, Conservation Reserve Program, in coming years ... And farm rents trumping CRP payments ... Program acreage will fall 30% by 2012 from a peak of 36.8 million acres in the fall of 2007. The 2008 farm bill ...
Dear Client.
Aug 15, 2008 ... Dear Client: Will farmland values keep rising? You bet. Driven by soaring receipts for corn and other crops, U.S. cropland values overall will jump 10% next year, following average increases of 12% a year since 2003. REAL ESTATE Raking in the highest ...
Dear client.
Aug 01, 2008; ... Dear Client: Nearly as eye-popping as ag market prices ... Are the costs of raising crops and livestock. Both will be in the stratosphere in 2009. [BUSINESS COSTS] Farm cash receipts will keep rolling in ... likely topping $190 billion for crops next year, ...
Dear client.
Jul 18, 2008 ... As global acceptance of ag biotech grows ... Genetic tweaking is going like gangbusters in research centers worldwide, unveiling new crops with better yields, disease resistance and nutrition. Breakthroughs will help ease food shortages as well as produce more fodder ...
Dear client.
Jul 03, 2008 ... Regardless of who's the next president ... Democrat Barack Obama or the GOP's John McCain ... Small farms will be in the catbird seat. ELECTION 2008 Both candidates would boost USDA loans for small and beginning farmers, provide aid in times of disaster ...
States, food industry to pick up slack on food safety.
Jun 20, 2008 ... As consumers fret about food safety ... And the feds remain slow to act ... Look for states to pick up the slack, boosting defenses against foodborne illnesses. The food industry is stepping up, too, to ensure greater food safety for consumers. ...
Still more weather damage to come for U.S. corn and soybeans.(CROPS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Still more weather damage to come for U.S. corn and soybeans. The Midwest's relentless rains and floods are taking a huge toll, preventing the seeding of many acres and flooding fields already planted. Waterlogged and rotting seed and crops will soon face the summer heat, which will hinder ...
For wheat, the end of the phenomenal price rally is not far off.(CROPS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... For wheat, the end of the phenomenal price rally is not far off. The outlook for both U.S. and world production is on the mend, with weather favoring strong harvests in Russia, Ukraine and China. Rains have given U.S. spring wheat a ...
Robust export sales of cotton.(CROPS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Robust export sales will ensure a firm cotton market into 2009. Despite a global economic slowdown and Asia's dip in cotton consumption, U.S. exports in the next year will exceed the U.S. crop, slashing stocks. With farmers switching cotton acreage to more-profitable crops this year, the ...
Barley joins the list of grains with more-digestible phosphorus.(CROPS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Barley joins the list of grains with more-digestible phosphorus, a key nutrient for animals. USDA has created a strain low in phytates, which reduce the digestion of phosphorous. And it curbs water pollution caused by livestock manure ....
Dollar's exchange value one reason for high crop prices.(CROPS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Add the dollar's exchange value to reasons for high crop prices. The buck is used to price crops worldwide. Economists studied the linkage between world prices for rice and the dollar's exchange, using the price of gold as a benchmark (prices of the dollar and gold move inversely). With 59 ...
Bulk grain exports are shifting rapidly to the Pacific Northwest.(SHIPPING)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Bulk grain exports are shifting rapidly to the Pacific Northwest. A sharp tilt in ocean shipping rates favors the move: The spread between average rates for grain and soybeans to Asia from the Northwest vs. those out of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has widened by more than 200% in ...
EPA will pay for solutions to Mississippi River pollution.(CLEAN WATER)
Jun 20, 2008 ... EPA will pay for solutions to Mississippi River pollution that stems from farm runoff: Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers and other pollutants that cut the river's oxygen, expanding the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The agency will provide $4.2 million in 2008 grants to devise ...
Climate change can enhance growth of favored plants, invasive weeds.(WEEDS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Climate change can enhance growth of crops and favored plants. But dang, weeds, too. USDA put two nutsedges ...invasive weeds ... ...
Checklist for controlling factors that drive farm costs.(YOUR FUEL TAB)
Jun 20, 2008 ... With fuel costs continuing to boost farm and ranch expenses ... Keeping track of the little things can help save you money. Here's a short checklist for controlling factors that drive costs: Shift up and throttle down when using field machines and trucks when the ...
Another troublesome strain of whitefly.(PESTS)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Another troublesome strain of whitefly is on the move nationwide. The type Q whitefly, first found in the U.S. four years ago, is already reported in 25 states. Whiteflies ...
Researchers may be able to slow or speed up the growth of rice.(BIOTECH)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Researchers may be able to slow or speed up the growth of rice. They've found a gene, Ghd7, that markedly alters rice development by its presence or absence. The time that rice needs to start blooming is ...
Farmers will soon be able to get more Social Security coverage.(FARM FINANCES)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Farmers will soon be able to get more Social Security coverage. Those with losses or limited farm profits have long been allowed to submit extra self-employment taxes to boost Social Security benefits. For ...
Using a family limited liability firm could cut your estate tax.(FARM FINANCES)
Jun 20, 2008 ... Using a family limited liability firm could cut your estate tax. However, this entity must have a true business role beyond tax savings, says the U.S. Tax Court. Note that IRS has prevailed when tax savings is ...