2012 Census of Agriculture Reveals New Trends in Farming 

There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agriculture census presents more than 6 million pieces of information, which provide a detailed look at the U.S. farm sector at the national, state and county levels.

"Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what's working and what we can do differently," said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey. "Today, we can start to delve into the details."

Census data provide valuable insight into the U.S. farmer demographics, economics and production practices. Some of the key findings include:

-- Both sales and production expenses reached record highs in 2012. U.S. producers sold $394.6 billion worth of agricultural products, but it cost them $328.9 billion to produce these products

-- Three quarters of all farms had sales of less than $50,000, producing only 3 percent of the total value of farm products sold while those with sales of more than $1 million - 4 percent of all farms - produced 66 percent.

-- Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.

-- Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.

For more of the key trends and a link to the full census report, please click here.   

  You can click on the Map to see the table that breaks down the average size and number of dollars generated per farm based on the 2012 Ag Census.

To Label GMOs or Not- CAST Asks the Questions and Offers Some Answers 

Although genetically engineered (GE) products are used around the world, the issue becomes contentious when they are present in our food. A key part of the resulting debate centers on proposals regarding the mandatory labeling of GE food.

Many states are considering legislation to mandate such labels. CAST Issue Paper 54, The Potential Impacts of Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Engineered Food in the United States, examines arguments for and against labels, the costs involved with labeling, and experiences in countries that use mandatory labeling. Led by Task Force Chair Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, the authors gather factual information to produce a peer-reviewed publication that clarifies the potential impacts of mandatory labeling.

Proponents of mandatory GE labeling cite the right to know what is in their food as an important attribute of a democratic society. Opponents think that such a label will increase the cost of food and confuse consumers with no corresponding improvement in human health or food safety. Seemingly contradictory studies are cited to support opposing views-informed discourse about this emotional issue is hard to find. This paper looks at key aspects of the argument.

Click here for more.

 

Conservation Practices Approved in Five Lesser Prairie-Chicken States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior Friday announced that farmers, ranchers and landowners implementing Farm Service Agency (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practices intended to protect and increase lesser prairie-chicken populations will not be subject to additional regulations as a result of the species' listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that last year, the range-wide population of the lesser prairie-chicken declined to a record low of 17,616 birds, an almost 50 percent reduction from the 2012 population estimate. Producers participating in CRP in lesser prairie-chicken states (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico) are planting native grasses and vegetation that will enhance nesting and brooding habitats, and taking other steps to help restore the declining lesser prairie-chicken population. Friday's announcement provides that producers who voluntarily engage in practices to protect the lesser prairie-chicken will not be subject to additional regulations related to protecting the species.

You will find the rest of this story on our website by clicking here.

 

Seminar Slated to Discuss Aflatoxin Dangers in Oklahoma Corn Crop

An information session discussing the dangers of aflatoxin in Oklahoma's corn crop is scheduled for May 9th. It will be held at the Enid Convention Hall, 301 South Independence from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., immediately following the Lahoma Field Plot Tour.

This information session will provide the latest information on why aflatoxin is detrimental in the long term for Oklahoma producers, and how the USDA is studying new technology for aflatoxin testing at the elevator.

The speakers for the event will be: Dr. Peter J. Cotty, Research Plant Pathologist and Lead Scientist for the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA, David Gibson and Scott Averhoff of the Texas Corn board along with Dr. Carol Jones, Professor and Research Engineer in Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering from Oklahoma State University.

Click here for more details on this seminar.  

RFA to McCarthy: Oil Industry Letter on 2014 RVO is Rife with 'Hypocrisy and Misdirection'

The following is a news release distributed by the Renewable Fuels Association:

The oil industry's recent suggestion that outdated fuel consumption projections should be used to establish 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requirements amounts to "the highest form of hypocrisy and misdirection," according to a letter sent today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).

In a letter sent to EPA last week, the American Petroleum Institute (API) requested that EPA use October 2013 fuel consumption projections-instead of the most current projections-when setting the final 2014 RFS renewable volume obligations (RVOs). Not surprisingly, the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) October 2013 projections forecasted lower fuel consumption than current EIA projections, meaning less renewable fuel blending would be required if EPA adopted the outdated projections.

"Common sense and the principles of good rulemaking dictate that the final RVOs should be based on the latest available fuel consumption projections from EIA," wrote Bob Dinneen, RFA President & CEO, in the letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "Since the inception of the RFS2, EPA has always relied on the most recent EIA projections to set annual RVOs. API has never objected to this-until now."

You can read the rest of this story by clicking here.

 

Clear, Crisp Imagery Helps Farmers Grow and Protect Healthy Crops

In the midst of a busy growing season, farmers need immediate information about crop conditions across their fields. Now, the R7® Tool by WinField has even greater satellite imagery and mapping capabilities, allowing farmers to swiftly detect in-season issues with nutrient deficiencies, pests or disease to help protect yield potential.

Powered by GEOSYS® technology, the R7® Tool is newly enhanced to provide imagery from three times the number of satellite imagery providers it had in 2013, targeting to deliver approximately 3,000 images (up from approximately 700 last year) and up to 20 cloud-free maps per field from April through August (versus an average of 12 maps per field in 2013.) Cloud-free maps are targeted to be delivered through the R7 Tool within 72 hours of satellite acquisition.

An interactive, web-based platform that performs detailed field-by-field analysis, the R7® Tool is the industry's only provider of on-demand, in-season satellite imagery. This bird's-eye view helps farmers identify emerging crop nutrition and agronomic problems, giving them and their local agronomists the best opportunity to find potential solutions that could help optimize return on investment.

Click here to read more.

PEDv at One Year- Seven Million Pigs Dead- and No End in Sight

It's been a year since PEDv was first identified in the U.S. - and as of April 26th - the National Animal Health Laboratory Network has reported 204 out of 779 PEDv tests conducted at nine veterinary diagnostic labs came back positive. The latest tests bring the confirmed PEDv count in the U.S. to 6,226 since last May. Twenty-nine states have at least one confirmed PEDv case - but the American Association of Swine Veterinarians says there have been cases diagnosed in Virginia - which would bring the state count to 30.  

Paragon Economics President Steve Meyer estimates as many as 7-million pigs have died from PEDv - but no firm numbers have been confirmed. This is why retail pork and hog prices have reached new record highs - and could potentially increase more. Meyer says USDA's move to require reporting of PEDv cases is a positive one he wishes they would have taken last summer when it became obvious the disease was rapidly spreading.    

Oklahoma has the fifth most cases reported by USDA- including cases reported before USDA took over the actual counting of positive tests for PEDv- Oklahoma has had over 400 cases of the disease reported- Iowa has had the most cases, followed by Minnesota, North Carolina, Illinois and then Oklahoma.   

In conversations with the general public- one fact needs to be emphasized- PEDV is only an animal health issue, not a food safety issue and people cannot get sick from eating pork.