Industry News | 11-1-2021
‘Build Back Better’ Would Pay Farmers to Plant Cover Crops
House Democrats, acting in concert with President Biden, proposed a $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate change bill on Thursday that would combat global warming by paying farmers up to $25 an acre to grow cover crops on their land during fallow seasons. The bill also would help low-income families buy food for their children during the summer and make nearly 9 million students in high-poverty areas eligible for free school meals.
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Farmers & Ranchers Should Remain Optimistic Heading into 2022
Agricultural producers are certain to face challenges as they plan for 2022, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the U.S. farm and ranch situation as a whole, said Rob Fox, director of Cobank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. Fox discussed his outlook at Oklahoma State University Extension’s 2021 Rural Economic Outlook Conference in October, where he addressed the longer-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shrinking labor force, drought impacts on cattle supplies, packer concentration, poultry profitability, views on policy he has seen in evidence coming out of Washington D.C. and more.
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With 6 in 1 Meats, Western Cattle Producers Aim to Take Beef from Pasture to Plate
A thriving off-the-farm retail meat business in western North Dakota has gained value-added strength by buying into a butcher shop and upgrading it for federal inspection, allowing them to sell beef by the retail cut. Dunn Burgers is based at Killdeer, North Dakota, in Dunn County. Partners Ben Murphy, 41, of Killdeer, and Weston Dvorak, 43, of Manning, North Dakota — lifelong friends — formed the company in 2019.
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How Climate Change May Affect Rain in U.S. Corn Belt
Air humidity is more important than soil moisture in influencing whether it rains in the United States Corn Belt, an agricultural area in the Midwest, stretching from Indiana to Nebraska and responsible for more than 35% of the world's most important grain crop, according to a new study.
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Canola Research in West Texas
West Texas farmers dealing with high-salinity water and limited irrigation need an alternative crop, such as canola, that’s adaptable to harsh conditions. Texas A&M AgriLife research will soon evaluate the potential for canola as an alternative crop amid the region’s marginal water sources and extended periods of dry weather. Canola is valued for a range of applications, including biofuel and a nutritious, heart-healthy vegetable oil for human consumption. Thus, there is a strong need to increase the nation’s canola supply. Canola production would fill demands in biofuel and food supply chains for livestock and humans, according to researchers.
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