AG COUNCIL NEWS & INFORMATION BRIEF
August 26, 2024
WASHINGTON AG UPDATE
Democrats Conclude National Convention in Chicago: Last week, Democrats held their national convention in Chicago where they nominated Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz as their candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. Harris was endorsed by the party soon after President Biden decided to withdraw from the race in late July. In early August, Harris named Governor Walz (D-MN) as her running mate. The election is set for November 5th. More...Politico | NBCNews | FoxNews | WashingtonPost | RollCall | Harris Speech | Walz Speech
Ag Council Calls for Farm Bill and Ad-hoc Aid for Farmers: On August 19, the Ag Council submitted letters to members of the Arkansas congressional delegation urging them to take quick action to advance and enact the House Agriculture Committee passed farm bill along with an ad-hoc farmer aid program to help farmers cope with the economic challenges they face this year. High input costs and falling commodity prices are placing severe stress on Arkansas farmers as economists predict widespread net losses for most farmers based on crop budget forecast data for the 2024 crop year. Because the farm bill would only provide help for the 2025 crop year and beyond, the Ag Council is calling for more immediate near-term help to assist farmers in the current farm economy. If no immediate assistance is provided, it's expected that establishing credit for the 2025 crop year will be difficult across much of the country, including Arkansas. More...Ag Council Letter | Narrative Document | Arkansas Farm Bill Letter | Joe Outlaw op-ed | SouthernAgToday
EPA Issues Final Herbicide Strategy: On August 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final herbicide strategy, which is aimed at ensuring compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when registering active ingredients for pesticides. The strategy will require farmers to adopt certain mitigation practices and activities in order to utilize certain pesticides if they are in areas identified as habitat for threatened and endangered species. The final strategy is aimed at ensuring EPA not only protects species but also preserves a wide range of pesticides for farmers and growers. More...EPA Announcement | Herbicide Strategy Document | RFDTV | DTNPF
EPA Issues Draft Strategy for Insecticides for ESA Compliance: On July 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its draft Insecticide Strategy for public comment. The announcement follows previous actions relating to compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including the draft Herbicide Strategy and the Vulnerable Species Pilot project. Like the draft Herbicide Strategy, the draft Insecticide Strategy identifies protections that EPA will consider when it registers a new insecticide or reevaluates an existing one. The draft Insecticide Strategy Framework will be open to public comment for 60 days. More...EPA Announcement | Docket Info | Comment | Agri-Pulse | DTNPF
Progress on Appropriations Remains Slow as New Fiscal Year Nears: The House and Senate remain at odds on spending priorities for the coming fiscal year, which begins October 1. While some progress has been made on spending bills at the committee level and in each body, it appears unlikely that individual spending measures will reach the president's desk prior to the fiscal year deadline or November election. Such inaction leaves the possibility of a government shutdown or continuing resolutions that will keep the government in operation through the election. The number of legislative days in the House and Senate are limited with an August recess and time on the campaign trail in the lead up to the November 5th election. More...Appropriations Tracker | House Approves Interior Environment & Related Agencies Bill | Agri-Pulse
USFWS Issues Duck Number Estimates: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued an updated population report for ducks. According to the report, mallard species have improved their populations while gadwall numbers are down. Wigeons are reported to have the greatest population increase among the species. These numbers are part of the agency's decisions relating to regulating hunting bag limits. More...FWS Migratory Bird Annual Status Report Page | 2024 Report
ARKANSAS AG UPDATE
River Levels & Other Pressures Widen Basis for Farmers: In addition to the decline in commodity futures prices, local cash markets are also creating challenges for Arkansas farmers. Low river levels in the Mississippi River and other transportation challenges and costs are leading to wider basis, which means less money for crops delivered by farmers. The forecast for river levels and basis conditions presents additional challenges as farmers move deeper into harvest. More...Podcast Link | UofA Podcast Homepage | UADA Article
New Climate Smart Grant Opportunities Available for Arkansas Farmers: Arkansas farmers located in Arkansas, Cleveland, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln and St. Francis Counties are eligible for new incentives related to climate smart conservation practices. The program is limited to 160 acres, but the program provides up to $100 per acre. Eligible practices include alternate wetting and drying, row rice, cover crops, and minimum tillage among others. Funding for the program was provided by USDA under the Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) initiative. More...Program Homepage | Application Instructions | Application Page
Development of Arkansas Water Plan Set to Move Forward: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on August 20th that the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), completed the first phase of the Arkansas Water Plan (AWP) update. The first phase was a review of the water plan to determine whether to proceed with a comprehensive update to the state's water plan. Arkansas will proceed with a comprehensive update that will include flood plan updates related to drainage districts and levee districts in addition to addressing statewide water quality and quantity issues. The process is expected ot take several months and include stakeholder meetings across the state. More...Governor's Announcemnet | TalkBusiness | ArkansasOnline
State Income Forecast Revised Downward for 2025: On August 22, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration revised downward its forecasted surplus for fiscal year 2025 from $763.7 million to $280.2 million. The revision comes after factoring in new income taxes enacted during the special session in June. The fiscal year began July 1. More...ArkansasOnline
Ag Council Board of Directors Meeting Focused on Ag Economy: The Ag Council board of directors held its most recent meeting August 15, at the new Northeast Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Harrisburg, AR. The board heard presentations from a range of speakers with a primary focus on the current economy facing farmers and the row crop industry. Representative Rick Crawford provided a farm bill update and spoke to the need for near term aid as well. More...Meeting Summary
Upcoming Meetings and Events:
Northeast Rice Research & Extension Center (NERREC) Grand Openeing August 30 | Additional Information
Arkansas State Plant Board September 5
USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock December 8-10 | Register
Cotton Board/Cotton Inc Joint Meeting San Diego December 10-12
December 12-13 Ag Council Annual Board of Directors Meeting, Little Rock
Additional Arkansas Ag Resources:
USDA Daily Arkansas Grain Bids
DeltaPlastics Push4Pickup App
Crop Residue Field Burning Smoke Management FIRESMART App
Arkansas Farm Bueau AgCast Podcast
USDA AMS Service Rates
Arkansas Department of Ag Calendar
Ag Council Leadership Opportunities
Apply for Service on State Boards & Commissions
USDA NRCS Arkansas Offices
USDA Land Value & Cash Rent Estimates
Arkansas Crops Update
UADA Crop Budgets
UADA Verification Information
Arkansas Row Crop Risk Management
Pine Tree Discoloration & Mortality Reporting
Feral Hog Task Force
Arkansas Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines
Digital Edition of Delta Farm Press
H-2A Guidebook by Congressman Crawford
Enrollment Link: U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
Climate Smart Grant Opportunities Dashboard
Arkansas Alliance Grant Application Information
AgriCapture Carbon Program
Bayer Carbon Program (ForGround)
Indigo Carbon Program
Corteva Carbon Program
Truterra Carbon Program
Nutrien Carbon Program (FarmSmart)
ECONOMIC & INDUSTRY NEWS
August USDA WASDE Report: On August 12, USDA issued a World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) Report and Crop Production Report. The reports showcase supply and demand estimates for major crops and include anticipated production for the 2024 crop year. The data produced in the August report furthered the expectation of a large yield across the United States for most commodities. More...WASDE Report | Secretary Briefing (slides | video) | Visual Summary | U.S. Crop Production Report | Arkansas Crop Production Report
ProFarmer Crop Tour Predicts High Yields: Last week, ProFarmer concluded its annual multi-state crop tour to determine prospective corn and soybean yields across seven states. According to the report, yields are expected to be high throughout the Midwest. The overall ProFarmer estimates project the U.S. corn crop at 14.979 billion bu. using an average yield of 181.1 bu. per acre. They estimate the U.S. soybean crop at 4.740 billion bu. at an average yield of 54.9 bu. per acre. More below...ProFarmer Article | ProFarmer Crop Tour Homepage
August 26 USDA Crop Progress Report: On August 26, USDA issued an updated Crop Progress Report. According to the report, 30 percent of corn was harvested, 23 percent of rice was harvested, and 10 percent of soybeans were harvested. 6 percent of peanuts were dug and 45 percent of cotton was open bolls. As harvest broadened, crop conditions in Arkansas remain solid with a large majority of crops in good to excellent condition, according to the report. More...U.S. Report | Arkansas Report
Other News & Info of Interest:
Pro-Farmer Tour Report Forecasts High Yields | More
Interest Rate Cuts Expected from Fed in September
Arkansas Farmland Values Hold Strong
WWF Continues Push for Specialty Crops in Arkansas
Other USDA Reports:
- Cotton System
- Fats & Oils
- Flour Milling
- Grain Crushings
- Honey Bee Colonies
- County Estimates Cash Rents
- Peanut Prices
- Rice Stocks
- Cotton Ginnings
- Crop Production
Other links of Interest:
USDA Daily Arkansas Grain Bids
8.23.24 Arkansas Rice Update from UADA
Morning Coffee & Ag Markets Podcast from UADA Economists
NCC Weekly Cotton Market Report
DTN Commodity Market Insights
Nutrien Ag Solutions Weather Reports
NCC's Estimated 2023 STAX Payments for Cotton Farmers
UADA Fundamentals of Federal Crop Insurance
FarmJournal ProFarmer Newsletter
Cotton Inc Monthly Economic Newsletter
Cotton Inc 2024 Mid-Year Report to USDA
USA Rice Daily
RiceStuff Podcast Homepage
Entergy Agri Desk
Jarrod Hardke's Arkansas Rice Report
Arkansas-Crops Blog
UADA Ag News Blog
USDA County Cash Rent Estimates
Arkansas Economic Profile: 2023 Pocket Facts - News | USDA Arkansas Ag Economic Overview | Arkansas Ag Census Data | Arkansas Historical Data | Arkansas Farms & Land Report | Arkansas Land Values & Cash Rent Report | Arkansas Farm Labor Report
UofA Crop Updates | UofA Land Grant Research & Extension Service Video
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