Jeanette L Lombardo

The seed sector needs to support information that improves farmer adoption of new technologies & limits costs. Complete the CFIA survey before May 1 to have your voice heard. https://ow.ly/qcyH50Rk7up #

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The U.S. trade deficit rose again in February following predictions of a $30 billion agricultural trade imbalance at the start of 2024. While a trade deficit is not inherently good or bad, large deficits can harm the economy and diminish a country’s influence in the global export market. A sizeable deficit such as the United States’ current projection necessitates domestic agricultural producers to seek alternative markets. On behalf of American food and agricultural producers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking for new markets and embarked on a trade mission to India from April 22-25. USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor led the trade mission. ... In the past, the U.S. generally exported more agricultural goods by value than it imported, but a robust increase in demand for imports created a negative trade balance for the past three fiscal years. A trade deficit is the result of a negative trade balance wherein a country imports more goods than it exports, causing investors to seek opportunities in foreign markets. The agricultural trade deficit for 2024 is projected to reach a record of $30.5 billion — an unsustainable decline according to Senators Chuck Grassley, John Thune, John Boozman, and Mike Crapo who wrote a letter urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to expand global markets for American producers. According to the Senators, the sharp decline in U.S. agricultural exports is directly related to an “unambitious” trade strategy that fails to meaningfully expand market access or reduce trade barriers. “While the Biden administration continually refuses to pursue traditional free trade agreements, China, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and others continue to ink trade pacts that diminish American export opportunities and global economic influence,” the letter stated. . . Follow the link to read on: https://lnkd.in/ga3paT7j

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The negative impacts of Corn Belt fertilizer have been noted for some time. However, the issue is perhaps less that the fields are now better drained than they were in the past, but that farmers are still applying far more nitrogen (at least twice what the plants are taking up). It seems the goal should be to start with a better understanding of how much nitrogen is in the soil already before applying any more. And then perhaps apply smaller amounts as the plants need it. This may require more time for the farmer, and produce more GHG emissions for the tractors, but it would be interesting to see what the net GHG emissions would be for another tractor pass vs. less nitrogen use. A more expensive way would be to install a water treatment plant on the Raccoon River and charge a few dollars to each farmer based on their total nitrogen and ammonia inputs each year to cover the costs. This is part of a long list of impacts of Corn Belt production on the Gulf of Mexico. This has been going on far too long and it needs to be fixed.

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The Crop Trust is commissioning a final review of the Seeds for Resilience Project seedbanks. This review will assess progress toward the Crop Trust Performance Targets and examine institutional and financial factors impacting seedbank operations. Learn more & apply: https://buff.ly/3ue68d0 #Seeds4Africa #financialreview #hiring #jobopportunity

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In honor of our Mitigation and Low-Emissions Agriculture this month, we're highlighting several blogs that can help you learn more about the topic. Dig deep into USAID’s approach to Low-Emissions Agriculture and Food Systems or explore how integrated rice-fish farming in Nigeria can help cut emissions. https://lnkd.in/eEK5bYZ2

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What Farms Need to Know About BOI AFBF: 230,000 Farms Affected by Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rules From an article in Progressive Farmer by Chris Clayton Article excerpts: “The American Farm Bureau Federation is warning farmers and other rural businesses about the approaching Jan. 1, 2025, deadline to provide business ownership information to the U.S. Treasury Department. AFBF estimates more than 230,000 farmers are affected by the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) provisions of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Passed in 2021, the CTA requires business ownership interests to file a report with Treasury. The law was created through a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to reduce financial crimes such as tax fraud and money laundering. It was also passed coming out of the pandemic when there was a great deal of fraud -- more than $200 billion -- tied to problems such as Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans.” Link to article: https://lnkd.in/gBee9P6t

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Dairy farmers and their cooperatives face an important vote on milk pricing before the end of the year. USDA recently proposed the most important changes in two decades to how minimum milk prices will be set under Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs). These changes will affect milk prices and dairy farm profitability for years to come. Dairy farmers and their cooperatives will vote on whether to accept the proposed changes once they are finalized in November or to eliminate pricing under FMMOs in their region altogether—there’s no option to continue with the pricing arrangements we have now. PDP joined forces with industry leaders to better understand what these changes mean for all of the stakeholders. Did you miss the workshop? No worries - we have you covered. The recordings from the workshop provide valuable insights about what changes USDA is proposing, why they are proposing them and the likely future impacts on farm milk prices. Dairy economists from UW-Madison and Cornell University with more than 100 collective years of experience analyzing dairy markets policy share insights about the proposed changes and their impacts in different regions of the US. A panel of highly respected industry experts representing producers and processors from around the country shared their perspectives on the proposed changes and how they will shape the industry going forward. Get the recording at: https://lnkd.in/guiS5pyZ

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Weather volatility is an uncontrollable factor that farmers are battling more and more. As dry conditions start to ramp up across the U.S., it's critical to plan ahead to mitigate damage to your herd and land. Learn how to craft a drought management plan for your ranch today from Trust In Beef. https://loom.ly/erSkgis

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➡Funding the startup of a new agriculture operation can be a tall task for any young or beginning producer. Remember the “5 Cs of credit” – a checklist ✔ of factors for young producers to consider when working to start and secure funding for a new agriculture business venture. https://ow.ly/aew050SBNC3

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What Farms Need to Know About BOI AFBF: 230,000 Farms Affected by Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rules From an article in Progressive Farmer by Chris Clayton Article excerpts: "The American Farm Bureau Federation is warning farmers and other rural businesses about the approaching Jan. 1, 2025, deadline to provide business ownership information to the U.S. Treasury Department. AFBF estimates more than 230,000 farmers are affected by the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) provisions of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Passed in 2021, the CTA requires business ownership interests to file a report with Treasury. The law was created through a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to reduce financial crimes such as tax fraud and money laundering. It was also passed coming out of the pandemic when there was a great deal of fraud -- more than $200 billion -- tied to problems such as Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans." Link to article: https://lnkd.in/gBee9P6t

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🧠 Thinking about becoming a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA)? Take a look at the benefits, resources available, the details and specifics on tests, and exam dates for 2025. Learn more: https://ow.ly/V9XC50U5m0s #CertifiedCropAdviser #Agronomy #SustainableFarming #AgroProfessionals #CropAdvisorCertification: https://ow.ly/V9XC50U5m0s

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Young cattle spreads and restocker intentions Matt Dalgleish takes a close look at new indicators the National Young Cattle Indicator (NYCI) and the Online Young Cattle Indicator (OYCI) and what they can tell us. Read article: https://lnkd.in/gfqNbiWh #auctionsplus #aplusnews

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The USDA has announced changes to the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) program beginning with the 2025 crop year, and GreenStone's crop insurance specialists are here to help identify the best coverage options for your crops. 🌱 ECO is an area based, shallow loss coverage that producers can add to their multi-peril policy. "We're excited to see ECO become available on many of our specialty crops," says GreenStone specialty crop insurance manager Cory Blumerick. "The addition of a subsidy increase to 65% for 2025 will make this an effective risk management tool for many of our fruit producers." 🧰 Learn how these changes impact your policy: https://lnkd.in/gHY3Rx-f

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