Farm real estate markets remained relatively stable in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the Kansas City Fed’s quarterly Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions. In the Federal Reserve Tenth District, including Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming and parts of Missouri and New Mexico, values for all types of farmland declined only three percent from a year ago. Prior to the fourth quarter, farmland values had declined at an annual pace of five to seven percent, but those declines appear to have slowed more recently. The KC Fed says stability in farmland values was due, in part, to fewer sales. For the fifth straight year, a majority of bankers reported a decline in the volume of farmland sold. Looking ahead, a significant number of bankers expect values to remain steady in 2018. The report says fewer bankers expect farm income to decline in coming months, suggesting that economic conditions may continue to stabilize. Still, ongoing demand for financing amid a low income environment and slightly higher interest rates suggests that credit risks in the farm sector will remain a focus for 2018.

Growth Energy says federal data shows a clear and growing need for U.S. biofuels. A federal forecast released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects through 2050 based on current trends and regulations, an 18 percent increase in miles traveled by U.S. motorists in traditional light-duty vehicles. That’s an increase from 2.8 trillion miles in 2017 to 3.3 trillion miles in 2050. EIA also reports retail prices of motor gasoline and diesel fuel are projected to increase from 2018 to 2050, largely because of expected increases in crude oil prices. In response, Growth Energy regulatory affairs vice president Chris Bliley says: “Blending more homegrown, cost-efficient biofuels into the fuel supply is the ready-made solution to lowering prices at the pump while also dramatically reducing emissions.” Fuels like ethanol are currently saving the average American household $142, according to the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Bliley says: “those savings will only grow as the demand for transportation rises in the decades to come.”

Syngenta announced it has acquired FarmShots, Inc., a North Carolina-based innovator of high-resolution satellite imagery that detects plant health by analyzing absorbed light from field images. The service was developed to help farmers, agronomists and retailers quickly and accurately spot field issues caused by planter skips, emergence, insect feeding, poor plant nutrition, crop diseases, weeds, other pests and environmental damage. With this capability, FarmShots enables growers and their trusted advisers to reduce field scouting by as much as 90 percent and help them focus on areas of need. Cloud-based, proprietary software and interfaces developed by FarmShots create high-resolution images, which can be displayed in multiple formats for rapid and accurate indication of field conditions. The system provides flexibility with growers’ secure data and is optimized for use on multiple devices including tablets, laptops and smart phones. FarmShots offers access anytime, anywhere, in an easy-to-use web-based app, and data are exportable into most agricultural software. The service can notify farmers and their trusted advisers, and provide a prescription map for input application or other actions.

A former Obama administration trade official says there is too much left to do before the deadline for the North American Free Trade Agreement talks. Former Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, Darci Vetter, told Agriculture.com the negotiations “have a long way to go.” Noting that some issues don’t have an assigned approach yet by the administration, she says: “There are some technical issues, like the rules of origin, that are really complicated to advance.” Vetter warns the talks could harm trade with Mexico, the top buyer of U.S. corn. Vetter noted that before NAFTA there was little competition for the U.S. as an ag supplier to Mexico. However, she noted that competitors such as Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Brazil, could take part of U.S. exports of corn to Mexico. Adding to the possible delays in getting the trade talks wrapped up on time, Vetter highlighted the fact that Mexico will face elections this year followed by the coming elections of the United States.

Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would exempt farmers from reporting requirements for animal waste emissions. The bill seeks an exemption for farmers and ranchers from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The bill was introduced by Nebraska Republican Deb Fischer and Indiana Democrat Joe Donnelly earlier this week. In a statement, Fischer noted that in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule exempting most livestock operations from the laws’ reporting requirements, but that last April, a federal appeals court ruled EPA did not have the authority to create the exemption for agriculture. Known as the Fair Agriculture Reporting Method, or FARM Act, the legislation will maintain the exemption for certain federally registered pesticides, exempt air emissions from animal waste on a farm from reporting requirements, and provide agriculture producers with greater certainty by reinstating the status quo producers have been operating under since EPA’s 2008 final rule.

Feeding Minds Press is a new chidren’s book venture from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The goal is to bring children accurate knowledge about how their food is grown. The new publisher’s first book will be titled “Right This Very Minute,” and is scheduled for release in January of 2019, just in time for the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention. The foundation’s announcement says “Right This Very Minute” is the perfect book to launch this exciting new project. They call it a great story and it tells kids that every minute of every day, someone, somewhere, is working to bring the food to their table. Julia Recko, director of education outreach with the Farm Bureau Foundation, says they’ve been working every year to find books that support their mission, but it’s really no longer an option. “It’s become more and more difficult to discover books that meet our specific needs,” she says. “We feel this is the next logical step in educational outreach.” Feeding Minds Press intends to regularly publish new books that show how farmers are using technology to better grow crops and livestock. They plan to also accept submissions for new books that bring modern agriculture to life.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s budget for conservation programs in the 2019 fiscal year. “Once again, this administration is calling on American producers to do more with less,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “The President’s budget proposes cuts to almost every area of USDA’s discretionary and mandatory budgets, including nearly $15 billion in cuts to farm bill conservation programs and over a 20 percent reduction to Conservation Operations.” Within the conservation portfolio, the President’s FY19 budget proposes a funding level of $669 million for Conservation Operations, a $200 million cut to the account that funds conservation planning and technical assistance. The budget also requests significant cuts to the Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program within Conservation Operations. The budget includes a legislative proposal to eliminate the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and funding for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). In addition to eliminating these USDA programs, the budget also requests to completely eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Section 319 nonpoint source grant program, which helps address nonpoint pollution from agricultural as well as non-agricultural sources. NACD applauds Congress’ past efforts to support the conservation programs most vital to our nation’s natural resources and calls on Congress to oppose President Trump’s FY19 budget.