Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says farmers ought to be eligible for federal compensation for grain lost in flooded bins this spring. At nearly the same time, House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson called for a one-time payment to flooded grain operators. Insurance policies typically cover grain bins and the equipment needed to move the grain.

However, that doesn’t apply to the contents of the grain bins. The USDA says none of the agency’s disaster programs cover stored grain hit by floods. The problem is farmers are storing larger-than-normal amounts of grain because of past bumper crops and an ongoing trade war. “I think we can do a one-time thing to try and help people with that,” Peterson says. What makes the flooding even worse for farmers is grain cannot be sold for food use if it’s been contaminated by flooding because of possible mold and fungal development.

On Capitol Hill, Perdue compared flooded grains in bins to flooded grain fields, saying, “If it was flooded prior to harvest, would we have compensated for it? Yes. Just because it’s in the bin, does that make it different? They haven’t marketed that. I think it’s something we should consider.”

African Swine Fever is continuing to devastate China’s hog population while it disrupts global pork markets and forces U.S. industry stakeholders to work together on prevention efforts. David Williams of Informa Economics and Bill Even, CEO of the National Pork Board, recently gave presentations at the North American Meat Institute’s Meat industry Summit. The trade industry website Meating Place Dot Com says both presentations were very bleak.

“African Swine Fever is the worst possible disease in swine in the world,” Even said during his remarks. “China is home to half the world’s pigs, so preventing ASF in North America is critical. There is no vaccine for ASF. There’s no way to treat it.” Even says the Chinese producers they’ve spoken to describe the disease as a flow of hot, molten lava, moving slowly through their facility but killing everything. ASF has killed 18 percent of China’s herd, which topped 435 million head before the outbreak. That 18 percent is more than the entire U.S. hog population.

The disease is transmitted through sick animals, as well as contaminated feed and casings. Outbreaks are now popping up in Vietnam, Tibet, Cambodia, and South Africa. ASF is not in the United States, nor have any U.S. pigs been affected by the disease to date. It’s a viral disease that only affects pigs, so it’s not a public health threat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The census covers around 6.4 million points of information about America’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The National Ag Statistics Service collected the information that shows both farm numbers and land in farms have continuing small percentage declines since the last census back in 2012.

The average age of all farmers and ranchers continues to rise. Some of the other highlights include the fact that there are 2.04 million farms and ranches in the country. That’s 3.2 percent lower than 2012. The average farm size is 441 acres, up 1.6 percent. American farms and ranches cover 900 million acres, also down 1.6 percent. Average farm income is $43,053. A total of 43 percent of the nation’s farms had a positive net cash farm income in 2017.

Farm expenses are $326 billion, with feed, livestock purchases, hired labor, fertilizer, and cash rents topping the list in 2017. Also in 2017, over 130,000 farms sold products directly to consumers, with sales totaling $2.8 billion.

(MODA) The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service published the latest Census of Agriculture on Thursday. Missouri remains second in the number of farms in the United States with more than 95,000 farms on 27.8 million acres. The data also showcases the state’s unique foothold in agriculture commodity diversity and ability to bring home the next generation of agriculture’s workforce.

“Missouri agriculture has shown incredible progress in producing some of the safest, most abundant food in the world, while maintaining our traditional values,” said Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn. “It’s important that we continue that progress by connecting every last mile to high-speed internet. I truly believe that’s the key to bringing home the next generation, creating greater on-farm efficiency and implementing the latest cutting-edge technology.”

While soybean, corn, cattle, poultry and hog production account for 88 percent of Missouri agricultural sales, specialty crops thrive in the Show Me State as well. Missouri is home several growing agricultural sectors like elderberries, honey production, mushrooms, sheep and goats, among others.

The average age of the Missouri farmer increased by one year to 59.4 years. However, farms specializing in the livestock sectors of hogs, dairy and poultry showed a significantly younger average age. Hog farms are made up of 25 percent young farmers, which is defined as 35 years or less. Data also showed that between 16-20% of producers on dairy, poultry, sheep and goat producers are young farmers.

“If you look back 20 years ago, it’s clear that we are more productive than we’ve ever been in Missouri,” said Bob Garino, Missouri USDA-NASS State Statistician. “Today, there is more corn, soybeans and rice acres harvested and beef cattle raised annually throughout Missouri on fewer operations.”

Connectivity in rural Missouri continues to be a priority of Governor Mike Parson, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and many agriculture groups. The Census data revealed that only 73 percent of farms have access to some form of internet. Missouri farms rely predominately on mobile, DSL and satellite connections to gather, analyze and use their agricultural data.

The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – growing fruit, vegetables or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures. For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity.

For additional details about the 2017 Census of Agriculture, please visit nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.

A group of Midwest lawmakers is leading a new push to modernize locks along inland waterways. A letter from lawmakers representing Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. urges Senate and House appropriators to include funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Restoration Program in the Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bills.

The program, authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, would modernize and expand seven outdated locks and restore ecosystems along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Funding is needed so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can move forward with preconstruction engineering and design for the projects. The letter, led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, says inland and intercoastal waterways and ports are vital to the U.S. economy.

Those waterways serve 38 states throughout the nation as shippers and consumers depend on the ability to move around 600 million tons of cargo valued at $232 billion annually. 73 percent of U.S. agricultural exports were carried on U.S. waterways, as well as 65 percent of imports.

Disaster aid for states hit by flooding is more uncertain as Congress nears recess and ag lawmakers seem at odds over what producers need. Politico reports negotiations to pass a disaster relief package have collapsed just as another storm hits the Midwest and Great Plains, prompting blizzard warnings from Colorado to Minnesota.

Midwest Senators are pushing for a disaster bill that includes $3 billion for flooding in 2019 but, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson told reporters the Midwest doesn’t need billions in disaster aid like farmers in Southern states do. Peterson says the majority of crops or livestock damaged by flooding in Nebraska and Iowa were covered by crop insurance or are eligible for farm bill disaster programs, which isn’t the case for many Southern crops like pecan trees and peaches hit by last year’s hurricanes. Peterson says the only thing not covered in the Midwest is the stored grain that was damaged.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told lawmakers this week USDA can assist in crafting language that would allow those farmers help. However, time to provide immediate assistance is running out as both chambers begin a two-week recess on Friday.