FSA

Whether it was this year’s late and wet spring over a large portion of the Upper Midwest or the stronger soybean market relative to corn, farmers were apparently convinced that this would be the year to increase their acreage of soybeans.

The North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota Farm Service Agency state offices have extended prevented-planting reporting deadlines to July 15 to coincide with the final acreage reporting date.

WILLMAR — While in recent months Minnesota’s weather has been dominated by wetter- and cooler-than-normal conditions, just the opposite has been true in California. And while we tend to equate California with palm tree-lined streets, mansion-sized homes overlooking the ocean,...

WILLMAR — In an effort to enhance biosecurity and the health of the U.S. swine herd, but still allow the movement of pigs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued an order that will require mandatory reporting of all herds diagnosed with the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus...

WILLMAR — According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest quarterly hogs and pigs report, as of March 1, there were 62.9 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, the lowest inventory since 2007. Of the total inventory, 57 million were market hogs and 5.85 million were slated...

WILLMAR — Several years of high grain prices have given farmers an added financial incentive to increase crop production. Two primary means of increasing production are to devote more acres to crop production, or increase the yields on the acres already producing crops.

WILLMAR — The latest farm income forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms what farmers and lenders have already discovered — that it will be strikingly more difficult to assure that the income side of the balance sheet at the end of the year will be sufficient...

WILLMAR — Despite all of the attention being given to the negative impacts that climate change may have on agriculture and agricultural production, recent research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that when it comes to potatoes, climate change may actually...

WILLMAR — When the House and Senate negotiators released the long-awaited farm bill agreement, officially titled the Agricultural Act of 2014, it contained 959 pages. But even that number will pale in comparison to the pages of regulations and procedural manuals that will need to...

WILLMAR — Our nation’s hog producers are being encouraged to follow strict biosecurity measures to control a deadly and highly contagious pig virus called porcupine epidemic diarrhea, commonly referred to as PED.

On Jan. 17, 2012, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a new program for Minnesota farmers designed to increase the voluntary adoption of conservation practices...

WILLMAR — Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that it would provide $203 million in funds to help finance 74 water and infrastructure projects in 40 states, including projects in four rural Minnesota communities.

WILLMAR — According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income and expense forecast, total farm production expenses are projected to reach another nominal and inflation-adjusted record high of $352 billion in 2013. However, the expected rise in expenses is less...