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Bob Bragg

Farm News & Views Host

Bob has been an agricultural educator and farm and ranch management consultant for over 40 years in southwest Colorado. He writes about agricultural issues from his farm near Cortez, and has helped to produce farm reports on KSJD for more than a dozen years.

  • A group of senators is encouraging consideration of a farm bill that provides support for projects that address drought, the Colorado Master Irrigator Program kicks off on January 18th, cattle markets are starting 2024 in a much better position than they were a year ago, and meteorologists predict that we’ve likely reached the peak of the El Nino weather pattern this winter.
  • Recent winter storms bring much-needed moisture to the Four Corners, environmental data show that December 2023 was the warmest December on record, and the ag economy was down in 2023 compared to 2022 (the worst since 2013) which could indicate the ag economy is heading into another farm debt crisis.
  • Farm economists note that farm profits weakened in 2023, farmland prices remain strong, Avian Influenza continues to impact both domestic poultry and wild bird populations, and an alternative way to dispose of your live Christmas tree that serves local birds.
  • The drought that affected much of the country in 2023 is still impacting the beef cattle herd, the U.S. House passes a bill that will allow whole, reduced fat and other milk varieties back into school cafeterias, and the average age of farmworkers in the Great Plains and upper Midwest is rising at a much faster rate than in the rest of the country.
  • Food producers and retailers team up to fund sustainable agricultural practices, the 1976 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act may get revised to address new concerns, a possible grey wolf sighting in northwest Colorado, and the USDA announces grants to help livestock producers implement solutions that balance benefits to land, livestock, and wildlife.
  • Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land has been a popular target for state legislators his year, growing seasons are slowly shifting across the United States, agencies will collaborate to manage the reintroduction of gray wolves on Colorado’s Western Slope, and John Deere moves toward digitizing self-repair for its customers.
  • Data from USDA’s Economic Research Service suggests that net farm income will drop sharply from last year, the Colorado Wolf Restoration Final Plan outlines release locations and constraints, major tractor manufacturers anticipate bringing smaller utility electric tractors to the market, and suggestions for bringing home a pest-free live Christmas tree this year.
  • Pork producers make an attempt to overturn Proposition 12 in California, the U.S. Global Change Research Program releases it's most recent analysis of current trends in global climate change, and the Rural Mainstreet Index reports some concerning trends for the rural economy.
  • A cost breakdown of the typical Thanksgiving meal, some tips on buying a turkey, comparing U.S. food prices to other countries, the Senate approves a one-year Farm Bill extension, and a supply chain problem with half-pint cardboard milk cartons.
  • The USDA declares that 2023’s U.S. corn production was the largest on record, a billion-dollar wind and hail weather disaster hits the southern Plains, farmers remain optimistic despite concerns over input costs, and beef cattle continue to be big business in Colorado and across the country.