food production

Farmers in the Conservation Reserve Program will have an opportunity for a one-time voluntary termination in order to expand production, a brief history of government initiatives to encourage farmers to produce more crops, and the USDA is making $200 million available to create a new meat processing capacity expansion program.

A USDA Crop Progress report has rated half of the country's pasture and range conditions as poor, filling a tractor tank daily now costs some farmers $1,000, twice what it was a year ago, and the USDA addresses baby formula shortages and possible milk substitutes.

Fallout from the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to rattle commodity markets, the USDA cuts yield estimates on U.S. corn, avian influenza continues to impact chickens, turkeys, and other birds, Corn Belt agricultural land values are on the rise, the US Climate Prediction Center reports La Nina conditions are likely again this fall and upcoming winter, and the Russian military has stolen farm equipment from Ukraine that may be useless.

Cold, wet conditions delay corn and soybean planting in the Midwest, drought conditions intensify in the Four Corners, the USDA is projecting that food prices will rise up to 6% this year, satellites detect methane emissions from cows, the EPA issues an emergency waiver that allows summertime sales of gasoline blends with 15 percent ethanol, and the Biden administration proposes a $500 million program to encourage farmers to boost production of wheat, soybeans, rice, and other commodities.

High fertilizer prices cause producers to rethink fertilizer requirements, how drought across the U.S. is affecting the cattle industry, and the conflict in the Ukraine is driving up the price of sunflower seeds and leaving thousands of acres of Ukrainian agricultural land without crops.

Jeff and Bob respond to a listener, who has concerns about GMO food production.

Researchers at the Land Institute, near Salina, Kansas, have worked since 2003 to develop a perennial grain crop that will replace some of the annual…