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Stories:
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Solar energy: so hot right now. Although met with some criticism with the rise of potential solar farms taking farmland, there may be ways of double dipping with crops and solar panels. Enter agrivoltaics – the practice of using the same land to grow food and host solar panels.
Room to grow: Solar panels are expected to cover up to 11M acres of the contiguous U.S. by 2050, according to the Department of Energy. And because farmland is typically flat and close to roads and transmission lines, it’ll be prime for wattage collection from the sun.
Warming up: Some experts are saying this will be a helpful way to mitigate climate change and that farmers can make additional income from agrivoltaics.
In places like Longmont, Colorado, farmers and scientists are researching if crops are able to stand the heat or if they have to get out of the kitchen when they’re paired in a field with solar panels. The site has seen veggies like lettuce and chard thrive because the solar panels provide partial shade throughout the day. Tomatoes can take the heat, but they also love the shade thrown.
And a study out of the University of Illinois is showing benefits of grazing sheep around solar panels.
Watts the matter: Regulatory issues are sunning themselves because land with solar panels won’t be classified as agricultural, which means zoning and taxation challenges for agrivoltaics.
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→ Guilty. The former owner of Plainville Livestock Commission in Kansas has been convicted and sentenced to 60 months in prison, after a check kiting and fraud scheme that involved more than $2B in total losses.
→ Hog wild. After 8 years and $100M in federal money to mitigate the problem, feral pigs are still causing about $2.5B of damage each year in the U.S.
→ Rural market gets big check. The USDA is investing almost $1B for rural people and businesses to receive affordable financing and technical help, get help starting a business, and access new economic opportunities.
→ Hurry, please. Almost 60 food and ag groups urged the Senate to confirm U.S. Trade Representative and USDA appointments by the end of 2022, after unanimous "yes" votes by the Ag Committee in September.
→ Survey says… Continued interest rate volatility, lender competition, and weak ag loan demand top the list of ag lenders’ biggest concerns heading into 2023, after 300 were surveyed.
→ Hot potato. Despite volume sales declining from year-ago levels, potato retail dollar sales are up 17.8%, and the price for a pound of potatoes has increased each of the last 5 years.
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Livestock Vets in Short Supply |
"Can we get a doctor in here?"
That was a real question posed by a real dairy cow near Lodi, Wisconsin early last week.
Okay… not really. But with the shortage of rural food animal veterinarians, hearing that in the rotary wouldn’t surprise us.
Survey says! According to a recent report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation, over 500 counties across the country are experiencing a shortage of livestock veterinarians.
According to the report, less than 4% of veterinary school graduates are pursuing livestock-focused practices.
That was a whopping 40% back in the 1980s.
And that shortage is not only putting the health of food animals at stake. It’s also threatening 3.7M livestock jobs across the country.
South Dakota, a state that has four times more cattle than people, can’t replace their veterinarians nearing retirement.
And Kentucky, the eighth-largest cattle-producing state, has only 54 vets that are livestock-specific.
"I’m from the government, and I’m here to help": The feds are even getting involved. Citing the issues in her own state, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith recently noted during a committee hearing: "In Mississippi we have a tremendous shortage [of vets], and across the country, that threatens the long-term viability of our livestock industries."
Taking the bull by the horns, Hyde-Smith plans to help alleviate the problem legislatively—via the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill.
Where this goes: Notably, the report highlights several ideas to help the situation. Let’s hope that stakeholders and policy-makers can get this remedy-show on the road… and fast.
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Innovation has always been at the heart of farming.
Dreaming, inventing, and experimenting with new tools, equipment, and products is what allows farmers to continue improving their operations.
And if there’s any company at the forefront of helping farmers for the future, it’s Beck’s.
That’s exactly why the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States launched its Practical Farm Research (PFR)® program.
With 400 studies across 700+ acres, PFR evaluates hundreds of new management practices and inputs, delivering unbiased agronomic data to help farmers make better decisions and increase profitability.
So, do you want in on all the intel, the know-how, the knowledge…?
Reserve your spot for an upcoming PFR Insight Meeting today.
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The spotlight has been placed on foreign investors in U.S. agricultural land. You may recall all the buzz earlier this year when a buyer from China purchased 300 acres near an Air Force base in North Dakota.
Foreign holdings account for 2.9% (or 37.6M acres) of all privately held agricultural land and 1.7% of all U.S. land.
Can you rank these nations from most to least U.S. land owned?
- Canada
- China
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
Answer at the bottom of the email.
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Tar Spot Sticking Point for Farmers |
What dark disease is keeping farmers up at night? Tar spot, according to a recent survey.
When asked what diseases may impact corn in the Midwest, more than half of the almost 400 surveyed farmers said tar spot. A third of farmers named it first. And 71% of farmers have an elevated concern about the disease because of its rapid spread.
What’s the sticking point? Tar spot has spread like wildfire since it was first discovered in 2015. The disease is caused by a fungus, and often proliferates when conditions are cool and humid—hitting states like Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio the hardest.
In the most severely impacted fields, tar spot can cause losses of up to 60 bushels/acre. It’s characterized by—what else?—black, circular spots on corn leaves, stalks, and husks.
And farmers aren’t certain how to best manage the risk. Their concern is warranted, given crop rotation isn’t always reliable.
The outlook? It’s not all black, thanks to farmers now having more tools to fight the disease. Some have avoided getting stuck with tar spot through improved fungicides and residual.
The seed industry is also studying variety selection’s impact to better arm farmers with information.
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Canada - 32%, Netherlands - 13%, Italy - 7%, United Kingdom - 6%, Germany - 5%, and China - 1%.
You can learn more about foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land here.
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Written & Edited by Sheridan Wimmer, Kevin Cross, Rachel Robinson, Amelia VanLandegen, and Ashley Scoby
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