Farm News for Monday, February 29, 2016

Crop Insurance Industry Urges Congress to Protect Crop Insurance

A letter sent to the Senate and House Budget Committee’s last week urges lawmakers to protect crop insurance from further cuts. The letter, signed by 58 farm organizations, tells lawmakers an overreliance on savings from the agriculture community in the future will significantly undermine rural economies that have faced an estimated 54 percent decline in net farm income from 2013 to 2015. The groups say “the 2014 Farm Bill is a careful balance of priorities and should not be reopened before its expiration in 2018 to achieve additional budget savings.” Lawmakers avoided a $3 billion cut to crop insurance through a catch-all spending bill late last year after the cuts were approved in an earlier budget agreement. President Obama’s recent budget proposal includes more cuts to the federal crop insurance program, but GOP leaders called the plan at the time “dead on arrival.”

Mexico Could be Top U.S. Corn Exporter

Japan stands to lose the title of top corn export market for the U.S. if current trends hold through the marketing year. DTN reports if that happens, it will be the first time since 1989 that a country other than Japan wore the crown. Corn export sales to Mexico are up 14 percent compared to this time last year, while sales to Japan are down 38 percent, according to USDA. Sales over the past several years are growing to Western Hemisphere countries while sales to Asia are declining. Mexico exported the second most corn from the United States in the 2014-2015 marketing year. However, DTN says Mexico’s possible move into the top buyer slot has as much to do with China's sorghum buying as it does with lower corn prices, growing feed use and favorable logistics.

USDA Offering Assistance to Organic Farmers to Establish Buffer Strips

USDA announced financial assistance for organic farmers with the cost of establishing up to 20,000 acres of new conservation buffers and other practices on and near farms that produce organic crops. The assistance, available through USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, will help tailor existing conservation practices to the needs of organic farmers, according to USDA’s Farm Service Agency. For conservation buffers, funds are available for establishing shrubs and trees, or supporting pollinating species, and can be planted in blocks or strips. Interested organic producers can offer eligible land for enrollment in the initiative at any time. USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced the funds at the Midwest Organics and Sustainable Education Service Conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Friday. Organic farmers can learn more at their local Farm Service Agency office or online at www.fsa.usda.gov

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