INDUSTRY NEWS

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced on May 1 changes to the forage seeding and forage production crop insurance programs starting with the 2021 crop year.

Unit sales of agricultural tractors and self-propelled combines in March 2020 fell across the board in the U.S. and Canada, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

A number of organizations have been warning that COVID-19 infections could not only be more common but also impact rural areas more than large metropolitan centers.

There’s still plenty of time and weather to impact 2020 cropping plans, but U.S. producers intend to increase acreage devoted to hay this year, according to the USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, released March 31.

Many contracts include a provision called “force majeure” (fancy term for superior force). Force majeure means unforeseeable circumstances that prevent a party from fulfilling its contractual obligations.

According to the Department of Homeland Security announcement, agriculture is included as one of 16 essential businesses in the U.S.