INDUSTRY NEWS

Hay inventories stored on farms as of May 1, 2021, were about 12% lower than a year ago, according to the USDA’s Crop Production report, released May 12.

U.S. farm tractor unit sales continue a double-digit growth rate in both the U.S. and Canada, and inventories continue to fall after a strong month of April, according to the latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

Purdue Extension educators surveyed Indiana farmers, farm owners, farm custom operators and professional farm managers regarding custom rates they had either paid or received during the past year.

The USDA has designated more than 370 counties in 12 states as natural disaster areas related to ongoing drought conditions. The designation makes agricultural producers in those and contiguous counties eligible for emergency loans.

As the 2021 planting season is officially underway, many farm inputs and supplies are seeing a shortage. An ag chemistry shortage is impacting those trying to control weeds, but the pinch on products covers much more than crop inputs today.

First incorporated into a farm bill in 1985, the conservation title is what some would consider the original Green New Deal. Its voluntary conservation initiatives give farmers and ranchers flexibility to adopt practices in a market-based approach.