Deep cuts to agricultural budget from 2013

Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, released a proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2013. If this bill is enacted the plan would cut spending to the agriculture sector in the United States by US$30 billion (€22.622 billion) over the next decade and that would mean that future farm bills would have to adhere to the limits imposed by this cut.

This proposed cut to the budget is to protect the future and help reverse the financial turmoil of the past few years. “Chairman Ryan's proposed budget demonstrates that House Republicans are willing to lead and make the difficult decisions necessary to tackle our debt and deficit crisis,” said Oklahoma Rep. Frank Lucas, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, in a statement. While Lucas doesn’t “support every detail and proposed cut … writing and passing a budget is the most basic function of governing and requires leadership and political courage.” Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publisher. To get your copy of 'PPLAPP' click here.

Wildfires in Texas causes $100 million in agricultural losses

Texas wildfires has hit the agricultural community hard with over US$100 million (€72.632 million). Over 3.75 million acres has been burned with 2649 homes lost to the fire homes, 10 lives lost, the number of livestock lost is unknown as records for livestock losses are not well kept. More than 5,800 miles of fences have been lost too. The prolonged drought that affected Texas was a key factor in the wildfire. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Ethanol critics forcing votes on subsidies

The ethanol industry faces a pair of critical test votes in the Senate. Sen Tom Coburn, R-Okla, has forced a vote next Tuesday on ending the industry’s 45 cent per gallon subsidy, and Sen John McCain, R-Ariz, is proposing to bar the Obama administration from funding the installation of ethanol pumps at rural service stations.

“Eliminating the ethanol tax earmark and tariff would be an important step toward tackling our unsustainable debt and deficits,” said Coburn spokesman John Hart. The 45-cent subsidy already due to expire at the end of the year. Even if Coburn’s amendment doesn’t become law, it will put senators on record on the issue. Sen Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., has proposed an industry-backed plan to extend the subsidy beyond this year but slash the rate and eventually eliminate it entirely unless oil prices fall. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Wheat damage claims may signal worse harvest than forecast

Wheat crops in the US Great Plains are showing signs that production may plunge more than the government forecast last week as hot weather and a lack of rain erode plant quality and force farmers to harvest early. As of May 15, US winter-wheat was in the worst condition since 1996, with 44 percent of fields rated poor or very poor by the government.

The National Weather Service estimates rainfall in the past two months was less than half of normal in much of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, where insurance adjuster David Reed said he’s had 300 farmer claims for drought damage in his area this season, already 10 times more than last year. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Weather 'hurdles' ahead

Surprise thunderstorms overnight in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles are coming far too late to help out the wheat crop in that area, but are certainly going to help conditions in regards to summer row-crop planting. Not everyone in that area is getting these rains, but those locations that are under the strongest thunderstorms are getting over an inch. Look for that activity to end by mid-morning and dry weather will be seen in that area for the rest of the five-day forecast.

The rest of the hard-red winter wheat belt has rain chances for today and in some areas tomorrow, and chances are good that a lot of this will be quite severe in nature. Rains this morning in the Corn Belt are mainly in the west, and this activity marks the start of what will be an active period of weather that will last through at least the end of the weekend (or even into Monday in the east). Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers