Farm Progress

Catch up on ag labor reform, carbon credit payments, Ukraine’s wheat harvest and more!

Rachel Schutte, Content Producer

December 16, 2022

2 Min Read
Collage with corn harvest, capitol building and angus beef cattle

Did you miss some news this week? Read on – we’ve made it easy to catch up! Here’s a collection of the top headlines in agriculture.

Senator calls for H-2A reform

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet is calling on senate to pass the Affordable and Secure Food Act before the year-end recess to reform the H-2A visa program. He says his bill is desperately needed to reduce food prices and secure the nation’s food supply. The Act would provide a new pathway for migrants to earn legal status. – Farm Progress

Managing for tar spot in 2023

Managing tar spot for the next growing season boils down to hybrid selection, scouting, and effective herbicides. While there is no true resistance to tar spot, hybrids have different levels of susceptibility to the disease. Be sure to talk with your seed dealer to understand what their tar spot resistance rating scale means before making final hybrid decisions – the scales vary greatly between brands. – Indiana Prairie Farmer

Thank scientists for nutritious holiday foods

In grocery stores across the country, people will fill their holiday shopping carts with delicious, nutritious foods developed breeders at land-grant universities. From protein-packed rice and longer-lasting potatoes to domestically grown vanilla and a better-tasting blackberry, plant breeders are improving food quality. Learn more about recent advancements! – Southwest Farm Press

Satellite images look at Ukraine harvest

NASA’s satellite-based Harvest program is revealing new details about Ukraine’s wheat harvest. NASA data shows farmers harvested 26.6 million tons of wheat in 2022, several million tons higher than expected in leading forecasts. However, Ukraine does not have access to 22% of that wheat in the eastern part of the country because of the war. – Michigan Farm Bureau

USDA unveils Climate-Smart Commodities program funding

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the Biden administration will allocate $325 million to 71 projects as part of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. The programs will be spread across all 50 states, and all commodities will be represented. This second round of funding targets smaller projects intended to benefit small and underserved products. – Farm Progress

Union votes to strike at JBS Denver plant

Approximately 200 United Food and Commercial Workers at the JBS-owned Denver Processing meat plant voted Dec. 10 to strike in protest of “the company’s continued unfair labor practices.” Negotiations began on Sept. 10, but the parties have failed to come to an agreement. The plant processes both beef and pork. – BEEF

Farmers receive carbon credit payments

Indigo Ag issued the second set of payments to farmers through its carbon program, totaling more than $3.7 million. Nearly 450 farmers received payments for producing carbon credits during the 2021 crop year. The company plans to issue the second set of carbon credits to buyers in the first half of 2023. At least 75% of the average buyer price for each credit goes back to the farmers producing the credits. – Farm Progress

About the Author(s)

Rachel Schutte

Content Producer, Farm Futures

Rachel grew up in central Wisconsin and earned a B.S. in soil and crop science from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. Before joining the Farm Futures team, Rachel spent time in the field as an agronomist before transitioning to the world of marketing and communications. She now resides in northeast Iowa where she enjoys raising bottle calves and farming corn and soybeans alongside her husband and his family.

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