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A look back at 2022

Here is a review of some of the biggest stories, trends and most interesting farms we covered.

11 Slides

It’s hard to believe the new year is almost here.

For many producers, it will be a year to remember. For others, it will be a year to forget.

The high crop and dairy prices were a welcome sight, but higher-than-ever input costs offset what could have been a very profitable year for producers.

Mother Nature, as always, made it challenging to grow crops. It was drier than normal in many areas and at the wrong time. Overall, crop yields are down this year, and by double-digit percentages in some areas.

New England was hit especially hard with a second year of severe drought in some places. This was another challenge for dairy producers, especially organic producers in the region who are already dealing with a challenging market environment and rising inputs. By early fall, organic dairy farmers were pleading for the federal government to step in and help.

Farm bill listening sessions — in preparation for the next farm bill — kicked off in Michigan earlier this year. There was a lot of other news on the policy front, including New York state approving a final rule to mandate overtime on farms after 40 hours a week; a climate policy bill that includes tens of millions of dollars in funding for local ag projects; and talk of reforming the way milk is priced, and how dairy farmers should get paid through the Federal Milk Marketing Order.

There were plenty of other highlights, and even some lowlights, in 2022. Click on the gallery for a look back at some of the biggest stories, trends and most interesting farms we covered.

About the Author(s)

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

Jennifer Kiel

Editor, Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer

While Jennifer is not a farmer and did not grow up on a farm, "I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone with more appreciation for the people who grow our food and fiber, live the lifestyles and practice the morals that bind many farm families," she says.

Before taking over as editor of Michigan Farmer in 2003, she served three years as the manager of communications and development for the American Farmland Trust Central Great Lakes Regional Office in Michigan and as director of communications with Michigan Agri-Business Association. Previously, she was the communications manager at Michigan Farm Bureau's state headquarters. She also lists 10 years of experience at six different daily and weekly Michigan newspapers on her impressive resume.

Jennifer lives in St. Johns with her two daughters, Elizabeth, 19, and Emily 16.

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