Ag Appropriations Bill Includes Funding for Regional Priorities
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the ag spending bill for the 2022 fiscal year. This bill maintains support for crop insurance and adds more than $7 billion in disaster assistance. There’s a significant increase in research funding, including specialized research for sugarbeets, canola and pulse crops. More money was put into the Agricultural Marketing […]
A Possible PPP Extension
President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation to extend the deadline for enrollment in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from March 31 to May 31. At this point, only four percent of PPP loan funding has gone to the agriculture industry. Farmers and ranchers can use PPP funds for such things as payroll, land […]
FAPRI: Lower Government Payments and High Input Costs Impact Income
This year’s farm income will likely be down from what was seen in 2020. However, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri expects this year’s net farm income to be much higher than what it was from 2015-to-2019. Net farm income is forecast to come in at $112 billion for […]
Farm Credit Conditions Improve
There was a dramatic improvement in farm credit conditions for the Upper Midwest region in the final three months of 2020. More than three-quarters of the agricultural lenders surveyed in the fourth quarter by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported an increase in farm incomes. Just under half of the lenders said loan repayment […]
Governor Walz Releases 2022-23 Biennium Budget
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz released a $52 billion budget proposal for the 2022-23 biennium. The proposal would raise taxes for corporations and the wealthy. It emphasizes small business support because of the coronavirus and provides an increase in the general fund for education. The Minnesota Agriculture Department’s budget proposal has a three-percent (about $4 million) […]
An Exception for H-2A and B Workers with Visas
President Joe Biden’s has issued an Executive Order banning travel from South Africa. Despite this COVID travel ban, the State Department is making an exception for South African workers with H-2A and H-2B visas. This applies to food and agriculture workers. Approximately 5,000 H-2A workers are from South Africa.
Assistance Available for MN Agriculture
The coronavirus pandemic caused major hiccups in the food supply chain earlier in the year, particularly when it came processing and transportation of ag commodities. That’s why nearly $7.7 million of CARES Act funding is now available agricultural producers and meat processors impacted by the COVID-19. Over $4 million is available for hog farmers and […]
President Trump Pledges Support for Agriculture
President Donald Trump went on-air and online to show his support for farmers Thursday. Comments were made during the White House news briefing on coronavirus. “We have money going out to our farmers in the pretty near future,” said Trump. “Farmers got hurt very badly by all of this; we’re going to be helping out […]
Walz Signs Executive Order to Help MN Agriculture
Governor Tim Walz today signed Executive Order 20-27 to lift hours of service requirements for truck drivers transporting livestock feed or fertilizer, in order to support Minnesota’s agriculture community while they work to keep Minnesotans fed during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the ongoing spread of COVID-19 there are heightened concerns within the agricultural industry […]
President Trump Signs $2 Trillion Stimulus Package
The U.S. House approved a $2 trillion stimulus package on Friday that passed the Senate earlier in the week. Hours later, the package gained President Donald Trump’s signature, as coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S. The legislation stands as the largest emergency aid package in U.S. history, featuring $350 billion in Small Business Administration […]
