NATIONAL AG NEWS SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
National Ag News for August 11, 2022
Consumer Price Index: Inflation Continues for Food Prices
The latest Consumer Price Index released Wednesday shows a continued increase in the cost of food in the United States. The food index increased 1.1 percent in July, the seventh consecutive monthly increase of 0.9 percent or more. The food at home index rose 1.3 percent in July as all six major grocery store food group indexes increased. The index for nonalcoholic beverages rose the most, up 2.3 percent, as the index for coffee rose 3.5 percent. The index for other food at home rose 1.8 percent, as did the index for cereals and bakery products. The index for dairy products increased 1.7 percent, and the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.5 percent in July after declining in June. The index for fruits and vegetables also increased 0.5 percent over the month. The overall Consumer Price Index was unchanged in July after rising 1.3 percent in June, and the gasoline index fell 7.7 percent in July.
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Ukraine Reports 2.66 Million Metric tons of Ag Exports in July
Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy reports the country exported 2.66 million metric tons of grains and oilseeds in July 2022, 22.7 percent more than June. Exports of wheat increased more than three times in July to about 412,000 tons compared to 138,400 tons that were shipped for export in June. At the same time, this is significantly less than the 960,000 tons of wheat exported from Ukraine in July 2021 through the working seaports of the country, but the impact of the new crop is noticeable. Ukraine shipped 183,000 tons of barley, higher than the 26,000 tons of barley exported a month earlier. However, this is less than the 1.1 million tons of barley shipped in July last year. Corn exports increased in July by 84.7 thousand tons compared to June and amounted to 1.1 million tons. For comparison, in July 2021, corn exports were at the level of 960,000 tons, because traditionally, at this time, the Ukrainian corn season was coming to an end.
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Growth in Number of Farmers Markets Slows
New data released Wednesday from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows the growth in the number of farmers markets is slowing. According to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, from 1994 to 2019, the number of farmers markets rose from 1,755 to 8,771 in 2019, averaging growth of nearly seven percent per year. Expansion began to slow in 2011 before eventually falling below a one-percent per year increase between 2016 and 2017. Since then, growth in the number of farmers markets has remained modest and stable. A USDA ERS report found that shares of local food sales have increased at intermediate market outlets, such as grocery stores, restaurants, and distributors. Increased availability of local products at these outlets corresponds with a plateau in purchases at direct-to-consumer outlets such as farmers markets and contributes to the observed slower growth relative to the prior two decades. According to the 2019 National Farmers Market Manager Survey, about two-thirds of farmers market vendors reported an increase in overall production.
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USDA Invests Nearly $8M to Improve Dietary Health and Nutrition Security
The Department of Agriculture Wednesday announced the availability of nearly $8 million to support the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Produce Prescription Program. The funding is part of USDA’s American Rescue Plan efforts and will be administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. GusNIP Produce Prescription projects provide financial and non-financial incentives to income-eligible individuals and families to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables to improve dietary health through increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. By bringing together stakeholders from various parts of the food and health care systems, GusNIP projects foster understanding to improve the health and nutritional status of participating households and use data to identify and improve best practices on a broad scale. The awards fund GusNIP Produce Prescription meritorious applications from fiscal year 2021 that were highly ranked but could not be funded at the time due to budget constraints. Seventeen projects are being funded.
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Pro Farmer Crop Tour Upcoming
Pro Farmer scouts will fan out across the Corn Belt to measure this year’s corn and soybean yield potential during the 30th annual Pro Farmer Crop Tour, set for August 22-25. The tour is an August ritual covering seven Midwestern states and capturing the attention of the industry and media. Observations and results will be shared nightly at in-person events throughout the tour routes and live-streamed online. Registration is required to attend nightly meetings and to access live-streamed results each night. Pro Farmer Crop Tour is the most thorough and most followed inspection of yield potential during a critical time in the growing season. Crop industry stakeholders watch results closely for insights around projected grain supplies and the effects on commodity markets. Farmer-scouts and industry experts will cover corn and soybean fields across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota during Crop Tour. Interested participants can register for the crop tour online at profarmer.com/register.
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CHS Foundation to award Grants to Teachers for Agriculture Projects
For 75 years, the CHS Foundation has helped develop the next generation of ag leaders for lifelong success. In honor of the milestone, the foundation is awarding $75,000 in grants for K-12 teachers to implement a project at their school that will engage students in experiential agricultural education. Funds will be awarded for projects that have a strong tie to agriculture and demonstrate how they will engage students in agricultural topics. Teachers are encouraged to dream big, but ideas include implementing a new ag class or pathway or purchasing agriculture equipment for hands-on learning. Written and video submissions will be accepted until October 1, 2022. First place will be awarded $20,000, second place will receive $15,000, and third place will receive $10,000. An additional 12 finalists will be selected, and each receive $2,500. The initiative is open to any K-12 educators in a CHS trade territory. For more information about the program, visit chsfoundation.org.
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