Private exporters sold 464,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China for shipment in the 2019/20 marketing year that began Sept. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday, the latest in a flurry of purchases by the world’s top soy importer. (Reuters)

Jared Kunkle, president of the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau, hoped to start harvest last week on his farm. That was until several inches of rain completely saturated the soil and created a lot of standing water the last official weekend of summer (Sept. 21-22). All the extra moistures makes 2019 one of those years in which farmers just have to roll with the punches. Kunkle shares his strategy for dealing with challenges in this ‘View from the Cab’ special. He hopes to start harvest this week, depending on weather. (FarmWeekNow)

Public health officials for years have urged Americans to limit consumption of red meat and processed meats because of concerns that these foods are linked to heart disease, cancer and other ills. But on Monday, in a remarkable turnabout, an international collaboration of researchers produced a series of analyses concluding that the advice, a bedrock of almost all dietary guidelines, is not backed by good scientific evidence. If there are health benefits from eating less beef and pork, they are small, the researchers concluded. The advantages are so faint that they can be discerned only when looking at large populations,

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Industrial Hemp Council have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to add 10 crop protection products to those applications approved for use on hemp. The groups made the request in rulemaking comments submitted to the agency. EPA requested comments regarding adding hemp to the labels of products registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. (Farm Bureau)

As millions of acres are expected to change hands over the next few years, many Americans are thinking about who the next generation of producers will be. Veterans could step in to fill the need, according to a white paper released by the Center for Rural Affairs. The white paper highlights the needs of America’s next generation of producers, which includes people who served their country and are now pursuing a second career in agriculture. It outlines farm programs specifically targeting beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers, including FSA loan programs and NRCS programs. (Brainerd Dispatch)

Farmers still have plenty of time to decide whether to sign up for Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) – including County Option (CO) or Individual Coverage (IC) – or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) for the 2019 and 2020 program years. The deadline to elect coverage through your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) for any of the 22 covered commodities is March 15, 2020. After the 2019 and 2020 program years, the selection term will go to yearly through 2023, as compared to the 2014 farm bill in which producers were locked into the program for five years. (FarmWeekNow)