To plant or not to plant? Americans farmers across the nation have had to decide whether the cost of planting outweighs potential remuneration, when yields may dwindle and there just may not be enough days for plants to mature before a hard frost. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that domestic plantings were at 92 percent of farmers’ total intended acreage, the slowest pace in more than 40 years. Last week, the USDA lowered the projected total yield to 13.68 billion bushels (last year’s corn yield was 14.3 billion bushels). And as of Monday, in anticipation of an

House Democrats are proposing to extend dozens of lapsed and expiring tax breaks through the end of 2020, releasing legislation that will mark the beginning of what’s likely to be a monthslong negotiation with Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. The bill, unveiled Tuesday and set for a Ways and Means Committee vote on Thursday, would revive tax breaks that expired at the end of 2017, including incentives for biodiesel production and a tax credit for maintenance work by short-line railroads. (Wall Street Journal)

With African swine fever cutting China’s pig population in half, it may be no longer able to satisfy the nation’s demand for pork, theoretically opening the door for farmers in the United States to fill the void. But in retaliation to the tariffs placed on Chinese imports by US President Donald Trump, pork going to China from the US now faces a 62 per cent levy, essentially making American products too expensive for consumers in China. American pig farmers are estimated to be losing out on US$1 billion in exports as a result of the continued tensions between the two

We’re getting there. Illinois farmers have planted 88 percent of corn and 70 percent of soybeans, according to USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report released Monday. And crops continue to emerge, although later than usual. As of June 16, USDA reported 74 percent of the Illinois corn crop has emerged compared to 51 percent a week ago. About half of soybeans have emerged compared to 25 percent a week ago. (FarmWeekNow)

For the first time in modern history, the world’s population is expected to virtually stop growing by the end of this century, due in large part to falling global fertility rates, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the United Nations. By 2100, the world’s population is projected to reach approximately 10.9 billion, with annual growth of less than 0.1 percent – a steep decline from current levels. Between 1950 and today, the world’s population grew between 1 percent and 2 percent each year, with the number of people rising from 2.5 billion to more than

The European Union joined China and five other World Trade Organization members in criticizing Trump administration’s $16 billion assistance program for U.S. farmers, indicating the bailout may violate international rules. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farmer assistance program could exceed America’s WTO subsidy commitments and unduly influence U.S. planting decisions, according to a document published on the WTO website on June 17. (Bloomberg)