From agupdate.com:

Ever wish you could freeze time? We each have a moment that is branded in our minds for eternity. If only we could capture that memory and share it with others.

Jared Schlipf is replicating these special memories for people in the livestock industry with hand-carved livestock replicas. A third-generation livestock showman and producer himself, this native of rural Illinois is gaining attention from livestock show families, breeders, ranchers and show sponsors nationwide.

Jared Schlipf Design memorializes a specific animal or a point in time through tangible artwork. The tagline “we’re replicating memories” says it all.

His models are perfect miniatures of the real animal. A Hampshire hog seemingly struts with the white and gray band encircling his black torso, ears erect as if he were commanding the show ring. The muscular definition of a market wether goat is precisely etched, with even the direction of the hair on his legs evident. Every detail of a Hereford steer is intricately carved, from the swirl in his red and white coat to the split in his ear just left of the lime green ear tag.

Realism and perfectionism are trademarks of Schlipf’s work.

“Everything is done by hand, shaping to fit the structure and contour lines of that specific animal,” he said.

Typically measuring 7 inches tall, the replicas begin as a single block of wood. Schlipf follows a photograph of the animal to duplicate the profile onto the block before he begins cutting and carving.

Schlipf has raised, showed and judged multiple animal species. All of his experiences in the livestock industry contribute to his thorough knowledge of breed and structure, allowing him to accurately execute every detail of an animal while carving.

From farmprogress.com:

This week USDA officials announced the agency’s Foreign Agricultural Service will award more than $230 million in funding to nearly 70 agricultural organizations. The money will be used to support market expansion efforts. It will be distributed through the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program.

Around $174 million will be distributed by the Market Access Program to 68 nonprofits and cooperatives. Those groups will use the funds for brand and customer promotion initiatives in fiscal year 2024. Cotton Council International will receive the largest allocation at nearly $14.8 million. The U.S. Meat Export Federation and the Food Export Association of the Midwest USDA will receive $12.8 and $10.1 million respectively.

On the other end of the scale, the National Industrial Hemp Council. Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council. California Olive Committee, American Feed Industry Association and Mohair Council of America will each receive allocations totaling between $134,000 and $202,000.

From farmprogess.com:

Farmers across Minnesota are implementing conservation practices to protect their land and the environment around them for future generations.

Some of these farmers were recently honored for their efforts by being named finalists for the state’s 2023 Outstanding Conservationist Award. Randy Hinze of Pine City, Minn., is the finalist from Northeast Area 2 and was named as the state’s outstanding conservationist.

The award program recognizes farm families, individuals, conservation organizations and other groups for their accomplishments in implementing conservation practices and improving Minnesota’s natural resources. The program is sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, with support from The Farmer magazine.

Following are the area finalists who were honored at the 87th MASWCD annual meeting during an awards luncheon Dec. 13 in Bloomington, Minn.

From farmprogress.com:

Randy Hinze doesn’t feel as though he is doing anything differently than other farmers, but his efforts earned him the honor of being named 2023 state outstanding conservationist by the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Hinze was announced as the winner during an awards luncheon at the 87th annual meeting of the MASWCD Dec. 13 in Bloomington. The award program recognizes farm families, individuals, conservation organizations and other groups for their accomplishments in implementing conservation practices and improving Minnesota’s natural resources. The program is sponsored by MASWCD, with support from The Farmer magazine.

“It’s quite an honor,” says Hinze, Pine City, who was nominated by the Pine SWCD. “Everybody works hard at doing a good job out there, but it’s nice to be recognized.” Hinze represented Northeast Area 3 as one of eight finalists.

Each regional finalist was showcased in a presentation during the luncheon, prior to Hinze’s crowning moment. After seeing the competition, Hinze’s wife, Pam, was even more amazed when her husband was announced as the winner.

From farmprogress.com:

Will the luck of the Irish shine down on Congress in March? Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., hopes so, as this is when he plans to finally get a new farm bill on the House floor.

Speaking at the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show, Thompson said March is the soonest he will be able to get a new farm bill on the floor, as at least three weeks are needed to get it from his desk to the House Agriculture Committee and then to the House floor. Thompson is chairman of the House Ag Committee.

“And so that’s what I proposed to the speaker. He was supportive,” he said after a 90-minute listening session during the opening day of the farm show.

The current farm bill, which was scheduled to run out late last year, was extended to Sept. 30 of this year as part of a budget extension package. One big issue that could be a sticking point for negotiations is money from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, almost $20 billion, that was originally set aside for climate-smart ag practices through existing USDA programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and others.

From farmprogress.com:

The outlook of financial conditions for agriculture is intended to address the challenges and opportunities that likely lie ahead. However, any attempt at clarity for 2024 must begin with a review of the financial environment that prevailed during the past couple of years.  

It would be difficult to find any businessperson, agricultural or otherwise, who hasn’t seen their financial situation impacted by the steady increase in interest rates. As of December 2023, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates 11 times since the beginning of 2022, raising the Federal Funds Rate from essentially zero to 5.5%. This pace of interest rate increases hasn’t been witnessed since the early 1980s. Justification for these monetary policy moves is based largely on attempts to slow red-hot inflation that reared its ugly head in several different forms (demand-pull, cost-push, and wage-price spiral). Each type of inflation naturally emanated from the policy measures used to combat the global pandemic and stabilize a crippled economy. 

From farmprogress.com:

The status of the general U.S. economy plays an important role in the outlook for the agricultural industry. Trends in economic growth and consumer demand influence commodity prices. Interest rates, inflation, and labor markets impact production costs. Agricultural producers face a great deal of uncertainty in any economic environment. 

For a while, inflation has been the dominant economic topic. At the close of 2023, there was some indication of easing inflation. Expectations were centered around a Consumer Price Index (CPI) that had leveled to around 3% annually, compared to a high of 9% in mid-2022. When inflation started heating up in 2021, we heard much about rising prices being “transitory,” referring to temporary price changes due to disturbances such as supply shortages. On the other hand, actual inflation refers to a devaluation of currency. Both affect prices, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.

One way to get a handle on the difference is to look at variations of CPI. Core CPI, for example, removes the effects of highly variable food and energy prices. Core CPI in late 2023 was estimated to have settled to a pace of about 4% annually. CPI for services was still running about 5%, reflecting continued shortages in labor markets and wage pressure. While still historically high, housing prices have also steadily declined throughout 2023. The good news is that by most measures, the pace of increasing prices in the general economy is slowing and approaching the 2% Federal Reserve target. The downside is some of those same slowing measures can indicate a pending recession.   

Farm bill, AI expansion: 5 trends to watch in agriculture for 2024 – Agriculture Dive, January 9, 2024

2024 is said to be “ripe for changes” in the agricultural industry. Click below to read or listen to the 5 biggest trends that are said to shape the agriculture industry this year. 

Farm bill, AI expansion: 5 trends to watch in agriculture for 2024 | Agriculture Dive

From farmprogess.com:

When Congress passed an extension of the 2018 Farm Bill as part of a broader funding package in late 2023, it bought another year to finish the job of enacting new farm bill legislation, but it didn’t make the job any easier.

The farm bill debate bogged down in 2023 over competing priorities and funding challenges, and there have already been comments and accounts of continuing the same hardened positions through 2024.

If a new farm bill is to be finished in 2024, there seemingly will need to be substantial progress and likely substantial compromise in the first half of the year before the campaign for this fall’s general election consumes all of the attention.

If not, then the farm bill seems destined for another late-year scramble after the election in a lame-duck session of Congress, or even another extension to push the issue into a new session of Congress in 2025.

From Successful Farming;

Photo: Purdue9394/Getty Images

When foreign investors acquire U.S. forest and farm land, they frequently are interested in the possibility of solar, wind, or renewable energy generation on their new property, said an Agriculture Department report. Companies with the words “wind,” “solar,” or “renewable” in their names hold 28 percent of the 43.4 million acres of foreign-owned or -leased agricultural land in the country.

The large increases of the past decade in foreign control of crop and pasture land “are mostly due to foreign-owned wind companies signing, as well as terminating, long-term leases on a large number of acres,” said the annual USDA report. “The actual amount of land used by a wind farm is relatively low due to the small footprint of the wind turbines and limited use of access roads. This leaves much of the parcel available for agricultural use.”

Foreign ownership of U.S. farm land has gained attention with the rise in tensions with nations such as China and Russia. During the first six months of this year, at least 15 states, some already with restrictions, enacted new laws to regulate foreign ownership of real estate, according to the Congressional Research Service. Legislation was filed in Congress to ban “adversary” nations, most commonly China, Russia, Iraq, and North Korea, from owning agricultural land or agricultural companies. Other bills would give the government more power to scrutinize purchases and block them for national security purposes.