November 2020 - 4
EDITOR'S LETTER
Staying above water
The disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. agricultural system
have been broad and varied.
As outlined in late September blog by USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson,
the cascade of conditions emitting from the pandemic follow several years of trying
production and market conditions for U.S. farmers.
In 2017 and 2018, several hurricanes pummeled
U.S. farms; 2019 brought historically poor planting
conditions and retaliatory tariffs cut potential for
agricultural exports compared to 2017.
This year, farmers are being jolted by global,
national and regional shutdowns, slowdowns and
overall uncertainty. Those shocks to the U.S. and
global economies have affected both the supply
and demand for food in the U.S. and the rest of
the world.
In general, Johansson wrote, U.S. food prices have
risen since January while prices received by U.S.
Gary Pullano
Managing Editor
producers have fallen. It became quickly obvious that this crisis was nothing like the
U.S. has ever experienced and that it could pose a real threat to the viability of many
farming operations and, with it, to the sustainability of the domestic food supply.
USDA's most recent forecast for farm income for 2020 projected that producers -
including specialty crop farmers - would receive $31 billion less this year in cash receipts
compared to pre-COVID income forecasts from February.
Mitigating the crisis required a wide range of measures targeting all aspects of
the food supply and demand system and its different stakeholders. USDA initially
provided assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program estimated to
provide up to $16 billion to U.S. farmers and ranchers to help them deal with the
significant income losses they incurred during the pandemic.
Earlier this year, when initial projections for 2020 released at USDA's Agricultural
Outlook Forum, the immediate future looked to be improving.
" We were expecting better weather, improved trading relationships and global
economic growth that would fuel demand for U.S. agricultural exports. The COVID-19
outbreak has severely dampened expectations for 2020 and 2021. And while the
timing and pace of the economic recovery remain uncertain, the fundamentals of U.S.
agriculture are sufficiently strong to withstand the crisis. "
Although the early August derecho in the Midwest, the severe fires in the West,
and the more recent hurricane activity in the Gulf have caused localized losses, from
a national perspective weather conditions have improved relative to 2018 and 2019,
signaling a more bountiful harvest in the fall.
" We know that U.S. agriculture is highly competitive in global markets, and the
trade outlook is looking more favorable with expected global economic recovery in
2021, " Johansson wrote. " Overall, agricultural exports during the COVID-19 period
appear to have been holding up relatively well compared to overall U.S. exports. "
Corn exports are also forecast to rise $700 million to $9.0 billion in FY2021 and
horticultural exports by $500 million to $35.0 billion due to expected increase in sales
of tree nuts, among other products.
Johansson acknowledged that despite some encouraging signs, many U.S. farmers
continue to confront significant challenges and the immediate outlook for the sector
remains highly uncertain. In many cases, producers didn't experience the full impacts
of markets disrupted by COVID-19 until just recently.
" Think of a sweet potato grower that has just begun to harvest his or her crop
and now has nowhere to send it - and they incur unexpected costs to dispose of the
portion they cannot sell. Or a potato grower whose contracts with potato processors
for potatoes destined for restaurants have been cut in half. Those producers began to
experience higher costs and lower revenues as a result of COVID-19 only recently. "
The prospect of continuing COVID-19 impacts in 2020 and 2021 has led Congress to
consider additional assistance to help agricultural producers adjust to disruptions in
domestic and global agricultural markets.
Producers would rather receive receipts directly from the crops they produce - not
government aid. Effectively dealing with an extended new normal will drive the
timetable for when that will be able to take place.
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- DEB COLITAS, VALLEY FRUITS AND VEGGIES
P. 34
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People want to be out - they want to be doing something
and by opening our doors, we gave our customers this
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University of Georgia awarded $2.7M grant
to fight fungus in broccoli
A new multistate project will bring
together researchers from the University
of Georgia and partner universities to
fight alternaria leaf blight and head rot
in broccoli, a plant disease that thrives in
warm temperatures and humidity.
LGMA audit data released on new water
requirements
Of the 6,348 total water checkpoints
reviewed by auditors, California Leafy
Green Handler Marketing Agreement
members were collectively found to be
out of compliance with 64 checkpoints, a
compliance rate of 99%.
Enza Zaden finds high resistance to
devastating tomato virus
Vegetable breeder Enza Zaden has found
a solution for tomato growers to beat the
devastating Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit
Virus.
Greg Sebel promoted; Cindi Olwell added by
Great American Media Services
Great American Media Services has
announced staffing changes within its
award-winning specialty agriculture
group of publications.
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November 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2020
November 2020 - 1
November 2020 - 2
November 2020 - 3
November 2020 - 4
November 2020 - 5
November 2020 - 6
November 2020 - 7
November 2020 - 8
November 2020 - 9
November 2020 - 10
November 2020 - 11
November 2020 - 12
November 2020 - 13
November 2020 - 14
November 2020 - 15
November 2020 - 16
November 2020 - 17
November 2020 - 18
November 2020 - 19
November 2020 - 20
November 2020 - 21
November 2020 - 22
November 2020 - 23
November 2020 - 24
November 2020 - 25
November 2020 - 26
November 2020 - 27
November 2020 - 28
November 2020 - 29
November 2020 - 30
November 2020 - 31
November 2020 - 32
November 2020 - 33
November 2020 - 34
November 2020 - 35
November 2020 - 36
November 2020 - 37
November 2020 - 38
November 2020 - 39
November 2020 - 40
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-2025-digital-seed-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
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