Almond Crop Challenges and Farmers Call for End to Shutdown and Labor Fix
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson and this is your Agribusiness Update.
**California almond growers were largely skeptical in July when the USDA forecast a 3-billion-pound crop in its “objective measurement” report.
The high crop forecast caused almond prices to drop nearly 20% overnight, erasing roughly a billion dollars from the total crop value and eliminating the profit margin for many farmers.
Now, well into harvest, prices have recovered as growers and handlers report smaller crop yields.
**As Congress works to end the government shutdown, farmers are calling for that same sense of urgency in fixing the broken system governing ag labor and wage rates.
The recent DOL fix to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate marks the first meaningful step toward stabilizing labor costs.
The new rule replaces decades-old calculations with state-level Bureau of Labor Statistics and recognizes both skill levels and the cost of employer-provided housing.
**The U.S. has had a healthy agricultural trade surplus for years, but as global dynamics change, U.S. ag imports now exceed exports.
University of Illinois and Texas Tech University researchers say from 2017 to 2018, the dispute between the U.S. and China resulted in export values dropping 73% for soybeans, 6% for wheat, 61% for corn, and 37% for sorghum.
The total value of lost ag exports was nearly $14 billion.
