Michigan

Last week we told you the 2022 Washington apple crop is expected to be over 11% smaller than last year’s harvest.  This year’s crop is anticipated to be the smallest for the Evergreen state since 2015.  But despite that drop, total U.S. apple production is up this ...

It looks like the year ahead will be good for pie lovers, and anyone who enjoys tart cherries. "It's a pretty good year for tart cherries, actually looking at an increase of about 33% from what was produced last year," noted NASS' Lance Honig...

Sweet cherry production is expected to drop this year, while tart cherry production forecasts are up year-over-year. According to NASS the sweet cherry production forecast is down 27% from 2021 figures at 275,000 tons. In Washington, the largest producing sweet cherry producing state, severe cold weather in winter and spring reduced pollination and fruit set ...

Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member John Boozman say the committee will hold a field hearing in Arkansas on Friday, June 17th. The hearing is designed to get input from agricultural producers and stakeholders as the process of writing the next farm bill gets underway ...

Of the six members of the U.S. Apple Association’s emerging leader program, the NextGen Apple Fellowship, two come from the Pacific Northwest. Tim Cote is a projects analyst and Director of Orchard Safety for AgriMACS in Yakima, noted while he was initially nervous about being named to the 2022 NextGen Apple Fellowship class, he’s looking forward to tackling some of the biggest issues impacting t

Earlier this week, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow called on the USDA to address the infant formula shortage for those relying on WIC. The Michigan Democrat said, "Millions of Americans rely on the WIC program to get baby formula for their children, so the current shortages are extremely concerning for parents across our country ...

Last week, a group of Senate Democrats requested the 2023 budget include funding for Farm Bill conservation programs. Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Chris Coons of Delaware led the effort in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee ...

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says flooding in Minnesota and North Dakota's Red River Valley is putting a damper on any sugarbeet field work. "Sugar beet planting nationally, 18% complete by May 1, far behind the five year average of 47% ...

Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Ag Committee, and Ranking Member John Boozman of Arkansas announced the first 2023 Farm Bill listening session. The hearing will include input from a diverse range of agricultural producers and stakeholders about the next bill. The ...

Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow is non-committal so far on cattle market reforms proposed by other senators trying to boost competition and prices to independent producers. A fire at Tyson’s Holcomb, KS facility in 2019, followed by the pandemic have together sparked outrage by many over the big price spread between fed cattle and boxed beef, but Stabenow is making no promises on reforms. ... Rea