Thanks to Society member Duncan Allison for providing us with this get set of information each month.

Weather – Rain continues to drench our soils already both topsoil and subsoil are saturated. Lucky for those who harvested their corn earlier! Yet concern for the remaining crops. Record corn yields are forecast for 9 of the 18 states producing 92% of our corn with yields 2-8% over the current records. Luckily “continued strength” is forecast for corn use and the price forecast is $3.50/bushel. Sara Schafer, Top Producer.

Farm Bill – Initially the Senate had passed the Bill but the House required a work requirement for able-bodied adults 18-59 to gain access to the SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but the House Democrats oppose this requirement. 21 million able-bodied adults are dependent on this program. 80% of the $430 billion of the price tag for the Farm Bill has become a critical safety-net for many families. Time is fast running out.

Non-GMO has become a marketing ploy by food companies which is taking unfair advantage of the bad press for GMOs and labelling food products which could not include a GMO.

At the recent Kennett Square Mushroom Festival many people taking the Farm Quiz taking did not realize that so few crops are actually GMO. Organizations such as Living Non-GMO provide a list of eight crops that can indeed be GMO but then go on to question the safety of eggs, milk, meat, honey, seafood due to the possible presence of GMOs. Even more science-defying, they provide a long list of other products including sucrose, flavorings, microbes, enzymes, vitamins etc. There have been no adverse indications of health effects from the use and consumption of GMO crops since marketing began in 1996. As a result of such organizations causing public concern Non-GMO labels are increasingly being found on products that do not contain any ingredients that could be derived from a GMO crop. There is an attempt to persuade the federal government to stop such labels.

Apples can be bought at all times of the year but this is the time to pick them yourselves and try some of the many new varieties that are available. Flavor has at last become critical and new varieties are becoming available that provide more flavor than Red Delicious, for example. It takes several years for trees, even in the high density plantings popular today, to come in to full production so they may not always be available but worth trying – Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Evercrisp. Try out some of the new varieties. Americans consume 19.6 lbs. /year but Europeans typically consume 46 lbs.

Brief notes –Up to 60% of crop yield is dependent on soil fertility so regular testing and timing are critical. I also read that between 30% and 50% of nutrients are not available to plants. Loss of food production in agriculture may be due to abiotic stress.There is increasing interest in biostimulants which may be able to improve tolerance to abiotic stress and improve nutrient use efficiency and improve crop quality. Opportunities for improvement abound.

1,600 workers left EPA and fewer than 400 people have been hired. We may complain about some aspects of government staffing and priorities but surely their vital role requires a well-qualified and an adequate work force to enable the EPA to maintain the necessary highest possible standards for our basic resources – land, water, food.

Farmers have enrolled 31 million acres in the Conservation Reserve Program to protect the environment and provide habitat for wildlife.

The total land for crops has declined by 15% (70 million acres) indicating the huge increases in productivity per acre on the remaining farmland. 63% of the farm acreage uses conservation tillage. DAA 8/26