Smithfield Donates Pork to Help in Northwest Iowa

Smithfield Foods delivered 34,000 pounds of pork to Rock Valley, Iowa, to provide free, restaurant-quality meals to victims, first responders, and volunteers impacted by severe flooding in Northwest Iowa. Smithfield, with more than 600 employees in nearby Sioux Center and Orange City, Iowa, donated items like loins, ribs, and pork chops that will provide over 140,000 servings of protein. “Recent catastrophic flooding has left many of our Northwest Iowa neighbors without basic necessities like electricity, drinking water, and food,” says Jonathan Toms, senior community development manager for Smithfield Foods. “By partnering with a non-profit like Mercy Chefs, we’re able to provide support and hope for our neighbors in times of need as the community continues to recover from storm damage.” Mercy Chef’s mobile kitchen will serve restaurant-quality meals to anyone in need in the Rock Valley community. The team will also distribute meals to those unable to make it there.  

Applications Open For Bright Future Fund Grants

American Farmland Trust has begun accepting applications to help farmers nationwide improve farm viability, access, transfer, permanently protect farmland, or adopt regenerative ag practices. AFT’s Brighter Future Fund’s “National Grant for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers” provides grants of up to $5,000 per project. The grant focuses its support of beginning, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, women, and veteran farmers and ranchers to support greater equity and opportunities for all in agriculture. In 2024, the grant program will continue to fund farmers and ranchers nationwide, with additional support available to those affected by the Smokehouse Creek Wildfire in Texas and expanded support in New York and New England. “We deeply appreciate our many supporters, including corporate, individuals, and AFT members that all made it possible for us to help farmers across the nation,” says Ashley Brucker of AFT. “These grants inspire a ripple effect of enriching families and entire communities.”

Dairy FARM Program Releases Updates

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Program released new versions of the Animal Care and Workforce Development Programs. The new standards refine, update, and improve agriculture-leading benchmarks for animal care and workforce best practices. “This summer is an opportunity to showcase FARM’s commitment to continuous improvement,” says Emily Yeiser (EYE-ser) Stepp, executive director of FARM, an industry collaboration managed by the National Milk Producers Federation. Formally reviewed every three years, the Animal Care and Workforce Development program areas underwent revisions to ensure appropriate standards and processes are conducted via FARM’s second-party evaluations. Animal Care Version Five updates focus on refining and clarifying previous standards surrounding euthanasia, fitness for transport, calf management, and continuing education. Workforce Development Version Two updates the evaluation tool used to assess and encourage the adoption of HR and safety best practices. Environmental Stewardship Version Three will launch this summer and include a new greenhouse gas model.

Safety When Grilling and Smoking on the Fourth of July

On July Fourth, the aroma of barbecue will fill the air as people come together to celebrate with quintessential American cooking pastimes: grilling and smoking meat. Food is a big part of celebrating the Fourth, aside from the fireworks. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is asking everyone to take the proper precautions during food prep. Thaw the meat or poultry first. Marinate your protein in the refrigerator. Do not marinate on the counter. Keep the raw meat and poultry separated. Use different cutting boards and utensils for raw meats and poultry. Do the same thing when the food is fully cooked. Keep the smoker and grill at a safe temperature. Cook the meats to a safe internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer. Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb, veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temp of 145 F before removing from the heat source.

Tuesday Watch List

Markets

There are no significant reports on Tuesday's docket, but traders may pay attention to the latest weather forecasts as more rain and chances for severe weather threaten the northwestern Corn Belt again. Wednesday will have several reports ahead of the Independence Day holiday on Thursday.

Weather

A system moving through Canada is pushing a cold front into the Corn Belt, laying down from Kansas into Wisconsin by Tuesday evening. Thunderstorms from Monday night should diminish as they move east into the Great Lakes Tuesday morning but redevelop Tuesday afternoon and evening with more rounds of heavy rain possible, especially around Iowa. Severe storms will be possible as well, with the greatest risk around southern Iowa and northern Missouri. It will remain hot across the South and Southeast as well.

Cattle Producers Celebrate Supreme Court Decision

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision that reins in the legal concept of Chevron deference and will reduce overreaching regulations from federal agencies that lack congressional authority. “Elected officials in Congress should make laws, not un-elected bureaucrats at federal agencies,” says NCBA President Mark Eisele (EYES-lee). “Cattle producers have experienced numerous instances of federal agencies enacting overreaching regulations on our farms and ranches, exceeding their authority granted by Congress.” Eisele is also grateful that the Supreme Court is reining in these federal agencies and putting power back in the hands of those elected to represent citizens in Washington. While the case decided by the Supreme Court didn’t directly involve cattle production, it did challenge the Chevron deference, which gives federal agencies the authority to interpret statutes they consider vague. NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart says Congress has ceded too much authority to un-elected bureaucrats in recent decades.  

Planted Acreage Report Shows Less Corn, More Soybeans

The USDA released its June Planted Acreage Report with some caveats. U.S. farmers still have 3.36 million acres of corn to plant and 12.8 million soybean acres. Corn planted area for all purposes is currently estimated at 91.5 million acres, down three percent, or three million acres, from last year. Soybean planted area for 2024 is estimated at 86.1 million acres, up three percent from 2023. The all-wheat planted area for 2024 is estimated at 47.2 million acres, down five percent from last year. The 2024 winter wheat planted area, at 33.8 million acres, is down eight percent from last year and one percent from the previous estimate. Of this total, about 24.1 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 6.14 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.59 million acres are white winter. The all-cotton planted area for 2024 is estimated to be 11.7 million acres, up 14 percent from last year.