Agricultural Policy
The Gardner Agriculture Policy Program is funded by the Leonard and Lila Gardner/Illinois Farm Bureau Family of Companies endowment. This generous gift is dedicated to the memory of Len Gardner, a leading voice on agricultural policy for decades. The program will coordinate and prioritize analytical and outreach efforts for farm, conservation and international trade policies, elevating the University of Illinois’ voice in the national debate.
Latest in Gardner Policy Series
The 2019 Market Facilitation Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released payment rates and additional details for the 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP). Compared to 2018, the 2019 MFP will pay on more crops and have higher payment rates per acre. Payment limits are…
The Farm Bill Looks to Tackle Food Loss and Waste
Food loss and waste (FLW) are drawing attention in the U.S. and around the globe. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that 30-40% of the food supply is lost or wasted (USDA, 2019), though the exact estimate depends on…
Considering Policy Reversion: The Parity Paradox
Historically, challenging times create strong temptation to recycle old policy ideas; a reversion to policies discarded in the past when cyclical problems reappear. As is well known, recent years have returned relatively lower commodity prices with expectations of more challenging…
Estimated 2018 ARC-CO Payments
The National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) released county yields for 2018. With these NASS yields, fairly accurate estimates of 2018 Agricultural Risk Coverage at the county level (ARC-CO) payments can be made. We present U.S. maps showing estimated payments per…
The State of Soybean in Africa: Agronomy in African Smallholder Systems
Low input use in African soybean systems limits productivity and ultimately, reduces profitability in smallholder farming systems. Phosphorous and inoculum are both critical components of soybean yield maximization, yet many farmers are reluctant to invest in inputs due to high…
The State of Soybean in Africa: Soybean Diseases
USAID’s Feed the Future Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research, aka the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), is a research for development project begun in 2013. The team of 40 US researchers work in 17 countries, most of which are in…
The State of Soybean in Africa: Soybean Breeding
Soybean is the most important legume crop worldwide and is grown mainly for its protein and oil rich seed, yet soybean production in Africa has largely lagged behind the increases made in the western hemisphere. Soybean has a long history…
Use of Tile, 2017 US Census of Agriculture
This is the third article on land use practices as reported in the 2017 US Census of Agriculture. Use of tile is examined in this article. Attention on tile has grown in recent years due to increased attention on large…
Tillage Practices, 2017 US Census of Agriculture
This is the second article discussing land use practices as reported in the 2017 US Census of Agriculture. Tillage is examined in this article. Tillage is of interest for several reasons, including its relationship to cost of production, yield, soil…
Cover Crops, 2017 US Census of Agriculture
This is the first of 3 articles that discuss land use practices as reported in the 2017 US Census of Agriculture (see farmdoc daily, July 25 and August 1). Cover crops is examined in this article. Cover crops have attracted…