From an Illinois farm in May, President Joe Biden highlighted measures meant to increased crop production in the face of global crop and food stresses brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Farmers are the breadbasket of democracy. You really are,” Biden said.
The White House released a three-pronged plan meant to increase crop production and curb input costs for producers.
• Double cropping: USDA will expand double-cropping crop insurance to cover 681 additional counties to incentivize farmers to consider double-cropping crops such as soybeans after winter wheat.
• Precision agriculture: USDA will open programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to prioritize precision agriculture technology for nutrient management or water efficiency in areas prone to drought. Those programs are already funded in the farm bill to encourage such aid and technical assistance.
* Domestic fertilizer: USDA had initially committed $250 million to boost domestic fertilizer capacity.… Continue reading