Michigan’s Office of Rural Development has announced its first grant program to help communities better prepare for investment opportunities.
Director Sarah Lucas tells Brownfield the Rural Readiness Grant Program will provide up to $50,000 per project to support collaborative planning and capacity initiatives.
“When grant opportunities become available, there aren’t a lot of what you might consider shovel-ready projects in the pipeline that could be eligible for those grant dollars and that’s because rural communities, by and large, don’t have the budgets or the staff,” she explains.
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There’s growing pushback for renewable energy projects in Ohio at the local level as a new state amendment goes into effect.
Peggy Kirk Hall, Director of Ohio State University Extension’s Agricultural & Resource Law Program, tells Brownfield local authorities have expanded abilities to restrict or prohibit solar development projects.
“Because of that opposition, our Ohio Power Siting Board has rejected several and denied those permits so they will not at this point moving forward,” she says.
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A bipartisan group of US Representatives is asking the Biden administration to address Brazil’s unfair trading policies impacting American ethanol.
Ed Hubbard, general counsel and vice president for government affairs with the Renewable Fuels Association, says Brazil imposed tariffs in February and that’s reduced demand. “We’ve still been able to get some volume in there, albeit a lot less than we normally would have, but most of that has been impacted by the lack of competitiveness due to the tariff that’s been placed on US ethanol.”
Twenty-one members of the US House including sent a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine...
On a vote of 314 – 117, the U.S. House has passed the agreement in principle to raise the debt ceiling and the Senate is now considering the bill.
Ag lobbyist Tom Sell with Combest, Sell and Associates tells Brownfield he is expecting the Senate to support the agreement before next week’s deadline.
“No one is totally happy, but everyone agrees compromise is necessary for the greater good.”
The bill includes a temporary expansion of work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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Iowa farmers are paying record high cash rents.
Iowa State University Extension economist Alejandro Plastina says the average cash rental rate increased nine percent from 2022 to 2023.
“Reaching a record high of $279 per acre as an overall average across the state. But we’ve seen that higher quality land saw higher percent increases.”
The previous record for Iowa was $270 per acre in 2013.
He tells Brownfield farmer profitability on rented land will be lower this year and likely next year too.
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Disagreements between Russia and Ukraine over agriculture exports have put the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in jeopardy once again.
Jim McCormick with AgMarket.Net tells Brownfield Russia is demanding to increase its exports like fertilizers or the deal ends. “Every time we get near the deadline, the Russians complain that something’s not going right. They’re not getting grain out, they’re not getting fertilizer out. The grain that is getting out is going to the wrong countries.
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