#AgriBusiness

[probablyasocialecologist]

The agricultural lobby is a sprawling, complex machine with vast financial resources, deep political connections and a sophisticated network of legal and public relations experts.  “The farm lobby has been one of the most successful lobbies in Europe in terms of relentlessly getting what they want over a very long time,” says Ariel Brunner, Europe director of non-governmental organisation BirdLife International.  Industry groups spend between €9.35mn and €11.54mn a year lobbying Brussels alone, according to a recent report by the Changing Markets Foundation, another NGO. In the US, agricultural trade associations are “enormously powerful”, says Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “Our farm policy is very much their policy.” The sector’s spending on US lobbying rose from $145mn in 2019 to $177mn last year, more than the total big oil and gas spent, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).  In Brazil, where agribusiness accounts for a quarter of GDP, the Instituto Pensar Agropecuária is “the most influential lobbying group”, according to Caio Pompeia, an anthropologist and researcher at the University of São Paulo. “It combines economic strength with clearly defined aims, a well-executed strategy and political intelligence,” he adds. As a result of this reach, big agribusinesses and farmers have successfully secured exemptions from stringent environmental regulations, won significant subsidies and maintained favourable tax breaks.

[...]

Research suggests that big farms and landowners reap far greater benefits from subsidy packages than small-scale growers, even though the latter are often the public face of lobbying efforts. “It’ll almost always be a farmer testifying before Congress or talking to the press, rather than the CEO of JBS,” says Lilliston. But between 1995 and 2023, some 27 per cent of subsidies to farmers in the US went to the richest 1 per cent of recipients, according to NGO the Environmental Working Group. In the EU, 80 per cent of the cash handed out under the CAP goes to just 20 per cent of farms.

22 August 2024

[moonchild033]

Agricultural Astrology 🌾❤

Agriculture is done according to the phases of the moon as it influences the growth of the crops/plants. 🌒

Seeds are generally planted during waxing moon phase, especially those plants which grow above the ground and is in need of water and light source. Due to the gravitational pull of the moon, the water flow is not that deep and is sufficient for plants that grow above the ground. There is constant light source both during day and night time from the sun and moon for the seeds to flourish.🌕

During waning moon phase, plants that grow below the ground like tubers can be planted as the gravitational pull of moon draws more water to the deepest of roots and edible parts under the ground flourishes.🌑

Destroying weeds or cutting plants/trees are usually done on the last quarter of lunar phase and planting anything new is avoided in this phase. 😌

Note: Your grandparents can tell you these details if they were in farming or someone doing traditional way of farming can also tell. This is not something new, it can also be present in internet if you want to learn more details, I just wanted to share this with y'all.😃

Now coming to the astrology part❤-

If you are someone who wants to do farming/gardening/agriculture as a main/leisure business, the first thing to note is presence of earth signs in your big three or a stellium, especially Taurus. 💚

Taurus Mars/Moon natives can naturally be inclined towards nature and greenery. Their hands are also lucky for any greenery related businesses.🤗

If you are a fire dominant, but still want to do something with lands, real estate can be your forte, especially if you are an Aries Mars or have a strong mars placement. Usually fire dominants have a pitta body type, their normal body temperature itself can be a little bit higher and plants can be more sensitive than we think. 😇

If you are an air dominant, growing flowering plants is more profitable. Libra venus or moon can be attracted to beautiful and colorful flowers. 🌸🌷

Water signs in big 3 or water dominant people can indulge in agriculture or horticulture, especially cancer. Even seeds are planted when the moon is in the zodiac sign of Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces for favorable and profitable results.🌴

Check for the strength of your 4H lord and his connection with your 10H and 11H lord if you want to do agriculture or planting as your major money making business. Also check for 7H lord if it is a business partnership. All of these house lords should not be afflicted, debilitated or in connection with malefic planets.🌾

Usually Leo ascendant and Capricorn ascendant do well in this sector, as their 4H is ruled by Mars who is the significator of lands. If Mars has beneficial aspects with Mercury, greenery based businesses can be beneficial for the native.🌱

Moon in 4H, especially in a water/earth sign can also be an indicator of being interested or feeling serene in nature and liking professions/leisure works related to lands you own. You can be a legal professional but still you may enjoy gardening or having a terrace garden/balcony plants at your home. It can be your comfort zone.🌻

Please feel free to comment down your questions or thoughts! 🤗

Let's Learn and Grow Together!💅💋

With Love-Yashi❤⚡

Here's my Masterlist! 💖

[acti-veg]

One of the most infamous modern-day monopolies is the biotech agricultural company Monsanto. The company specializes in environmentally toxic, genetically modified crops and seeds, and utilizes patents to dominate seed markets. In India, 95 percent of cottonseed is controlled by Monsanto, as Indian companies have been locked into joint ventures and licensing arrangements for the last couple of decades. Every patented seed is the "intellectual property" of Monsanto, entitling them to royalties, thereby raising the costs of seeds.

Perhaps most shockingly, these patented seeds have come to include "gene use restriction technology" — seeds that will not produce viable offspring seeds. In this way farmers are forced into buying new seeds every year, rather than harvesting them out of the previous year's crops. The swelling of Indian farmers' debt — along with increasing farmer suicides — are a product of what Indian environmentalist and ecofeminist Vandana Shiva has dubbed Monsanto's "seeds of suicide."

-Hadas Thier, A People’s Guide to Capitalism

[cowboymeemaw]

Welcome to some random more disappointing updates about farm life.

Things in a life like this are constantly changing and with all the good comes some sad. Though aint none of you know that much about me or anything I just wanted a place to post my thoughts.

After a lengthy conversation, I've made the decision to sell one of my Gilts (female pig) Dolly. She has been posted on this blog before. I got her a few months back as a prospect gilt and show pig, she has been a small grower and didn't make weight in time. So since then (the first week of August) she has been a freeloader. I love her and she was going to be a breeding sow next year, but since my younger siblings decided to start showing hogs we don't have the space or extra change to feed a mouth that can't turn a profit. (that may sound harsh but those are the things I have to think about when it comes to my operation). However since she carries potential, and is sired by an Ohio State Champion boar Ive decided to sell her as a breeding prospect and not bring her to the sales barn. On sadder news, as this conversation came up about getting rid of some of the animals we can't have a use for, Tick came into the conversation. Tick is my two-year-old pet Angus bull, he was born a second twin and due to inbreeding of club calf genetics, he has dwarfism. Along with that, he has something called Spastic Paresis. This is an unfixable muscular disability, that usually affects dairy cattle, and which can't be cured but can be livable if the animal is not in pain. During the summertime he was thriving, we got him in August of 2023, and he was steady, healthy, and not in pain since. But as of recent months, we've seen a slow decline in quality of life. My #1 goal is to make sure all my animals have a quality of life and when they don't the only morally correct thing to do is humane euthanasia. Though I said he was mine, it is better to say he is my mom's pet bull, and she has a tough time making these decisions. She has been putting it off but has also realized that as the colder months come he will only get worse. He does not seem to be in pain but he does seem uncomfortable, his mobility has gotten worse and so has his ability to hold on to weight. So in the next months, we will have to put him to sleep and bury him under the Oak tree. These types of decisions, both of them, are hard but necessary to make. Due to the stigma against farmers, you don't really hear this side of the industry but I am not going to hide it. Through both good and bad we have to make choices.

[yz]

Indiana / Illinois. Corn.

[plethoraworldatlas]

Brazil has managed to significantly reduce deforestation in the Amazon forest, but the devastation continues to increase in other important ecosystems. Among the hardest hit is the Cerrado, a savanna-like environment which has become a preferred target for farms looking to increase the production of commodities such as soy, corn, cotton, and beef. Paulo Cabral, traveled to the country’s heartland to investigate.

[tsukioasis]

Rosemary helping me harvest watermelons 🍉 late at night haha

[lethimfertilise]

Yesterday, I analysed the affordability of DAP and urea. The conclusion was that DAP affordability has been steadily decreasing. It’s not a new question, but can farmers afford to skip fertiliser application for any reason?

When it comes to fertiliser use, the debate over how much and how often to apply different nutrients is as old as farming itself. Among the essential nutrients for crops—N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium)—each plays a crucial role in ensuring healthy plant growth and optimal yields. Let’s dive into why you might be able to forgo K and P, but not N.

K and P are key nutrients, but they don’t get used up as rapidly as N. These two nutrients often remain in the soil for longer periods, especially when applied at sufficient levels. Here's why:

Unlike N, K and P are less mobile in the soil. P, in particular, tends to bind with soil particles, and K has a slow-release nature. This means that even after a growing season, there may still be adequate reserves left in the soil to nourish your crops in the next few years.

Crops don’t need a large amount of these nutrients all at once. Their uptake happens gradually, allowing you to skip applications for a season or two, especially if your soil was well-fertilised in previous years.

Regular soil tests can help assess if your levels of K and P are sufficient. If your soil stores are adequate, you can confidently skip fertilising with these nutrients and focus on maintaining other soil health aspects.

While K and P can afford a break, N is an entirely different story. Plants rely heavily on a steady N supply to build proteins and grow. Without it, the effects can be immediately noticeable, leading to stunted growth, yellowing leaves, and reduced yields.

N is the nutrient plants consume the most. It’s vital for processes like photosynthesis and vegetative growth, making it a constant requirement throughout the growing season.

N is highly mobile and easily lost from the soil through leaching and volatilisation. Heavy rains can wash N out of the root zone, while it can also be lost as gas from the soil surface. This rapid loss means you need to replenish N regularly to ensure healthy crop growth.

Unlike K and P, crops show signs of N deficiency very quickly, often within a week or two. A drop in N levels can cause serious damage to yields if left unchecked.

The key to effective fertilisation is understanding the needs of your crops and the current status of your soil. By conducting regular soil tests, you can gauge whether K and P levels are adequate, allowing you to skip their application and reduce costs in the short term. However, N requires ongoing attention and replenishment due to its volatile nature and vital role in crop growth.

Literally, while you can afford to skip K and P fertilisers for a few seasons if your soil is well-stocked, N should never be overlooked. After all, it’s the driving force behind your plants’ growth and productivity.

#nitrogen #phosphate #potassium #fertiliser #fertilizers #affordability #imstory #sustainability #agriculture

[agriculturelogos]

Good simple farm logo and great fall pics; like and follow for more agriculture logos!

#agriculture logos #agriculture #farming #farm #farmer #farm life #agri #agribusiness #farmers market #small farm #logo #logo design #logo inspiration

[manage-institute-hyderabad]

MANAGE Inaugurated 2-week #ITEC training program on Promotion of Public-Private Partnership (#PPP) in Agriculture and Allied Sectors on 19/9/24. Total 29 participants from 13 countries are participating.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Consider the fertilizer sector. The tripling of fertilizer prices in 2020-22 – which drove up food prices – was partly fueled by higher costs for nitrogen fertilizer, which reflected the rising price of natural gas. But new data from GRAIN/IATP show that leading firms hiked fertilizer prices well beyond what was needed to cover increased production costs, increasing their operating profits to 36%, even as they sold less product. The resulting profit ratios were three times higher than before the Ukraine war began, and well above the 13% average posted by S&P 500 firms. Global grain traders have similarly been able to translate tighter supplies into record profits. In mid-2022, grain multinational Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) recorded its highest-ever quarterly profits. Its rival Cargill also banked record profits, with total revenues soaring by 23%. Such profiteering is made possible by growing corporate concentration in the food and fertilizer sectors. ADM and Cargill are two of the four “ABCD” firms – along with Bunge and Dreyfus – that control an estimated 70-90% of the world grain market. Just four firms account for 75% of nitrogen-fertilizer production in the United States, and 72% of the potash-fertilizer market globally. Through decades of mergers and acquisitions, such firms have been able to expand their influence up and down the supply chain, while amassing huge amounts of market data. Now, a proposed $34 billion merger between Bunge and Viterra – the grain arm of the commodity giant Glencore – would mean further concentration of soybean and canola processing and distribution across the Americas.

[isaacsapphire]

A lot of the agriculture immigrants are employed to do is the stuff that's not really automatable due to the fact that the produce is delicate. Think tomatoes, berries, etc. However, this is primarily stuff that isn't staple crops, so it might not raise prices across the board as much as you'd expect. (And many things are imported from other countries anyway.)

Yeah, that's what I was wondering about with the citation needed.

[cowboymeemaw]

yeah do NOT sell your stock through your local county 🙃. I was supposed to get my check from them September 1st, last update was September 11th all it said was "we're working on it." Buddy I sold my steer and hogs August 5th. can't you work on it harder - I've been acquainted with the stockyard you work for, for years. They do not take this long. I don't care anymore, $1.60lb is not worth this hassle. who knows what the poundage rates for hogs are, they don't tell me shit. "MeeMaw calm down they're volunteers" yeah county volunteers. All I want is some solid updates please. Takes one Facebook post at least. I want. My money.

[harriswalz4usabybr]

Speech Governor Walz gave at the Kansas State Capitol!

~BR~

[plethoraworldatlas]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services reported killing 375,045 native animals in 2023, according to recent data released by the program. The federal wildlife-killing program targets wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals, primarily to benefit the agriculture industry in states like Texas, Colorado and Idaho.

According to the report, the multimillion-dollar program last year intentionally killed 305 gray wolves, 68,562 coyotes, 430 black bears, 235 mountain lions, 469 bobcats, 2,122 red and gray foxes and 24,603 beavers. These figures almost certainly understate the actual number of animals killed, as program insiders have long lamented that Wildlife Services kills many more animals than it reports.

“I’m horrified by both the sheer number of animals killed by this federal agency and the immense suffering involved,” said Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s hard to even imagine the thousands of coyotes, beavers and other animals who die agonizing deaths from snares, traps or poisons.”

The reported number of native animals killed in 2023 was similar to the previous three years. These recent numbers reflect a steep decline compared to 2019, when approximately 1.3 million native animals were killed. The red-winged blackbird is an example of a species with fewer individuals intentionally killed by Wildlife Services, with 14,314 killed in 2023 compared to 364,734 in 2019.

According to the new data, the wildlife-killing program unintentionally killed more than 2,484 animals in 2023, including 658 river otters and 428 turtles, as well as several dogs and cats. Its killing of nontarget birds included a federally protected golden eagle, wood ducks, great blue herons and wild turkeys. Such data reveals the indiscriminate nature of leghold traps, snares, poisons and other methods used by federal agents.

Wildlife Services poisoned 6,543 animals using M-44 cyanide bombs in 2023. Of these deaths, 156 were unintentional. The Bureau of Land Management recently banned Wildlife Services from using these dangerous devices on the land it manages.

“Year after year, millions of dollars are wasted on killing wildlife instead of investing in long-term solutions that prevent conflicts,” said Adkins. “Taxpayer-funded wildlife slaughter lets livestock operators and the agriculture industry ignore problems that lead to conflict instead of fixing them. Wildlife Services should focus on implementing commonsense coexistence measures like cleaning up livestock carcasses that attract wolves and bears.”