Farm Radio

  Broomfield, Colo.   - The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has awarded the contract for development of a strategic plan for a state Hemp Center of Excellence to MPG Consulting. The selection was based on the recommendation of an independent review committee, which included a member of the Colorado Agriculture Commission, a member of the Hemp Advisory Committee, and other leaders and experts in Colorado agriculture and purchasing. The strategic plan will be completed by July 2021. “We are very excited about moving forward with the development of the Center of Excellence and are confident that MPG Consulting will be a strong partner in helping us and our many stakeholders advance the hemp industry in Colorado,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. CDA is committed to elevating industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity, a priority since the launch of Colorado’s nationally-recognized Industrial Hemp Program in 2014. The collaborative development of the Hem...

  Farmer sentiment improved modestly in December as the  Ag Economy Barometer  rose to a reading of 174, up 7 points from November. December’s sentiment improvement still left the barometer 9 points lower than in October. Both of the barometer’s sub-indices, the  Index of Current Conditions  and the  Index of Future Expectations , were higher in December than in November although the current conditions improvement was three-times the size of the future expectations increase. The  Index of Current Conditions  climbed 15 points to 202 whereas the  Index of Future Expectations  increased by just 5 points to a reading of 161. The farm income boost provided by the ongoing rally in crop prices appears to be the driving force behind the improvement in the  Current Conditions Index  and the overall improvement in farmer sentiment. The  Ag Economy Barometer  is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers’ respon...