Agribusiness Update for Tuesday 10/15/13

The House passed a motion Friday to go to conference with the Senate on the farm bill and have named their farm bill conferees. The lists include 21 House Ag Committee members. The same day - the House began debate of the House resolution that would urge farm bill conferees to adopt an amendment in the Senate farm bill to reduce crop insurance subsidies for farmers making more than 750-thousand dollars per year.

Officials with Amalgamated Sugar Company say yields from Idaho's sugar beet crop were higher than expected, but the beets have a disappointing sugar content. Harvest is still underway in southern Idaho. Normally beets have around 15 percent sugar content at the beginning of harvest, but the beets harvested so far have been lower than the average.

South Dakota Governor Dennis Duagaard, Senator John Thune and State Ag Secretary Lucas Lentsch toured areas of the state hit by last week's record setting snow storm. Some livestock producers have reported losses of up to 50-percent of their herds. They're encouraging producers to report losses to the Animal Industry Board. Early estimates have ranged from 10-thousand to 20-thousand head. A Ranchers Relief fund has also been established to help affected producers.

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.