Late-February U.S. farm outlook: expect frontal passages bringing brief precipitation and wind, then cooler, drier breaks. Risks include intermittent frost, variable moisture from West storms to Plains/Midwest mix, and trafficability issues. Use short spray/topdress windows, protect blooms and livestock, time nitrogen with light rains, and monitor local forecasts.
Farm cold rooms using phase-change materials act as thermal batteries, enabling efficient pre-cooling and storage where power is scarce. By banking cold during sunny or low-tariff hours, they cut spoilage, fuel use, and compressor wear. The piece outlines design, operations, economics, best-fit cases, purchasing criteria, policy supports, and next steps.
U.S. agriculture policy is shifting through Congress, USDA rules, EPA decisions, trade moves, court orders, and statehouse bills. Near-term signals—appropriations riders, hearings, pesticide and fuel guidance, export actions, and litigation—could alter inputs, risk, labor, and market access. Producers should monitor dockets and deadlines as regulatory steps sway costs and prices.
U.S. ag weather: Cold North, milder South, Pacific moisture West. Fieldwork windows variable; livestock cold stress persists. Next 7 days bring repeated PNW/NRockies rain-snow, light events Plains–Midwest, one–two rain episodes Delta/Southeast (isolated storms), intermittent California light precip. Frost risks inland/Valleys; frozen soils aid traffic; gradual topsoil recharge; Southwest stays dry/irrigation-driven.
Farmers are testing on-farm nitrogen via plasma nitrate and modular green ammonia, using electricity, air and water to produce local, lower‑carbon fertilizer. Systems integrate with manure, cut ammonia losses, and reduce price exposure. Economics depend on cheap renewable power and service models; pilots expand as efficiency, interoperability and policy improve.
U.S. agriculture policy remains in incremental flux: Congress debates farm/nutrition packages, agencies advance implementation, trade tensions simmer, labor costs and rules tighten, and courts and statehouses shape compliance. With spring decisions looming, producers should plan around current programs, preserve flexibility, and monitor near-term congressional, regulatory, and market signals.
Markets entered late January focused on the Fed decision, Q4 GDP, PCE inflation, and the ECI, alongside heavy Treasury supply and key earnings. Positioning hinges on the growth-inflation mix: soft-landing, sticky inflation, or growth scare scenarios drive rates, equities, dollar, and credit. Watch auctions, guidance, and Fed tone.
Across decades, January 28 marks crises and milestones shaping U.S. agriculture: floods, blizzards, ice storms, a polar vortex, and creation of the Coast Guard. These episodes exposed reliance on power, roads, and waterways, spurred generators and design standards, and reinforced institutional roles and cumulative resilience across farms and supply chains.
Late January brings active Pacific storms and clippers, rain for the Mid-South/Southeast, and periodic cold east of the Rockies. Expect alternating fieldwork windows, frost/freeze risks inland Southeast and Southwest valleys, livestock stress in windy, snowy northern tiers, muddy feedlots, fog delays in California, and a possible late-week Southeast-to-Atlantic coastal low.
Farm-scale green ammonia uses renewable electricity to make NH3 from air and water via modular Haber–Bosch, supplying on-site anhydrous fertilizer and energy storage. It needs ~9–12 MWh/t and modest water, costs ~$600–$1,500/t, cuts emissions ~90%, aids remote farms, but faces capital, reliability, safety, and policy hurdles.
Briefing outlines current U.S. ag policy drivers and a 7-day plan: farm bill debates, appropriations uncertainty, competition and labeling rules, pesticide ESA constraints, tight labor, trade frictions, and low-carbon markets. It flags dockets to monitor, risks from courts and funding gaps, and actions to verify compliance and improve risk management.