On this day in agriculture history | Monday, March 22, 2021

1 year ago

A senior economist at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicted lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic, which could ignite world food inflation even though there were ample supplies of staple grains and oilseeds in key exporting nations at this time last year.

• READ MORE: Panic buying, lockdowns may drive world food inflation – FAO

2 years ago

In 2019, farmers in Nebraska were struggling to recover from spring floods as they looked ahead to planting. Rick Rasby, associate dean of Extension at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explained production losses were likely to occur on soils that lost significant topsoil to erosion or gains from deposited soil.

• READ MORE: Field conditions remain a concern after Nebraska flooding

3 years ago

Forest and community stakeholders spoke with then Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue at USDA in Washington, D.C. Discussions focused on continued efforts to include a comprehensive wildfire funding solution and forest management agreement in the omnibus appropriations bill.

Perdue also surprised a group of convenience store stakeholders when he joined Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Brandon Lipps' meeting with Food and Nutrition Service leaders, and the National Association of Convenience Stores at USDA. The stakeholders represent large and small convenience store groups from across the nation who are participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In the meeting, they talked about their challenges, made recommendations for improvement, and shared some stories of how they are helping those in need in their communities.

On the same day, then U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Steve Censky met with Jon Scholl's University of Illinois Agricultural Policy students to answer questions.

5 years ago

Much of California was experiencing exceptional drought according to the March 22, 2016, U.S. Drought Monitor report. Abnormally dry conditions covered parts of top corn growing states including North Dakota, Colorado, and Kansas.

95 years ago

A photo from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration shows a sweet potato seed bed on the Robbins Brothers farm in Swedesboro, New Jersey, on March 22, 1926. The beds have been covered to protect the young plants from cold weather.

102 years ago

A photo from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration captures the typical quarters for laborers in the tomato growing sections around Miami, Florida, on March 22, 1919.

163 years ago

The Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was founded in Ames, Iowa on March 22, 1858. This educational institution later became Iowa State University.