Western Farm Press

Hembree Brandon

Editorial Director

Farm Press

Email hbrandon@farmpress.com

Hembree Brandon, editorial director, grew up in Mississippi and worked in public relations and edited weekly newspapers before joining Farm Press in 1973. He has served in various editorial positions with the Farm Press publications, in addition to writing about political, legislative, environmental, and regulatory issues.

Articles by Hembree Brandon

Farmland values not a bursting bubble

Farmland prices will go up and they’ll go down — and in the end, land prices will correct themselves — without a crash.

Cotton industry targets bale contaminants

U.S. cotton growers and ginners need to prevent contamination that can cause bales to be rejected and tarnish an outstanding reputation.

20 seconds to grain bin death

An adult man can become engulfed by storage bin grain in 20 seconds. In 2010, there were 51 grain bin engulfments in the U.S., and 26 deaths.

Pesticide battle over honey bee health under way

The battle over honey bee health could have a significant impact on pesticides available to agriculture and how those materials are used, including a potential requirement that pesticides be applied only at night when there is no bee activity.

US meat exports surge as global demand grows

Pig’s feet, beef tongue, hog intestines, hearts, and livers — while we in the U.S. may turn up our collective noses at the thought of chowing down on such things, these and other pork and beef parts are delicacies in other regions of the world and now constitute a major segment of the export market for U.S. meat.

Fixing US financial problems will impact new farm bill

Congress’ failure to enact a new farm bill last year “isn’t all bad,” because the extension of the 2008 legislation continues direct and countercyclical payments and milk supports.

Grain markets beginning shift

The tightness and low stocks-to-use ratios for oilseeds has been driven primarily by China, and by worldwide demand for feed grains and corn. While many factors can have an impact on the degree of the anticipated price declines, the biggest single factor — as always, will be the weather.

Strong demand should help support cotton prices

With the outlook for significantly less cotton acreage in the U.S. this year, production and consumption numbers are continually changing. The same conditions that took the cotton market to its highs in late January remain in place.

Cotton prices stronger than expected

With the Chinese government sitting on a huge chunk of the current world cotton supply and an outlook for sharp acreage cutbacks in the U.S. this year, support should continue for prices in the 80-cent range, says O.A. Cleveland, Jr.

Southwest eyes more drought

Indications are that the March through May period will see a continuation of the trend toward dry conditions with "probably below normal rainfall” from June through August.

$11 billion road to China for US soybeans

Today China is the largest customer for U.S. soybeans, buying almost one-fourth of all the soybeans grown in the U.S. — more than $11 billion worth annually.

Bigger cotton slide fended off by Chinese reserves

20 million cotton bales of reserves being held off the market by the Chinese government fended off an even bigger market slide.

Cotton ginning costs reduced by volume

Cotton gins in the West and Southwest had the highest per bale ginning costs, while those in the Mid-South and Southeast had the lowest, according to a survey taken during the 2010 ginning season.

Cotton ginning industry battles budget and regulatory issues

Budget cuts that threaten ginning and fiber quality research programs, and increasing regulatory issues continue as key concerns for the ginning industry, says Lee Tiller, president of the National Cotton Ginners Association.

Hunting offers income boost for US landowners

Outdoor recreation in the U.S. is big business, with 88 million participants who spend $122 billion. Hunting accounts for $23 billion, fishing $42 billion, and wildlife watching $46 billion.