A farm business management instructor says crops in south-central Minnesota have bounced back from some early season struggles. Kristina McVicker with South Central College in Mankato tells Brownfield soil crusting was an issue after heavy rains in late April. “But there wasn’t a whole lot widesprea
The USDA says crop conditions improved in Iowa over the last week. Monday’s Crop Progress report says 80% of Iowa corn is in good to excellent condition with soybeans rated at 79%. Both were up from the previous week. State Ag Secretary Mike Naig tells Brownfield the improvement comes despite the cu
A southwest Wisconsin farmer says 13 inches of rain since the start of June has been plentiful for crops this season. Darin Von Ruden tells Brownfield, “Some of the early planted corn is already putting on some pretty good size ears here in the western part of the state.” He says forage crops have a
Soybeans were sharply higher on fund and technical buying. Parts of the region will see near-term rainfall, but it could miss some areas, and long-term forecasts are mostly hot and dry. These conditions at these stages of development could trim production potential. Weather is also having an impact
A southwest Michigan blueberry grower says harvest this past month has been tempered by winter injury and several spring frosts. Tom Bodke tells Brownfield, “Our pickouts are not as much as we were expecting.” “We’re in mid-season right now,” he says. “The quality has been good. The pricing has been
Sep. corn $4.49 and 1/2, up 4 and 3/4 centsAug. soybeans $12.26, up 21 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal $323.50, up $3.30Aug. soybean oil 74.68, down 13 pointsSep. Chicago wheat $6.74, down 8 and 3/4 centsAug. live cattle $226.52, up $2.10Aug. feeder cattle $352.00, up $6.05Aug. lean hogs $101.27, dow
Not many changes to U.S. corn and soybean condition ratings over the past week as high heat blankets much of the Midwest and Plains. Still, state-by-state, the numbers vary widely, and both of those crops are in key stages of development and weather could potentially trim yield. The USDA says 67% of
A north-central Ohio farmer says this year’s wheat harvest is quickly approaching. Owen Niese tells Brownfield he expects the combines to start rolling in just three weeks. “We’ve been feeding the crop some foliar feed and fungicide to get it ready to go, ” he says. He says he’s concerned shifting w
A west central Indiana farmer says recent warmer weather has helped accelerate crop development. Tyler Everett tells Brownfield, “With the cold end of April and May we had, it’s really helped the corn and soybeans really take off and start to grow.” But, he tells Brownfield rainfall continues to imp
A central Illinois farmer says 2026 will be a growing season he won’t soon forget. Thomas Perkins, who raises corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cattle in Effingham County, tells Brownfield, “We did have a 40 acre piece that got hit by tornado damage. If you’ve ever seen a tornado rip through a field,
An extension ag economist sees reasons for optimism as farmers struggle with tight crop margins. Chad Hart with Iowa State University says corn and soybean usage could meet and possibly exceed production later this year. “That’s going to pull prices higher.” He tells Brownfield the market seems to b
University of Wisconsin research is evaluating how the chemical makeup of cereal rye can impact crop development when used as a cover in rotations. Forage specialist Marta Kohmann tells Brownfield allelopathy levels in cereal rye, or natural compounds that reduce emergence and growth in other plants
Iowa’s Ag Secretary is urging the U.S. Senate to advance legislation that would allow year-round, nationwide sales of E15 gasoline. Mike Naig tells Brownfield, “Whether it goes in a farm bill, goes as a standalone, or goes in a supplemental budget, I don’t particularly care as long as it moves. It’s
An increased number of laying hens continues to push U.S. egg production higher. The USDA says 8.899 billion eggs were produced during June, rising 4% on the year, with 1% decrease in average production per 100 layers more than canceled out by a 5% increase in the number of layers. U.S. egg producer
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed an executive order to suspend tax incentives for new data center development across the state. “It’s critical that we protect our consumers and our water,” he says. “We need to make sure that we attract companies that give and don’t take.” Nebraska Farm Bureau
The USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs says he’s confident the review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement can strengthen top U.S. export markets. “Adding new access is the goal here, not reducing access for U.S. producers.” Luke Lindberg tells Brownfield there aren’t simple fixes
An agronomist says it’s currently a prime time to be out scouting fields. Hoegemeyer’s Eric Solberg tells Brownfield, “First off, I want to make sure you go out there and get an accurate stand count. When the (corn) ears are pollinated, you need an accurate ear count. Because they may have planted 3
Corn export inspections continue to make a strong push into the end of the marketing year. The USDA says the amount of corn that left U.S. during the week ending July 16th was up on the year and well above what’s needed to meet the target for 2025/26, which runs through the end of August. […] The po
Cash dairy prices were mixed on Monday to start the week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was unchanged at $0.6950. No sales were recorded. Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0025 to $1.63. Five sales were recorded ranging from $1.6275 to $1.63. Cheese barrels were up $0.0150 to $1.627
Direct cash cattle trade activity is quiet, typical for a Monday. Bids and asking prices have yet to surface. Buyers and sellers are preparing for the week ahead, but significant trade volume isn’t expected until sometime Thursday or Friday. Last week, dressed business sin the North ranged from $370
An official with Texas Tech University expects U.S. sorghum acreage to grow as more farmers see its benefits. Monty Christian is the university’s executive director of marketing strategies in the research and development department and says sorghum is a great rotation crop. “If you’ve been monocropp
An agronomist encourages farmers to use every available tool to scout for pests. Kurt Maertens with BASF says walking fields remains a critical part of crop protection. “I like to tell folks (to) dissect that corn canopy (by) bottom third, middle third, top third. Looking for these different lesions
A U.S. EPA official says the agency’s proposal to end Diesel Exhaust Fluid system deratements would be a win for farmers and truckers. Aaron Szabo is the assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “So this means that of all the 200 plus failure modes that have nothing to do wi
John Deere’s new ethanol-powered tractor could create additional demand for U.S. corn farmers. Buddy Kavalier, a John Deere ethanol awareness champion, says the E98 tractor is an 8R-series model is a prototype fueled by E98 pure ethanol. “It’s an engine solution for our customers that eliminates die
A mid-year financial checkup can help farmers stay on track before the busy harvest season arrives. Austin Bailey, a commercial livestock lender with FCS Financial, says reviewing finances now allows producers to compare their current situation with the cash flow projections they made earlier this y
Market analyst Don Roose with U.S. Commodities says he’s encouraged by recent steps by the U.S. and China to ease trade tensions. He tells Brownfield both countries seem ready to roll back tariffs and potentially move forward on China’s May commitment to purchase at least $17 billion of U.S. agricul
A commodities economist says demand, not weather, has been driving the grain markets. Arlan Suderman with StoneX Group says the heat dome hasn’t been a major threat to the Corn Belt, and attention is shifting to China as they follow through on their purchase commitments. “They’re behind some recent
Construction on the new Michael L. Parson area is wrapping up this month in mid-Missouri, just in time for the Missouri State Fair. Ag Director Chris Chinn tells Brownfield there will be a grand opening the first day of the fair. “The Clydesdales will be there from Anheuser-Busch,” she says. “But mo
The U.S. Trade Representative is imposing 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on Brazilian goods following its Section 301 Investigation, including ethanol. Arlan Suderman with StoneX Group tells Brownfield, “They have a rapidly expanding ethanol demand base.” “They’re now at 32 percent ethanol-blended g
Soybeans were higher on fund and technical buying, cementing weekly gains. Ahead of Friday’s open, the USDA announced the sales of 340,000 tons of U.S. beans to China, 256,634 tons to Mexico, and 120,000 tons to unknown destinations, all for 2026/27 delivery. That was welcome news after a couple of
