At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were higher, supported by oversold signals, waiting on direct business to develop. August live cattle closed $.42 higher at $227.90 and October live cattle closed $1.80 higher at $223.97. August feeder cattle closed $1.20 higher at $344.27 a
A divide is growing over farm labor reforms under consideration in Congress. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles tells Brownfield the bipartisan Securing Ag Workforce Act does not grant amnesty as some Republicans have been arguing. “You’re going to either offshore your food supply or you’re goi
The deputy secretary with the USDA says the agency is well into implementing its announced reorganization plans. Stephen Vaden says the goal of relocating several mission areas into five regional hubs is to improve cost savings and efficiency. “And that’s by getting more of our employees closer to t
Sep. corn $4.49, down 9 and 1/2 centsAug. soybeans $11.78, down 34 centsAug. soybean meal $315.30, down $5.00Aug. soybean oil 69.17, down 159 pointsSep. Chicago wheat $6.60 and 3/4, down 1 and 3/4 centsAug. live cattle $227.90, up 42 centsAug. feeder cattle $344.27, up $1.20Aug. lean hogs $100.67, d
The USDA says it is working with farmers and ranchers to improve its data collection process. Dr. Scott Hutchins, Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, says increased producer participation is critical to providing a more accurate data set. “What they provide us with allows us to pr
Broiler hatchery numbers continue to rise year-over-year, pointing towards higher production. The USDA says 254.026 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubation last week, up 305,000 from the previous week and 2% from a year ago, with the average rate of hatchability unchanged at 79.3%. 194.53
An agronomist in South Dakota says expanding drought conditions are raising concerns for crop growers across the region. “Still waiting on rain,” said Stu Carlson with Hoegemeyer. “We’ve got good potential out there yet.” Carlson tells Brownfield many of the state’s corn and soybean producers are on
A larger and more efficient dairy herd in June continues to keep milk production numbers above last year. Milk production in the top 24 states increased 2.4 percent in June, with production totaling 19.7 billion pounds. Per cow production increased seven pounds on the year. USDA says farmers increas
U.S. ethanol production last week was a multi-month high. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 1.133 million barrels per day, the second highest on record, rising 39,000 on the week and 37,000 on the year. The all-time average was set during the week of January 9th, 20
The Missouri Soybean Association has named a new officer team for the next year. Cody Brock from Carroll County will serve as the new president. Garrett Riekhof from Lafayette County is the vice president and Tory Meyr from Cape Girardeau County is the secretary/treasurer. The new officer team was e
A farmer in west-central Missouri says another round of economic assistance for farmers would be welcomed, but it’s not a long-term solution. Cody Brock from Carroll County tells Brownfield “It’s about input prices compared to our commodity prices. If we can get our trade opened up and get some more
Cash dairy prices were mixed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Wednesday, with significant butter and nonfat dry milk trade. Dry whey up $0.0150 at $0.67. Three sales were made from $0.6650 to $0.67. Blocks down $0.01 at $1.5450. Thirteen sales were made from $1.52 to $1.5475. Barrels down $0.02
A north central Wisconsin farmer says he’s surviving the high input cost environment by becoming as efficient as possible with his nutrient applications. Adam Baumann, who farms in Marathon County, says he keeps close track of his nitrogen use efficiency. “We’ve cut back on our nitrogen.” He says, “
The director of the Missouri State Fair says there’s a lot for fairgoers to celebrate at the 10-day event in mid-Missouri. Jason Moore tells Brownfield “The first thing you’re probably going to notice when you come on the grounds is obviously the red, white and blue to go along with our Show Me Star
An agronomist in the Eastern Corn Belt says disease pressure has been variable. Alexie Garner covers Indiana for Brevant Seeds and describes weather patterns as “widespread” since the start of the growing season. “We’ve got areas where it’s been pretty dry, areas where it’s been very wet. I mean, so
Direct cash cattle trade activity is quiet. Bids have surfaced at $228 live in the South and $360 dressed in the North. But with asking prices at $234 to $235 live in the South, and still not established in the North, it could take a bit for significant trade to get underway. There were some […] The
Commentary. Families across America are getting ready for the Semiquincentennial Celebration. This may be the only time I refer to our amazing country’s 250th anniversary as a semiquincentennial because it’s hard to spell and even harder to say! No matter what you call it, Fourth of July cookouts ar
The chief atmospheric scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions says he expects a record setting El Nino to have significant impacts this fall. Eric Snodgrass tells Brownfield, “Currently we would rank this one as strong, and based on what we know about the water temperatures still yet to surface over par
Farmers across the Upper Midwest are encouraging U.S. senators to pass legislation this week that would bring management of grey wolves back to states. Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Tyler Wenzlaff tells Brownfield, “We’re inches from the finish line here, and it’s something that we’ve been working on for
Rising energy demand for projects like data centers are forcing difficult conversations in Indiana. Clinton County farmer Alan Dunn says energy affordability and local control are top concerns as energy infrastructure grows across the state. “The grid, data centers, energy generation,” he says. “Don
A fire has damaged one of the largest kosher meat processing plants in the U.S. Officials say the fire at AgriStar Meat and Poultry in Postville, Iowa broke out early Tuesday, prompting several area fire departments to respond. According to Iowa environmental permitting records, the plant processes
In this episode of Managing for Profit, Nick Ortman with Earth Daily says using precision ag technology could help farmers make more informed management decisions. The post Using data as a tool for crop management appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.
For the remainder of the week, any heat that has crept into the western Corn Belt will be pushed out, leaving Midwestern temperatures favorable for reproductive to filling summer crops. However, significantly above-normal temperatures will persist across much of the Plains and South. Very hot weathe
A food safety expert says one of the things the current outbreak of cyclospora has exposed is the lack of traceability in the food supply chain. Julie Swann is with North Carolina State University. AUDIO: Healthy Living on traceability in the food supply chain The post Traceability and the food safe
Fuel prices have been on the rise again in recent weeks. Josh Maples, an ag economist with Mississippi State University Extension says higher spending for things like fuel won’t have an immediate impact on demand. AUDIO: Healthy Living on fuel prices and protein demand The post Higher fuel prices an
Cash rent negotiations could be complicated by tight margins this fall. Farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, who is based in Minnesota, says even with recent price improvement, the cost of producing corn and soybeans next year will likely squeeze profits. “It will be interesting what happens with c
The newly elected chairman of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council says the soybeans on his farm are filling pods as August begins. Kevin Mainord tells Brownfield “It looks really good. We’ve only had a couple of weeks of really high temperatures. Temperatures have kind of been moderate this y
Southern rust has moved as far north as central Iowa. Iowa State University Extension plant pathologist Daren Mueller says they’ve identified the corn disease in several counties. “Less than 10 (counties), but I’d say every day now I’m getting one or two emails a day with people finding it. And as o
The vice president of Washington Operations with the National Cotton Council says farm economic aid remains unsettled as Congress prepares to head into the August recess. Robbie Minnich tells Brownfield “there’s still a lot of questions about what that’s going to look like.” At the end of July, the
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle futures were higher on a bounce, feeders were mixed on spread trade. August live cattle closed $2.25 higher at $227.47 and October live cattle closed $3.40 higher at $222.17. August feeder cattle closed $4.82 higher at $343.07 and September feeder catt
