A dairy lender with Farm Credit Services of America says herd expansion and genetic improvements are driving an increase in milk production growth. Tim Van Hofwegen says producers continue to improve herd genetics. “With the butterfat percentage and the protein percentage, we’re seeing those numbers
A new, interactive play-based learning gallery for beef education made its debut at the Missouri State Fair this year. Teagan Engle, a student at the University of Missouri, says the mobile exhibit was designed to engage a younger group. However… “We’ve targeted parents to help them teach their kids
The Missouri State Fair’s Sale of Champions and Best of Missouri Sale raised $384,500 on the final weekend of the fair. Ag Director Chris Chinn tells Brownfield it’s fun to see youth exhibitors showcase their best projects. “You know, when you listen to these kids thank the people who helped them, I
U.S. wheat trade numbers continue to reflect slow global demand. The USDA says wheat export inspections during the week ending August 20th were sharply below year ago levels and less than what’s needed to meet projections for the current marketing year. U.S. wheat exports have been hampered by relat
Cash dairy prices were mixed Monday to start the week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was unchanged at $0.7025. No sales were reported. Forty-pound cheese blocks were also unchanged at $1.5275. Twelve sales were reported ranging from $1.52 to $1.53. Cheese barrels were up $0.01 to $1.57
Direct cash cattle trade activity is off to a quiet start. Showlists this week are mixed, lower in Texas and Kansas, and up slightly in Nebraska. Bids and asking prices have yet to surface. Significant trade volume isn’t expected until sometime Thursday or Friday. Boxed beef was mixed at midday with
Crop pests have been a problem for some farmers in southeast South Dakota. Kevin Deinert grows corn, soybeans, and forages near Mitchell. “We’ve seen a lot of insect problems, whether that would be grasshoppers or anything of that nature. So I think there’s been a push to maybe treat some of those f
Strong domestic processing demand continues to support soybean prices. University of Minnesota Extension grain market economist Ed Usset calls the crushing pace “unbelievable.” “I look at the crushing margins and they’ve been fantastic for a couple of years now, they continue to be fantastic even as
A professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois says three years of research shows that winter canola could be a profitable venture for Midwestern farmers. D.K. Lee says canola provides the environmental benefits of a cover crop if added to a conventional corn-soy rotati
As the growing season nears the finish line, Brevant Seeds retail sales agronomist Brianna Gehrig says farmers in northwestern Illinois dealt with a wet spring and rainy June. She tells Brownfield growers can use those challenges to help make strategic seed selections for next year. The post 2026: A
Across the Corn Belt, a thunderstorm cluster is producing heavy rain and localized wind damage in the Great Lakes region. As the day progresses, the threat of severe weather will shift southeastward. Elsewhere, hot, dry weather favors summer crop maturation, with Friday’s high temperatures expected
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- or above-normal temperatures and precipitation nationwide. The south-central and southeastern U.S. have the greatest likelihood of experiencing unusually hot weather. Meanwhile, parts of the Pacific Northwest and Desert Southwest have the great
Despite a relatively active weather pattern, featuring several cold fronts and monsoon-related showers, most parts of the U.S. will receive below-normal rainfall during the next 5 days. Exceptions will include the Southeast, where totals of 1 to 4 inches may occur, and an area stretching from the ce
An ag economist says the latest Cattle on Feed report from the USDA should be supportive to the cattle market. Kenny Burdine is with the University of Kentucky. “It’s a simple story here,” he says. “Placements are lower than expected. Marketings are is as expected, but we marketed more than we place
U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says she supports President Trump’s proposal to temporarily ease restrictions on imported beef. “I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a president that has been more supportive of agriculture and farmers and ranchers than President Trump,” she said Friday night at t
Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying, finishing the week with strong gains. Beans had an up and down end to the week while watching late development weather. A major private crop tour is pointing towards lower-than-last-year pod counts and yields in some key growing areas, pot
A specialist sees several challenges facing rural communities. Leah Thiele is director of rural capital solutions with Compeer Financial and says she focuses on business and entrepreneurship. “We’ve actually been doing a lot of research lately with our clients and with some of our partners, because
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, finished the day mostly higher watching direct business develop and waiting on the Cattle on Feed numbers. October live cattle closed $0.07 lower at $217.92 and December live Cattle closed $0.22 higher at $218.50. September feeder cattle closed $0.10 higher at $32
Michigan State University Extension educators say they want every beginning farmer to have access to a mentor. Community Food Systems Educator Mariel Borgman is leading the MSU First-Generation Farmer Mentorship Program. “There’s no one-size-fits-all market for a farmer, and I think that’s where men
Sep. corn $4.83 and 3/4, up 5 centsSep. soybeans $12.25, up 4 and 1/4 centsSep. soybean meal $317.70, up $2.00Sep. soybean oil 69.35, down 183 pointsSep. Chicago wheat $6.81 and 1/2, down 1 and 1/4 centsOct. live cattle $217.92, down 7 centsSep. feeder cattle $329.02, up 10 centsOct. lean hogs $80.8
A policy economist says about a third of Wisconsin counties don’t have access to inspected meat processors. Success Okafor with the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute says livestock producers can’t raise more animals if there isn’t space to process them. “If you are from Colorado, if you are from
The president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association says he thinks there’s still a chance for a farm bill this year. “Albeit a slim one.” Trent Kubik says the Senate Ag Committee’s markup ahead of the August recess left farmers with many questions, and the South Dakota Congressional delegatio
A senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City says agricultural credit conditions continue to tighten for many row crop producers. Ty Kreitman says many producers are still facing economic headwinds. “We’re coming off of year three of very tight margins,” he says. “2027 will be year
Cattle placements and marketings during July were the lowest for the month on record. The USDA says 1.422 million head of cattle were placed into feedlots last month, below pre-report expectations, and down 11% on the year. That strong decline is due to ongoing drought in some of the major feeding a
The vice president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association says most producers are not only preparing for harvest, but they’re also wading through uncertainty about the 2027 crop. “It may seem like it’s a slow time on the farm, but a lot of important conversations are being had right now.” Don Guin
The chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee says China is making progress on its purchase commitments of U.S. soybeans. Jason Smith, a U.S. Congressman from Missouri, tells Brownfield… “They’ve already purchased over 13 million metric tons, so they’re halfway there. They got more work to
The Sale of Champions and Best of Missouri Sale are coming up at the Missouri State Fair. Superintendent Chuck Miller tells Brownfield “We’ll start with the Best of Missouri Sale. It will have beef, pork, lamb and goat carcasses. We will sell some champion cheeses, some Agri-Missouri products, a cou
Hundreds of Iowa farm families received special recognition at the Iowa State Fair for preserving their agricultural heritage. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says 514 families were honored with Century or Heritage Farm designations. “Multiple generations on the stage at one time (Thursday),” he said. “
Cash dairy prices were mixed Friday to end the week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was unchanged at $0.7025. No sales were reported. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.0050 to $1.5275. No sales were reported. Cheese barrels were unchanged at $1.5650. No sales were reported. Butter
President Trump has announced a deal that he says will lower beef prices for American consumers. According to his post on Truth Social, for the next 90 days, the U.S. will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no “out of quota” tariff. Ethan Lane, senior vice
