At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were mixed, adjusting spreads. October live cattle closed $.10 lower at $218.77 and December live cattle closed $.02 higher at $218.40. September feeder cattle closed $1.60 lower at $332.95 and October feeder cattle closed $.07 lower at $325
A southern Minnesota farmer says he’s optimistic about harvest later this fall. Lawrence Sukalski grows corn and soybeans near Fairmont. “Of course August makes the soybeans, but the corn really looks excellent.” He tells Brownfield the weather has been timely. “We’ve been up and down. Dry and wet.
An Iowa-based agronomist says it’s been an impressive growing season in his coverage area. Greg Sheperd with Beck’s says crops in southeast Iowa look phenomenal. “It was a little bit cooler there through April and especially May. Got a little bit dried out and then into June we got some more heat an
Soybeans were sharply higher on fund and technical buying. Domestic demand continues to be solid, with the July NOPA member crush up on the month and year. The crush was smaller than expected at 216.647 million tons, that’s still 2.307 million above June and 20.948 million larger than July 2025. Soy
A dairy market analyst says tighter milk supplies could have an impact on the industry’s ability to produce dairy products moving forward. Sarah Jungman with AgMarket.net says the summer heat is making it more difficult to maintain production levels. “When the weather starts to heat up, and cow comf
Several farm families that have been around since Missouri became a state are being recognized as Founding Farms at the Missouri State Fair. Andy Clay, the vice-president of Missouri Farm Bureau, is a seventh-generation farmer in Moniteau County. “We were originally settled in 1816,” he says. “At th
The continued lack of rain has started to turn Michigan’s dry bean crop in parts of the Saginaw Bay region. Roger Hupfer with Freeland Bean and Grain tells Brownfield, “They’re stressing right now, and I think you’re starting to see some ripening, some of that is maybe a little bit premature ripenin
An eastern Illinois farmer says he’s expecting a good harvest this year. Bryan Severs, who raises corn, soybeans, and cattle in Vermilion County and serves as chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association, says rain hasn’t been an issue. “Got a few holes and things, but all in all, a good crop.” He s
A farmer from Audrain County, Missouri says a state fair rain that happened over the weekend is welcome news. Beth Schnitker tells Brownfield “We’ve been out scouting and we’re seeing plants with a lot of pods. We’re hopeful all of those pods fill with some soybeans.” Schnitker says the corn is matu
A central Wisconsin farmer says he wouldn’t mind a few more rains to finish out his crops. Chad Bruss, who raises corn and alfalfa on a 180-head dairy in Green Lake County, says it’s been dry in his area. “We got a nice rain over a two-day period here at the end of July, and […] The post Wisconsin f
U.S. crop condition ratings mostly declined over the past week. Last week was another generally mixed week of weather, near ideal in some areas, dry in others, and excessively wet in parts of the region. The USDA says 60% of U.S. corn is rated good to excellent, down 1%, with 97% of the crop silking
A farmer in eastern South Dakota says the crops are mixed as the dry August continues. “If the whole country was looking like South Dakota, it’d be bringing back memories of 2012,” Scott VanderWal, who farms in Brookings County, tells Brownfield. VanderWal says he was feeling bad about the corn and
Sep. corn $4.65, up 6 centsSep. soybeans $12.01, up 23 and 1/4 centsSep. soybean meal $312.10, up $1.90Sep. soybean oil 71.44, up 200 pointsSep. Chicago wheat $6.74 and 3/4, unchangedOct. live cattle $218.77, down 10 centsSep. feeder cattle $332.95, down $1.60Oct. lean hogs $81.72, down 2 centsSep.
Southeast Nebraska farmer Jay Hansen says his corn and soybean crops are in great shape heading into the final stretch of the season. “Corn looks like it will be one of our better years. Soybeans really look good.” He tells Brownfield both crops benefited from timely rains, and it appears that disea
Corn harvest is underway for south-central Kansas farmer James Moreland. “Dryland in this area has been somewhere between 80 and 100 bushel an acre. For our area, that’s pretty good. Test weights have been acceptable. I’m pretty happy after the second half of the summer to do something like we’ve ha
The president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is concerned following the abrupt closure of a beef processing facility in Illinois. Gene Copenhaver says while this is an exciting time for the beef industry, there are hurdles to overcome. “In eastern Iowa and western Illinois with the Tys
A north central Ohio farmer says the recent rainfall has helped advance this year’s corn and soybean crop. Patty Mann says they have gotten over 9 inches of rain in the last 10 days. “The moisture has really added some additional growth on the top,” she says. “If we get some favorable conditions fro
A southeast Indiana farmer says recent severe weather has led to widespread flooding across the state. Roger Wenning says his area has gotten more than 8 inches of rain in the last two weeks. “A little narrow downburst of wind came through and ripped a bunch of trees out,” he says. “It took down a [
The USDA’s chief scientist says farmer input is vital to the department’s ongoing data modernization efforts. During a listening session at the Illinois State Fair, Dr. Scott Hutchins, who also serves as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, told attendees the goal is to reduce pro
Going into the final stretch of the growing season, Brevant Seeds retail sales agronomist Jason Welker says that despite a challenging spring, corn in central Nebraska looks really good. He tells Brownfield that staying consistent with management has been a major takeaway, and he expects above-avera
An economist points to a rainy week at the Iowa State Fair for his bright outlook when harvest gets underway next month. Christopher Pudenz with Iowa Farm Bureau says rain is forecast the final six days of the fair. “There is an economic story behind that, Iowa is going to have a good corn crop.” […
A chief marketplace officer with FCS Financial says high input costs are squeezing working capital and could keep farm margins tight into 2027. Chad Roberts tells Brownfield the biggest cost increases are expected to be in seed, chemicals, labor and possibly cash rents. “No doubt our customers are l
The Missouri State Fair’s 4-H Building has had a major renovation. Rachel Augustine with the Missouri 4-H Foundation tells Brownfield the updates to the structure maintain the historic integrity of the 120-year-old building. “Increasing the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, making it safer for the the
Indiana Governor Mike Braun has declared a disaster emergency due to historic flooding, tornado, and derecho activity across the state. He says the Indiana Department of Homeland Security will disperse funds for impacted communities under the state’s Disaster Relief Fund program. On Friday, Braun re
The recently retired Iowa FFA state president says the Iowa State Fair gives members a unique opportunity to showcase their hard work and achievements. Chloe Zittergruen wrapped up her term as state president in April, and she tells Brownfield she’s always looked forward to the prep work that goes i
Corn export inspections remain on pace to meet USDA’s estimate for the current marketing year. The USDA says the top destinations for U.S. corn during the week ending August 13th were key trading partners Mexico and Japan, both of which import primarily for livestock feed usage. While sorghum and so
Direct cash cattle trade activity is quiet, typical for a Monday. Bids and asking prices have yet to surface. Showlists this week are mostly steady in Texas and Nebraska, but higher in Kansas. Look for significant trade volume to take place in the back half of the week. Deals last week were marked a
Cash dairy prices were mostly up Monday to start the week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was up $0.0050 to $0.6950. No sales were reported. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.0025 to $1.5975. No sales were reported. Cheese barrels were up $0.0025 to $1.5650. No sales were reported.
The Bruce L. Rastetter 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair has been a popular attraction for fairgoers this year. Iowa 4-H Foundation executive director Emily Saveraid says the facility is packed with thousands of high-quality projects. “It’s really the best of the best of what young people
A crop protection cropping systems specialist says Nebraska soybean growers are seeing varying levels of losses from the state’s top two insects. Justin McMechan with the University of Nebraska says soybean gal midge continues to impact yield potential. “This year it’s out there. It’s very abundant,
