An ag economist at the University of Illinois says double-cropping soybeans with wheat has the greatest profit potential for farmers in warmer growing regions next year. Gary Schnitkey tells Brownfield, “Wheat double-cropped soybeans is projected to be more profitable than either corn or stand-alone
Iowa farmer Dan Keitzer is the new first vice president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and says finding new uses for corn is critical to growers’ profitability. On this episode of Managing for Profit, he specifically points to untapped potential in the biofuels sector. The post Finding additi
ADM is helping farmers connect with local grain markets through its Producer Direct program. ADM’s Brooke Achenbach tells Brownfield the goal is to make grain delivery as convenient and efficient as possible. “Some farmers don’t actually know they can deliver their grain direct to ADM,” she said. “I
A rice farmer in the Missouri Bootheel is wrapping up harvest and says he doesn’t have much of his crop marketed. Rance Daniels, who farms in Dunklin County, says while rice futures prices have improved lately, basis has widened. “The milled rice prices need to improve, so the basis will narrow back
A ribbon cutting happened this week for the $1.8 million newly expanded Swine Education and Research Facility at South Dakota State University. “We’re able to build two new wean-to-finish nutrition rooms, and that allows us to finish and do research on every group of animals that’s farrowed here at
A central Iowa farmer says he’s cautiously optimistic about the upcoming fall harvest. Grant Kimberley is a sixth-generation farmer from Maxwell. “Overall, I’d say things are looking pretty good. Now, we did catch that extremely heavy rainfall in early July at 10-13 inches.” He tells Brownfield that
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the state’s farmers are adopting cover crops at a record pace. “We have now for the first time enrolled 1 million acres in our cover crop cost-share in the state of Iowa.” He says that’s up from 700,000 acres enrolled in state cost-share programs in 2025. “We have be
Soybeans were lower on profit taking and technical selling. Traders continue to watch weather and get ready for the USDA’s supply, demand, and production numbers out Friday. Beans are also looking at weather ahead of widespread planting in South America. Ahead of Wednesday’s open, China bought 340,0
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle were mixed, feeders were up waiting on direct business to develop. October live cattle closed $1.17 lower at $215.85 and December live cattle closed $.75 lower at $218.47. October feeder cattle closed $.37 higher at $325.80 and November feeder cattle c
Some farm groups say President Trump’s Executive Order supporting American ranchers is a positive step forward for gray wolf management. Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Tyler Wenzlaff tells Brownfield the past four administrations have taken steps to delist or remove protections for wolves in some capacity.
An Indiana-based ag realtor says strong demand for farm land has helped stabilize values across the state. Johnny Klemme is the co-owner of Geswein Farm and Land. “In your more rural locations, it’s being driven by soil quality, drainage, and access to markets,” he says. “When you get the right peop
An agricultural economist with Advance Trading says the USDA’s September supply and demand report is typically volatile for commodity markets. Brian Basting tells Brownfield, “Over the last 10 years or so, not every year, but frequently, we’ve seen as much as 10 to 15 cent move in the corn market, b
Dec. corn $5.27 and 3/4, down 5 and 3/4 centsNov. soybeans $13.09 and 1/2, down 6 and 3/4 centsOct. soybean meal $345.10, up $1.80Oct. soybean oil 70.08, down 14 pointsDec. Chicago wheat $7.28 and 3/4, down 18 and 1/4 centsOct. live cattle $215.85, down $1.17Oct. feeder cattle $325.82, up 37 centsOc
Broiler hatchery numbers were mixed. The USDA says 248.953 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubation, falling 1.672 million on the week partially due to high heat in some areas impacting productivity, but still up 1% on the year thanks to a larger number of laying hens. 193.442 million broi
John Finneseth with Atticus LLC says farmers attending the Farm Progress Show in central Iowa last week were concerned about high input costs. “The markets have been in our favor the past couple weeks, but haven’t been probably the last 18 months. So a lot of guys are just kind of really interested
Two Midwest farmers tell Brownfield they’ve already locked in fertilizer for next year’s crops. “It hurts,” says Bob Metz, who farms with his sons in northeast South Dakota. He says writing the check was tough, but fertilizer isn’t dramatically more expensive than last year. “Just because it was up
An ag economist says more farmers are using artificial intelligence to support business decisions. Michael Langemeier with Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture says more than 30 percent of respondents in the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer named strategic planning as th
We’ve come a long way baby. . . The 2026 Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa, sure struck a chord when it comes to just how much agriculture has changed. Everywhere I looked, there was technology: artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, drones, precision agriculture, and machines capable of s
Cash dairy prices were mostly up Wednesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was up $0.0050 to $0.7575. One sale was reported at that price. Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0075 to $1.47. Three sales were reported ranging from $1.46 to $1.47. Cheese barrels were unchanged at $1.5325.
A certified crop advisor says partnering with agricultural research projects can give better insights into how non-traditional management strategies could benefit farmers. Jason Stegink, with Wide Angle Agriculture, is a member of Michigan State University’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Project advisory
Direct cash cattle trade activity is quiet again. Bids and asking prices have yet to surface. Packer interest could improve as the day progresses, but significant trade volume could hold out until sometime Thursday or Friday. Boxed beef was mixed at midday with very good and light demand for solid o
A farmer in southwest Iowa considers himself fortunate as many growers across the Midwest have received too much or too little rainfall. Mark Peterson farms near Stanton and says rains have been timely this summer. “In late June and part of July we’d get right on the edge of ‘oh good I don’t have to
Despite many differences in their operations, a pair of Midwestern farmers say rising diesel costs are cutting into already tight margins. Jeff Scates, who raises corn and soybeans in far southern Illinois, says the pre-harvest market rally has helped offset some of the impact, but… “The jury’s stil
Ag and biofuel groups are welcoming further guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit. Growth Energy senior vice president of regulatory affairs Chris Bliley says the update is exciting for biofuel producers and for farmers. “This actually shows that farmers can reap the benefits of the c
A pair of farmers say extremely high diesel prices are forcing them to rethink how they manage equipment and field work this fall. “I think the fuel price is up 60 percent from last winter and spring. It’s just hard to fathom” Eastern Nebraska farmer Quentin Connealy says he didn’t get enough fuel l
The executive director of Midwest Food Bank says a new partnership is helping provide emergency hunger relief in areas impacted by recent flooding. Todd Greenwood says Red Gold donated more than $50,000 in financial and food assistance to support recovery efforts. “It was Indiana farmers growing the
A market analyst says he’s closely watching USDA’s corn and soybean yield estimates in this week’s supply and demand report. Jim McCormick with AgMarket.Net says the biggest impact could be to local basis levels. “If you keep that yield closer to 180 on the higher end of the trade estimate, you’re s
An ag economist at the University of Illinois says he’s somewhat optimistic about the direction of commodity prices primarily due to demand prospects created by biofuels. In a recent FarmDoc webinar, Nick Paulson says updated federal policies are driving soy-based biodiesel and renewable diesel prod
Crop input costs will be a major factor in farmer profitability next year. Daniel Faidley with Atticus says the company is a post-patent manufacturer of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. “Our intent is to provide more options to growers than maybe they’ve had in the past, or at least being a
In this episode of Managing for Profit, Ty Kreitman with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City says many crop producers are still facing economic headwinds. The post Ag credit conditions expected to continue to decline in 2027 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.
