U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley is encouraged by recent comments by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer concerning the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement. The Iowa Republican says renewing USMCA would bring stability to agriculture. “I know that renewal is up in the air, but I know there are a lot of neg
Cash dairy prices were mostly down Tuesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was down $0.0250 to $0.6550. Four sales were reported ranging from $0.6550 to $0.6675. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.04 at $1.5550. Thirteen sales were reported ranging from $1.54 to $1.5650. Cheese barr
An ag economist says it’s been a tough couple of months for the cattle complex. Josh Maples with Mississippi State University Extension tells Brownfield the five area price is currently about $230 per hundredweight. “This is down about 11% from a month ago,” he says. “And it’s down about 12% from th
Direct cash cattle trade activity is starting to pick up. Bids have been floated in Kansas at $228 live and in Nebraska at $360 dressed. Asking prices remain elusive. There was a light round of business reported in Nebraska Monday at $360 dre, that’s $5 lower than the prior week’s weighted averages.
The vice president of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition says a recent first-of-its-kind contest is designed to encourage more youth involvement in the world of grazing. Trevor Toland, who raises cattle in western Illinois, says teams of high school to college age students were recently tasked wit
The chief atmospheric scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions says most of the U.S. corn crop is pollinating in less-than-ideal conditions. Eric Snodgrass says much of the Corn Belt saw high heat throughout the month of July. “Did the heat during pollination do anything to cause some issues?” He says, “
The USDA shows an improvement in corn and soybean conditions in Missouri at the end of July, and Arlan Suderman with StoneX Group says it’s unusual. “We normally do trend lower in the ratings from July into roughly the middle part of August.” Suderman tells Brownfield rains might have helped improve
Crop conditions dipped a little in Minnesota over the past week. USDA’s latest weekly crop update shows 77 percent of corn and 78 percent of soybeans in good to excellent condition, still well above the respective national averages. Brownton farmer Ryan Mackenthun tells Brownfield outside of a small
Soybeans were sharply lower on profit taking and technical selling. Forecasts generally have cooler weather for many key growing areas, with some better rain potential in parts of the region, as the calendar turns to August, a key month for soybean development. The USDA says 63% of U.S. beans are in
A southeastern Illinois beef producer says adequate rains are keeping his pastures in good shape this summer. Cliff Schuette, who raises cattle in Clinton County, tells Brownfield… “We have plenty of grass at this point.” He says, “Overall, we’re above average on rainfall so when you have rainfall,
The USDA says crop conditions held mostly steady in Kansas over the past week. According to the latest crop progress report, Kansas corn is 70 percent silking, 34 percent in the dough stage, and rated 54 percent good to excellent. Soybeans are 63 percent blooming, 39 percent setting pods, and rated
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were mostly sharply lower following the news that the US plans to resume live cattle imports from Mexico. August live cattle closed $1.85 lower at $225.22 and October live cattle closed $3.72 lower at $218.77. August feeder cattle closed $7.
A mid-Michigan farmer says he’s hopeful that storms this week will bring needed precipitation to recharge soils in his region. Gratiot County’s John Peck tells Brownfield it’s been dry for most of the month. “They had all these pocket rains, and I happened to get lucky and have a 4/10 come through s
The USDA says crop conditions continue to advance in Nebraska. According to the latest crop progress report, Nebraska corn is 79 percent silking, 18 percent in the dough stage, and rated 60 percent good to excellent. Soybeans are 85 percent blooming, 39 percent setting pods, and rated 61 percent goo
A north central Wisconsin farmer says his crops need some rain. Adam Baumann, who raises corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, ginseng, and cattle in Marathon County, tells Brownfield… “The end of June into July turned quite dry.” He says, “We are begging for some rain right now. We do have some crops all
The USDA says crop conditions mostly held steady in Iowa last week. Monday’s Crop Progress report says 80% of Iowa corn is in good to excellent condition, unchanged on the week, and soybeans are rated 78%, down one percentage point. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig tells Brownfield crop conditions have b
A corn agronomist with University of Kentucky Extension says he’s cautiously optimistic about the U.S. corn crop. “There’s a lot of things that could happen, but right now, we’re set up for some really good yields.” Chad Lee tells Brownfield USDA’s estimate of the 186.5 bushels/acre average for corn
Sep. corn $4.51 and 3/4, down 12 and 1/2 centsAug. soybeans $12.08 and 1/2, down 39 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal $320.80, down $10.50Aug. soybean oil 71.46, down 287 pointsSep. Chicago wheat $6.60, down 18 centsAug. live cattle $225.22, down $1.85Aug. feeder cattle $338.25, down $7.07Aug. lean hog
U.S. crop condition ratings were steady to lower over the past week. That followed another generally mixed week of weather across the nation, including a hot, dry pattern in parts of the Midwest and Plains that’s had at least some impact on corn and soybeans. The USDA says 63% of U.S. corn is in goo
A southwest Ohio farmer says it’s been a mixed year for crop development across the state. Scott Metzger says favorable conditions early in the season helped get his corn and soybean crops off to a strong start. “We got everything planted very timely,” he says. “We had everything planted by the thir
A farmer in south central South Dakota says the crops are hanging on as triple digit temperatures impact the farm this week. “We were at 106 degrees, at times, and it feels like 115 degrees. It’s just incredibly hot.” Trent Kubik says soil moisture from June rains, and the humidity has been a saving
A west central Indiana farmer says the summer heat is starting to have an impact on crop development. Kevin Cox tells Brownfield, “We missed some rains where we’re supposed to have been getting last week starting today. We’re back up in the 90s, starting to see some of those thinner, thinner soils,
Two farmers from the Missouri Bootheel and a farmer from west-central Missouri were elected to serve as officers for the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council in the next year. Kevin Mainord from East Prairie is the new chairman, Justin Rone from Portageville is vice chair and Nathan White from Nor
A southeast Texas cow/calf operator says the sterile fly dispersals have been integral in the containment of New World screwworm. Stephen Diebel says the proactive approach has made a difference. “I think it’s a manageable situation as we get to the fall and the winter months,” he says. He tells Bro
The vice president of environmental with Denali says high input costs are causing more farmers to seek out alternative fertilizers. Lauren King says some are turning to food processing residuals, or waste from large food processing facilities. “The facility will essentially try to remove some of the
A U.S. Representative from Iowa says permanent, nationwide year-round E15 would provide greater market certainty for corn growers and biofuel producers. Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says getting an E15 bill passed out of the US House earlier this year was a long time coming. “If
A pair of ag economists say it’s time to start planning for the 2027 crop. Allen Featherstone with Kansas State University says producers should start budgeting for next year’s crop and include government assistance they receive this year, including supplemental aid, ARC and PLC payments. “Whether t
Corn, sorghum, and soybean export inspections continue to make a strong push into the end of the marketing year. The USDA says physical shipments of those three commodities during the week ending July 23rd were more than what’s needed to meet projections, with just over a month remaining in 2025/26.
The CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives says Senate Ag Committee leaders are optimistic about marking up a bipartisan farm bill before the August recess. Duane Simpson says U.S. Senators John Boozman from Arkansas and Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota believe they are very close to a bipar
Extreme heat has farmers in Missouri and the western Corn Belt moving grain extra early in the morning, keeping irrigation systems up and running and monitoring cattle for heat stress. Andy Hull farms in Nodaway County, Missouri, where the heat index hit 120 degrees on Sunday. He’s been scooping out
