Month: May 2019

The U.S. Trade Representative says China has been backing away from commitments already made in their trade negotiations with the U.S.  Robert Lighthizer told Washington reporters that is the reason President Trump is proposing an [Read More…]

A market analyst sees tremendous risk in the hog market right now. Elaine Kub says as China continues to deal with domestic hog losses related to African swine fever, it’s difficult to pinpoint the demand [Read More…]

Corn planting in Minnesota lags more than two weeks behind normal. The latest crop report from USDA says six percent of the intended corn acreage is in the ground, 17 days slower than the five-year [Read More…]

Courtesy of Pike and Scott County Farm Bureau Western Illinois farmer Wayne Brown is bracing for an expected crest on the Illinois River. “Right now it’s not bad, but by Wednesday night it’s supposed to [Read More…]

Ag suppliers are still forced to use trucks and railcars to bring inputs north for farmers. Flooding is keeping much of the Mississippi River closed to barge traffic.  The river is expected to crest Monday [Read More…]

Planting continues to be delayed in the Hoosier state because of wet conditions. The USDA says because fieldwork was limited last week, the percent of corn and soybeans planted fell significantly behind the previous year [Read More…]

Little to no fieldwork was completed in Ohio last week due to wet conditions. Corn is 2 percent planted, compared to 20 percent a year ago and the five-year average of 27 percent. Soybeans are [Read More…]

Fieldwork remains considerably slower than normal in South Dakota. The USDA says that as of Sunday, 19% of spring wheat is planted, compared to the five year average of 76%, with only 1% emerged. There’s [Read More…]

Illinois is the furthest behind average of any state in corn planting. The USDA says that as of Sunday, corn planted increased by only one percentage point from the previous week to 10%. That is [Read More…]

Another wet week across most of Missouri kept many producers out of the fields. The USDA says 49% of corn is planted, up a few points on the week, but well behind the five-year average [Read More…]

Across the Corn Belt, rain showers are occurring from the upper Great Lakes region into Nebraska. Elsewhere, chilly air is settling across the upper Midwest, while flooding continues to disrupt shipping operations in the middle [Read More…]