Ag News

Harvest soon to be underway in Central Nebraska
A Central Nebraska farmer says he’s on the verge of starting harvest. Clay Govier tells Brownfield, “I think we’re going to start on some irrigated soybeans next week on some of the early stuff we [Read More…]

More rain ahead on parts of the Plains, stormy in the Northwest, tropical system to impact the East Coast
Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen will make landfall on Saturday along the North Carolina coastline, southwest of Cape Hatteras. Mid-Atlantic impacts should include rainfall of 2 to 6 inches or more; widespread tropical storm-force winds (39 [Read More…]

Scattered rains across parts of Heartland; mild to warm weather prevails
Across the Corn Belt, scattered showers across the western half of the region are slowing fieldwork. In Midwestern States where the corn harvest had begun by September 17, progress ranged from 1% complete in Michigan [Read More…]

A look into where cattle markets might head
The latest Cattle on Feed report from the USDA comes out later today. University of Missouri livestock economist Scott Brown says he continues to watch the placement number each month. “After last month being lower [Read More…]

An mild to unseasonably warm pattern ahead; showery on parts of the Plains
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- or above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for cooler-than-normal conditions in the western Great Basin and Pacific Coast States. Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation across northern California, the Northwest, [Read More…]

Soybeans drying fast in southern Minnesota
Soybeans are drying down rapidly in the Upper Midwest. Southwest Minnesota farmer Bill Gordon says he’s combining beans at under 12 percent moisture that are still quite green. “So when you’re looking at the field [Read More…]

Lawmakers hopeful farm bill can be completed by end of the year
There’s optimism in Congress a new farm bill can be completed by the end of the year. Minnesota Farm Bureau vice president Carolyn Olson took part in the Federation’s annual policy fly-in to Washington D.C. [Read More…]

Drought and stalk rot causing top dieback in Midwestern corn fields
A Midwest agronomist says he is seeing a fair amount of top dieback in corn this season. Dana Harder with Burrus Seed tells Brownfield there are a couple of factors that could be causing corn [Read More…]

Red Shed brings dairy barns back to life
Demand for barn weddings has not run its course and one farm family in Michigan says it’s infused new life and revenue into their business. Ashley Lubbers tells Brownfield her wedding eight years ago was [Read More…]

Threat of corn lodging intensifies
The threat of lodging increases as corn matures in the field. Pioneer agronomist Matt Vandehaar covers central Iowa and says stalk integrity is a concern. “You may legitimately have some stalks that got cannibalized, compromised, [Read More…]

Farm bill extension coming
A U.S. Congressman from Missouri says an extension of the current farm bill is coming as disagreements about government funding continue against an end-of-the-month deadline. “The active talk is the farm bill extension and how [Read More…]

Cattle futures lower head of Friday’s report
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were lower ahead of Friday’s On Feed numbers from the USDA and waiting for cash business to develop. October live cattle closed $1.80 lower at $184.97 [Read More…]

Illinois farmer halfway done with corn harvest
Corn harvest is about halfway complete for a central Illinois farmer. Joe Bloome of Morrisonville tell Brownfield yields are about average. “Late dryness really kind of hurt us. I’m seeing some stalk quality issues [Read More…]

NFU: Right to Repair legislation best way to curb OEM’s ability to restrict data
Legislation has been introduced into the US House that would require equipment manufacturers to provide farmers the information and data to repair their own equipment. Aaron Shier with the National Farmers Union says the bill [Read More…]

Ill-timed rains for eastern Iowa farmer
Ill-timed rains have hurt crops and delayed harvest in eastern Iowa. Dan Schurr grows corn and soybeans near LeClaire and says rainfall was quite limited during the growing season. “We were quite dry in the [Read More…]

Ensuring a future for the family farm
Succession planning is a critical component to passing the farm from one generation to the next, but no two plans look alike. Rudi Pitzer Perry with Farm Credit Mid America says farmers having the [Read More…]

Cash hogs close mostly steady to higher
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures were higher, getting ready for widespread direct business and Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report. Feeders were able to shrug off the firm move in corn thanks [Read More…]

Trade mission sheds light on Japanese beef consumers
A recent trade mission highlighted what Japanese consumers are looking for when buying beef. Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association executive director Kaitlin Root traveled to Japan with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture earlier this month and [Read More…]

Probable harvest delays support soybeans, corn
Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying. Harvest activity is ongoing with minor delays expected in some areas into the weekend. Anecdotal yields are generally poor following the hot, dry finish to the [Read More…]

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: September 20, 2023
Dec. corn closed at $4.82 and 1/4, up 6 centsNov. soybeans closed at $13.20, up 4 and 1/2 centsOct. soybean meal closed at $397.20, up $5.70Oct. soybean oil closed at 60.68, down 108 pointsDec. wheat closed [Read More…]