Ag News

The future of autonomy
Go-to-market manager for large tractors and tillage equipment Ryan Jardon says John Deere has introduced autonomy prep packages to help customers take the next step. He tells Brownfield time constraints and a lack of skilled [Read More…]

Expanding nutrition education
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced the USDA would invest $50 million to help expand access to healthy and nutritious school meals. The USDA also announced $10 million funding that will go to schools to [Read More…]

Iowa Ag Secretary credits Biden administration for pushing back on Mexico GM corn ban
Iowa’s top ag official is pleased the Biden administration is pushing back against Mexico’s GM corn ban. Ag Secretary Mike Naig says he’s been disappointed by the lack of strategy in pursuing new free trade [Read More…]

Ag business leaders change workforce recruiting strategies
Labor problems are a nationwide concern, but a group of agriculture professionals shared how they are changing the way they recruit new and future employees. Jill Leitzen from Kuhn North America says employers now recruit [Read More…]

Check on alfalfa coming out of dormancy
Scouting is important as alfalfa comes out of dormancy. University of Minnesota Extension educator Nathan Drewitz says snow melt, ice sheeting, and heavy rains can take a toll in the early spring. “If you’ve got [Read More…]

Governor Parson: a state solution needed for foreign ag land ownership
Missouri’s governor says he would like to see foreign ag land ownership be addressed at the state level, not by the federal government. Mike Parson tells Brownfield it’s a delicate issue. “I think it’s important [Read More…]

Another wild year for Illinois land values
The chairman of the Illinois Farmland Values and Lease Trends Report says 2022 was “another wild year”. Luke Worrell with Worrell Land Services in Jacksonville tells Brownfield land values spiked again in 2022, with “Class [Read More…]

Michigan House Ag Appropriations asked to support SESMA
Ag leaders from Michigan State University are asking for new funding from the state to address research, outreach, and education gaps. MSU AgBioResearch Director Dr. George Smith says the Securing Environmentally Sustainable Michigan Agriculture, or [Read More…]

Fueling Conversations: Programs at the USDA aim to increase clean fuels infrastructure, production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has several Rural Development Energy Programs aimed at increasing production of advanced biofuels and expanding the infrastructure for clean fuels like biodiesel derived from U.S. agricultural feedstocks. In this episode [Read More…]

The benefits of cleaner-burning fuels to your health
B20 is a biofuel that contains 20% biodiesel. Helena Jette, biofuels director for the Indiana Soybean Alliance says as the use of B20 increases greenhouse gas emissions reductions and improves overall air quality. AUDIO: [Read More…]

Supreme Court to decide Clean Water Act enforcement case
The Supreme Court has been asked to determine who has the primary authority to enforce the Clean Water Act. A South Carolina case involves Arabella Farm and its efforts to clear about 20 acres near [Read More…]

Taylor leads first agribusiness trade mission in Panama
A USDA trade mission in Panama this week is working to expand market opportunities for US ag goods. Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs Alexis Taylor says the delegation had more than 300 meetings [Read More…]

Registration for revived Wisconsin farm program starts in April
A college instructor says potential students for the recently revived Wisconsin Farm and Industry Short Course are already trying to get registration information. Dr. Steven Kelm Dr. Steven Kelm with the University of Wisconsin River [Read More…]

Cattle futures lower as direct business unfolds
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were lower watching direct business develop. April live cattle closed $.12 lower at $162.30 and June lives closed $.25 lower at $155.90. April feeders closed $.32 [Read More…]

Michigan Farm Bureau advocating in D.C., meets Ukrainian Ambassador
Michigan Farm Bureau members are highlighting trade, labor, and sustainability issues in meetings with members of Congress in Washington D.C. this week. President Carl Bednarski tells Brownfield Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and her [Read More…]

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: March 22, 2023
May corn closed at $6.33 and 1/2, up 3 and 1/2 centsMay soybeans closed at $14.48 and 1/2, down 18 and 1/2 centsMay soybean meal closed at $451.60, down $9.00May soybean oil closed at 54.64, [Read More…]

Corn finishes mixed as soybeans, wheat drop
Soybeans were sharply lower on fund and technical selling. The anticipation of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates another quarter point in their efforts to tame inflation pressured commodities in general during Wednesday’s session. That’s [Read More…]

Recognizing agriculture’s role during National Ag Week
Many in the ag industry are highlighting the role agriculture plays in providing a safe and abundant food supply during National Ag Day and Week. Don Lamb is the director of the Indiana State Department [Read More…]

Ethanol production, stocks below a week ago
U.S. ethanol production declined last week and stocks got tighter. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 997,000 barrels per day, a 10-week low and a decrease of 17,000 on the week and 45,000 [Read More…]

Timing is everything
The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said the release of the updated Waters of the United States rule was timed to provide more certainty to agriculture. The timing of the release is one complaint [Read More…]