Ag News

Across the Corn Belt, dry weather favors crop development, following a couple of weeks featuring scattered but highly beneficial showers.  U.S. corn condition improved to 55% good to excellent by July 9, up from 50% [Read More…]

Xochitl Torres Small has been confirmed as the next deputy ag secretary for USDA. The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 79-8 on Monday, and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley tells Brownfield, “I’m [Read More…]

Scattered showers across the Plains will shift eastward and will become more focused across the Midwest by the middle of the week.  Midwestern rain should linger into the weekend, especially in the southern Corn Belt.  [Read More…]

Some of Kentucky’s corn and soybean crops are showing drought stress as precipitation continues to miss parts of the state. Corn is rated 53% good to excellent with 38% silking, 12% milked, and 2% in [Read More…]

South Dakota’s corn is starting to enter its reproductive growing phases. USDA says 7% of the corn in the state is silking with the crop rated 56% good to excellent. South Dakota’s soybean conditions are [Read More…]

Timely rains in Tennessee helped in crop development and pasture recovery. Corn is rated 68% good to excellent with 71% silking and 15% in the dough stage.  Soybeans are rated 65% good to excellent with [Read More…]

Crop conditions were mixed in Arkansas last week. The state had just over 4 days available for fieldwork and soil moisture levels saw an improvement on an statewide basis. 67% of corn is called good [Read More…]

Crop development and hay harvest remain ahead of schedule in Iowa. USDA’s latest weekly crop update says corn is 22 percent silking with isolated reports of corn in the dough stage.  The corn condition rating [Read More…]

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of near- or above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for cooler-than-normal conditions in portions of the central Plains and Midwest.  Meanwhile, near- or above-normal rainfall across [Read More…]

Outdoor writer Bill Winke, host of Hoyt’s Bowhunting Whitetails, says one of the best ways to help build the deer herd on your farm is to improve the habitat. On this episode, he talks about [Read More…]

The possibility of a one-year extension grows as farm bill negotiations run deeper into the summer. On a call with reporters this morning, Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said he asked Senate Ag Committee chair [Read More…]

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has confirmed the state’s first case of anthrax in livestock since 2013. Senior veterinarian Dr. Katie Cornille says the disease sickened multiple cattle and a horse in Kittson County [Read More…]

Weather extremes are having a unique effect on soybeans in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Extension soybean agronomist Seth Naeve says a very wet and cool spring gave way to extended dryness throughout June. “We just [Read More…]

A precision agronomist says crop conditions have been favorable in northwest Iowa despite the abnormally dry conditions. Nathan Johnson is with Advanced Agrilytics. “We didn’t really start with anything in the tank this spring,” he [Read More…]

During the weekend and early next week, heat will intensify across Texas and environs.  By Monday, triple-digit (100°F) temperatures will be common across western, central, and southern Texas.  General warmth will cover much of the [Read More…]

The Food as Health Alliance, which is located at the University of Kentucky is working to bring together clinical and community research that spans agriculture, food, and health to address food insecurity and diet-related chronic [Read More…]

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts says support is growing for a bill that would prohibit state and local governments from interfering with the production of agricultural goods in other states. “We have got to make sure [Read More…]

Ukrainian farmer Kees Huizinga says he’s had a productive growing season. “Harvest of the small grains and oilseeds should be finished by the end of July or beginning of August,” he said. “It can be [Read More…]

Across the Corn Belt, a high-pressure system centered over the upper Midwest is resulting in unusually cool weather.  In contrast, warm, humid conditions—accompanied by a few showers—linger across the eastern Corn Belt.  By July 2, [Read More…]

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of above-normal temperatures in New England and throughout the southern and western U.S., while cooler-than-normal conditions will cover the northern Plains and the Midwest.  [Read More…]