Ag News

Popular Illinois cover crop program faces cut
The executive director of the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts says farmers across the state are speaking out about a proposed cut to a popular cover crop program. Eliot Clay says the [Read More…]

Cheese & butter higher Tuesday at CME
Cash dairy prices were steady-to-higher except for nonfat dry milk Tuesday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was unchanged at $0.4925. No sales were recorded. Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0325 at $1.7025. Eight [Read More…]

A2 dairy – more than just milk
A2 Dairy is a specific type of milk that comes from cows that produce only the A2 beta-casein protein. Breeds like Jersey, Guernsey, and some types of Holsteins are the cows that produce that type [Read More…]

Michigan Soybean’s Port Potential
A major infrastructure investment at the Port of Monroe will provide new avenues to export Michigan soybeans. In this Pods for Profit, we’ll hear from the Port Development Coordinator about how the build-out will better [Read More…]

The Importance of Leveraging Partnerships
Pooling resources can help state checkoffs stretch their dollars and reach larger audiences to help grow demand for beef. In this episode, Sydney Long, executive director of the Missouri Beef Industry Council, discusses the crucial [Read More…]

Renewable Fuels Association calls for continued growth through RVO’s
The Renewable Fuels Association is calling for the continued growth of the Renewable Fuel Standard. CEO Geoff Cooper says he hopes to see that as the EPA finalizes renewable volume obligations for 2026 and beyond. [Read More…]

Technology can gather many types of data to make farms more profitable
Technology is helping farmers make better decisions to make the farm more profitable. There’s a technology tool that can be used to gather many different types of information from moisture and humidity to the amounts [Read More…]

Weathering the storms
The director of agriculture in Arkansas says farmers are doing their best to weather spring storms. Wes Ward tells Brownfield strong winds and tornadoes damaged grain bins, fences and poultry barns across portions of the [Read More…]

New MO beef packing plant expected to open this week
Missouri Ag Director Chris Chinn says America’s Heartland Packing will process 2,400 head of cattle each day, once fully operational. “I think their plan, when they get completely up and going, is to do 1,200 [Read More…]

Minnesota net farm income sinks to lowest level this century
A new report shows net farm income in Minnesota has fallen to its lowest level this century. University of Minnesota Extension economist Pauline Van Nurden says the median income dropped to just under $22,000 in [Read More…]

Excessive rains flood Missouri Bootheel fields
Missouri Bootheel farmer Rance Daniels says some of his recently planted rice fields are underwater following the excessive rains over the last week. “We had 10.5 to 12 inches of rain in my area and [Read More…]

Minnesota farmers limited by wet weather
Widespread rain and snow limited spring fieldwork in Minnesota last week. In its first weekly crop report for 2025, USDA says there were less than two days suitable for fieldwork. There were isolated reports of [Read More…]

Heavy rains and flooding likely to impact Arkansas’ crops
Northeast Arkansas farmer Derek Haigwood says he had a pretty decent start to this year’s planting season. “My family, all in all, probably had about 750 acres of rice planted and probably 900 acres of [Read More…]

Corn and rice planting gets started in MO
Corn and rice planting is underway in Missouri. In the first weekly crop progress report of the season, USDA says six percent of the corn is planted in Missouri, in-line with last year’s pace and [Read More…]

Small grain planting underway in Iowa
Oat seeding is a little ahead of normal in Iowa’s first weekly USDA crop report for 2025. At 20 percent done, the pace is two days ahead of the five-year average but does trail last [Read More…]

Early spring for some SD farmers, dry conditions affect wheat
It’s been an early spring for some farmers in South Dakota. Chet Edinger farms in Davison County says the spring wheat got planted in March and some fertilizer has been applied. “We got a lot [Read More…]

Planting beginning in Tennessee between wet pockets
Heavy rains have brought up to 10 inches to Tennessee farm fields and some flooding. The first weekly crop report from USDA of the season says topsoil moisture supplies have a 57 percent surplus, and [Read More…]

Wheat gains as soybeans and corn close mixed
Soybeans were mixed. It was an up and down day with the trade waiting for any updates on tariffs. China is reportedly open to negotiations, but significant near-term progress seems unlikely, with the White House [Read More…]

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: April 7, 2025
May corn closed at $4.64 and 1/2, up 4 and 1/4 centsMay soybeans closed at $9.83, up 6 centsMay soybean meal closed at $288.40, up $5.30May soybean oil closed at 45.15, down 69 pointsMay wheat [Read More…]

USDA reports some Illinois planting progress
The USDA says Illinois farmers have been able to get some seed in the ground. Beck’s Hybrids agronomist Matt Montgomery, who’s based in central Illinois, agrees. “There’s actually a little bit of beans, more than [Read More…]