Ag News

The prospect of negative returns is forcing drastic decisions on a handful of Minnesota farms. Steve Zenk with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture tells Brownfield a small segment of farmers who primarily own all their [Read More…]

A farmer from northwest Missouri says he’s getting creative to overcome rising fertilizer costs and availability issues. Blake Hurst says he’s starting to apply chicken litter as fertilizer over the winter. “We did it on [Read More…]

USDA’s Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs says new trade strategies are helping expand market access for America’s farmers and ranchers.   Luke Lindbergsays increasing ag exports is critical. “We need to translate that [Read More…]

A Wisconsin farmer says the low prices paid for corn are less painful thanks to ethanol production. Cal Dalton farms near Endeavor, Wisconsin, and tells Brownfield he’s one of more than 800 owners of United [Read More…]

A market specialist says the ceasefire in the Iran-U.S. conflict will not quickly change fertilizer availability or prices. Josh Linville with Stone X Group tells Brownfield it will take a long time to normalize trade [Read More…]

The U.S. Trade Representative says the U.S. is working to strengthen bilateral trade with China. Ambassador Jamieson Greer says the relationship is holding steady. “We have to protect our national security, and we have to protect our economic security,” [Read More…]

Soybeans were higher on fund and technical buying, cementing a higher weekly finish. Crush margins are solid, and there was spillover from bean meal, which was up on aggressive spread trade against bean oil. Bean [Read More…]

The director of commodity programs and food systems with the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) says instances of black vulture predation of livestock are on the rise. Tasha Bunting says issues with the more aggressive relatives [Read More…]

May corn $4.41, down 3 centsMay soybeans $11.75 and 3/4, up 10 and 1/2 centsMay soybean meal $331.80, up $14.20May soybean oil 67.09, down 61 pointsMay Chicago wheat $5.71, down 3 and 1/2 centsJun. live [Read More…]

Minnesota’s commissioner of agriculture tells Brownfield some farmers are sitting out the 2026 crop year. Thom Petersen says negative margins are resulting in growers going idle. “Maybe some of those smaller grain farmers, if they [Read More…]

An ag economist says President Trump’s 2027 budget proposal could impact several USDA programs that are needed by farmers and ranchers. Carl Zulauf with Ohio State University says the department’s funding would be cut by $4.9 [Read More…]

The associate director of the Ag Risk Policy Center at North Dakota State University says even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens today, U.S. agriculture will likely be dealing higher fertilizer prices for several seasons. [Read More…]

USDA officials are still weighing when, or if, live cattle imports from Mexico can resume.  The threat of New World screwworm is ongoing, and the department has been conducting risk assessments as it considers reopening [Read More…]

Cash dairy prices were all higher Friday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.    Dry whey was up $0.0050 at $0.7050.  No sales were recorded.  Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0250 at $1.5875.  Three sales were recorded, ranging from $1.5725 to $1.5825.  Cheese barrels were up $0.0025 at $1.5750.  No sales were recorded.  Butter was up $0.01 at $1.7475.  Ten sales were recorded, ranging from $1.7375 to [Read More…]

A beef specialist with the University of Illinois Extension says the arrival of spring has many producers turning cattle out onto pastures. Travis Meteer says early season grasses can pose a challenge to cow health. [Read More…]

A member of the governing board of Clean Fuels Alliance America says the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries are poised to take advantage of new Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) issued by the EPA. Rob Shaffer, [Read More…]

Federal lawmakers are discussing ways to help alleviate rising ag input prices. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says revoking countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports would be a start. “The 18 percent tariff (currently in [Read More…]

Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying. The USDA raised domestic crush, but cut exports, leaving U.S. ending stocks unchanged, with minor adjustments for South America. The USDA did raise production and exports [Read More…]

A farm group lobbyist says Wisconsin’s producers had some victories and some major defeats in the just-completed state legislative session. Tim Fiocchi tells Brownfield the biggest wins were the new laws related to PFAS contamination, [Read More…]

May corn $4.44, down 3 and 1/4 centsMay soybeans $11.65 and 1/4, up 3 and 1/4 centsMay soybean meal $317.60, up $3.50May soybean oil 67.70, up 28 pointsMay Chicago wheat $5.74 and 1/2, down 5 [Read More…]