Ag News

Food label confusion
Commentary. Ground beef, ribeye steaks and sirloin steaks labeled hormone free are prominently displayed in a refrigerated end cap in the meat department at my local grocery store. The shoppers gathered around the display case [Read More…]

Analyst views harvest weather as neutral to friendly
An analyst describes recent harvest weather as neutral to friendly for commodity prices. Mark Schultz with Northstar Commodity says cool and wet conditions have slowed fieldwork across the Corn Belt. “Most of this data is [Read More…]

Agronomist says yields are surprisingly good despite disease, insect pressure
An agronomist with Ohio-based Maria Stein Grain says yields in the Eastern Corn Belt are above-average despite less than ideal conditions. “For corn I’ve seen whole fields average 240, 250, and even 230,” he says. [Read More…]

Helping farmers with their dicamba applications
A new web tool has been launched to help farmers remain timely with their dicamba applications. In this Managing for Profit, US Crop Protection Execution Lead Jim French explains how the new Roundup Ready Xtend [Read More…]

Indiana corn farmers pleased with E15 announcement
The president of Indiana Corn Marketing Council says President Trump’s directive to allow year-round sales of E15 will benefit both consumers and farmers. Mike Beard grows corn and soybeans in Clinton County. “That will give [Read More…]

Groups say no farm bill is better than partisan House version
Food, farm, and environmental groups say although it’s critical to pass a farm bill this year, an extension of the expired 2014 farm bill would be better than the House version of the bill. During [Read More…]

Most U.S. fuel retailers plan to label E15 as Unleaded 88
Most U.S. fuel retailers plan to label E15 as Unleaded 88. Mike O’Brien is vice president of market development for Growth Energy. “Unleaded 88 is the name that more than 85 percent of the retail [Read More…]

MU produces pigs resistant to TGE virus
A team of researchers has produced a litter of pigs that is genetically resistant to a deadly porcine virus. Randall Prather (pray-thur), a University of Missouri distinguished animal sciences professor tells Brownfield “transmissible gastroenteritis virus”, [Read More…]

Cattle futures mixed ahead of On Feed numbers
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, cattle futures closed mostly lower ahead of wide-spread direct trade and Friday’s Cattle on Feed report. Long-term supply and demand concern also added pressure to the market. October live cattle [Read More…]

Iowa farmer is still waiting to pick soybeans
North-central Iowa farmer April Hemmes says she’s still waiting to start harvesting soybeans. “I have not picked a bean,” Hemmes says. “I have not combined one bean yet and I am in the majority here. [Read More…]

Milk futures mostly higher, cash dairy mixed
Class III milk futures at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed mostly higher Tuesday as global prices posted declines on at the Global Dairy Trade auction. October closed two cents higher at $15.62. November up three [Read More…]

Losses from Hurricane Michael are growing
Georgia’s agricultural losses from Hurricane Michael are growing. According to the state’s Department of Agriculture, the storm has caused catastrophic damage across several commodities. Poultry is the state’s top agricultural commodity and contributes $23.3 billion [Read More…]

ASF hits largest Chinese farm to date
A farm affiliated with one of China’s top feed producers has culled nearly 20,000 pigs due to a suspected case of African Swine Fever. The farm, located in the Liaoning province, is the largest farm [Read More…]

Harvest delays fuel grain quality concerns
Northwestern Indiana farmer Alan Kemper says harvest continues to be delayed because of heavy rainfall and now his soybean crop is suffering. “We’re estimating our yields are off probably 10 bushels at least across the [Read More…]

Smith confident farm bill gets done in Lame Duck
A member of the Senate Ag Committee is confident the 2018 Farm Bill can get done during the Lame Duck session of Congress. “I do think it’s doable and realistic.” And, Minnesota Democrat Tina Smith [Read More…]

CoBank report: Trade policy uncertainties continue to weigh on ag economy
A fourth quarter economic outlook report from the cooperative bank CoBank says strong growth in both the U.S. and global economies will support increased demand for U.S. ag products through the end of the year. [Read More…]

Beneficially dry pattern across the Heartland
Chilly weather will trail a series of cold fronts, leading to significantly below-normal temperatures across the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. Warmth will linger, however, across the lower Southeast. In addition, above-normal temperatures will also [Read More…]

What happens when Brazil runs out of soybeans?
The Chinese are currently filling their soy needs with Brazilian soybeans. But what happens when the Brazilian supplies are exhausted? Grant Kimberley, director of market development with the Iowa Soybean Association, says Brazil normally starts [Read More…]

Why more farmers are using genomics to increase opportunities
Dr. Joseph Dalton with the University of Idaho is one of the participants in a multi-state and multi-institution group studying genomics for five years under a USDA grant. He’ll talk about why more farmers are [Read More…]

Rain and snow continue to slow South Dakota harvest
Rain and snow kept many South Dakota farmers out of the fields most of last week. As of Sunday, 17 percent of corn was harvested, up 6 percentage points from last year. Corn maturity reached [Read More…]