Ag News

The pace of corn planting in Iowa varies widely, from 91 percent complete in the southeast to 26 percent in north-central Iowa. Overall, the state’s corn crop is 65 percent planted, up from 40 percent [Read More…]

Milk futures were higher and the cash dairy markets were mixed Monday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Class Three May milk was up $.01 at $15.24 a hundredweight. June was up $.23 to $16.09. July [Read More…]

A friend of the court brief has been filed by 14 state Attorneys General supporting the repeal of the Obama Administrations’ organic livestock and poultry practices rule. Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley says the 2017 [Read More…]

The Farm Bill is a top priority in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.  Ag Committee Chairman Michael Conaway worked all weekend trying to round up support from other Republicans. The House Rules Committee [Read More…]

  The USDA reports that as of the week ending May 14th, sorghum export inspections remain ahead of the USDA’s anticipated pace for the 2017/18 marketing year. The current marketing year runs through the end [Read More…]

The next round of trade talks with China will continue tomorrow in DC. Tensions have been high since both countries announced tariffs on 50 billion dollars worth of goods, and President Trump proposed an additional [Read More…]

There are many factors that can keep a crop from breaking ground, including everything from low temperature to disease to herbicide injury. “There can be a lot of different things that can go wrong,” said [Read More…]

Legislation important to the pocketbooks of Minnesota farmers is making progress as the Session winds down. Representative Jeanne Poppe of Austin, DFL lead on the House Ag Finance Committee, says reauthorizing the Rural Finance Authority [Read More…]

Some parts of the northern Corn Belt where planting has just begun are experiencing wet, cool conditions. University of Minnesota Extension corn agronomist Jeff Coulter says he’s not overly concerned about seed germination. “It’s colder [Read More…]

Many farmers in the Upper Midwest are working between rains to make up for a lost April. Southeast Minnesota corn and soybean grower Ryan Buck says despite a late start, conditions have rapidly improved. “Maybe [Read More…]

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) says there is year over year, month over month growth in some farm equipment sales. AEM’s Curt Blades tells Brownfield growth is seen in sales of large horsepower tractors, [Read More…]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle finished the day higher while feeder cattle closed lower.  Contracts traded lower the majority of the session due to lack of support from cash business and weak wholesale [Read More…]

  The heads of the Senate Ag Committee have introduced bipartisan legislation to increase support for veteran farmers. Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan’s Farmer Veteran Opportunity Act of [Read More…]

  An ethanol industry leader says giving RINs credits to oil refiners exporting biofuels does not comply with the intent of the Renewable Fuels Standard. David Gloer is the general manager of POET biorefining in [Read More…]

  The President of the Michigan Corn Growers Association says he plans to wrap up planting Friday in the Thumb. Jason McConnachie grows corn, sugarbeets dry beans and wheat, as well as organic corn and [Read More…]

  U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says President Trump is taking personal interest in the House Ag Committee’s draft farm bill. The President met with House Ag Chairman Mike Conaway and Senate Ag Chairman Pat [Read More…]

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) say they are pleased with action taken by the USDA and U.S. Trade Representative on India’s price support programs for wheat and rice. [Read More…]

Planting is wrapping up in some parts of the Midwest. Anne Meis, who farms near Elgin in northeast Nebraska, says they finished Thursday afternoon. “We finished up about 5:00 yesterday with our last bean field,” [Read More…]

Parts of the Midwest are still struggling to start planting. “We still haven’t been able to take a single box of seed out of the shed yet,” says Laura Cunningham of Nora Springs, Iowa, in [Read More…]

Across the Corn Belt, cold, rainy weather is maintaining a sluggish fieldwork pace across the upper Midwest. This is further widening the gap between planting progress in northern corn and soybean production areas and the [Read More…]