Ag News

Many ag and commodity organizations have programs designed to develop leadership qualities in young farmer-members.  We visited recently with Adair Lents of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association about their Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program. AUDIO: Adair Lents [Read More…]

U.S Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says the U.S. will expand its steel and aluminum tariffs onto Mexico, Canada and the E.U. – and the head of Farmers for Free Trade says that will “open the [Read More…]

The leaders of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association say they are pleased Lieutenant Governor Mike Parson will be sworn in as governor on Friday because Parson is a staunch supporter of Missouri agriculture. Missouri Cattlemen’s president [Read More…]

A U.S. Meat Export Federation spokesman tells Brownfield the Brazilian trucker and dockworker strike might not affect the U.S. meat industry very much. Joe Schuele tells Brownfield the real impact in the U.S. will be [Read More…]

A leader with the US Meat Export federation says increasing global demand for US beef and pork is like putting together a very tricky jigsaw puzzle.  Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of the US Meat [Read More…]

A pair of disturbances — one currently over the east-central Plains and the other in the northern Great Lakes—will march east, with the northern system weakening while the southern low stalls upon reaching the Mid-Atlantic [Read More…]

Increasing global demand for US beef and pork continues to play a huge role in profitability for the livestock sector.  Monty Brown with the US Meat Export Federation says Ghana is a market that is [Read More…]

Klint Bissel, who farms near Bedford in southwest Iowa, says they’ve cut their soybean seed costs in half by reducing their soybean populations into the 70,000 to 80,000 plants per acre range–with no decrease in [Read More…]

  The USDA says dairy farmers can expect a program payment for at least three months of this year if they sign up for the Dairy Margin Protection Program by the end of Friday. USDA [Read More…]

What’s left of Tropical Storm Alberto continues to produce rain as it moves northward.  Some of it’s beneficial in the Midwest, but USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says not so much in the Southeast where it’s [Read More…]

  A Michigan farmer near the Ohio border is frustrated by this year’s planting season “It’s been a major, major challenge this year.  We finally got in the field and started planting Memorial Day.” Lenawee [Read More…]

  The week of June 11th could be the earliest the Senate Ag Committee releases a draft farm bill. Agri-Pulse reports several key issues are still being worked out by the committee including commodity and [Read More…]

Commentary. Several years ago, the National AgriMarketing Association (NAMA) recognized Leon Westbrock, an executive at CHS, as Agribusiness Leader of the Year.  Upon receiving the award, Mr. Westbrock – who has since retired – told [Read More…]

The White House has called off the tariff truce with China.  Tuesday, the White House issued a statement saying it would go ahead with 50-billion in new tariffs in late June as punishment for intellectual [Read More…]

The USDA reports producers made and paid less in April than in March. The department’s index of prices received lost 2.2% as a 4% decrease in the livestock index canceled out a 0.6% increase for [Read More…]

A Missouri grower says his early planted corn is now four to five feet tall. Kyle Kirby has 80% of his soybeans planted and says all his crops, including wheat, are looking good, telling Brownfield [Read More…]

Dairy farmers have until Friday to begin the process of enrolling in the updated Margin Protection Program. Minnesota Farm Service Agency executive director Joe Martin tells Brownfield producers who can’t make it into their local [Read More…]

One region of the Midwest where crop development probably varies the most is north-central Iowa. Phil Long, an agronomist with Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, says rain has severely limited planting north of Ames towards southern Minnesota. [Read More…]

The public spat over farm payment limitations continues between Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and House Ag Committee chair Mike Conaway. Grassley and Conaway traded verbal jabs last week over the lack of farm payment reforms in the [Read More…]

Animal science professor Mike Hutjens at the University of Illinois says benchmarking tools are available as dairy producers look at forage and their bottom line.       Continue reading Feeding dairy cattle in a [Read More…]