News
Today’s agriculture headlines and expert perspectives serving farmers, ranchers, crop consultants, livestock nutritionists and the entire U.S. ag community.
A series of lawsuits have been filed against EPA on the Renewable Fuels Standard, despite rising energy prices.
Farmers have learned to live by one of life’s biggest lessons – always expect the unexpected. But sometimes even the unexpected can still cause us to pause and scratch our heads.
On October 8th, 2019, local farmer Jerry Schwarzrock was entrapped in his grain bin. His sons found him, and immediately called 911. That one call then sparked a new calling for the local fire department.
To better understand the word choices preferred by farmers and ag retailers/crop advisers, Farm Journal conducted online surveys this fall asking both groups.
Both Dan Basse and Chip Nellinger say considering how dry it’s been, crop yields could be falling, and USDA may be forced to make more cuts to the national yield forecasts in upcoming reports.
Ken Ferrie expects yields to climb as Illinois farmers start harvesting more of their May-planted corn. Looking ahead, he says farmers will see some challenges from herbicide carryover in 2024.
Mortgage interest rates just hit a twenty-year high, topping 7%. High borrowing costs will slowly dampen farmer demand for acres as record land prices mean all but a few will have to borrow some to buy.
There are just over two weeks for Congress to pass 12 spending bills to avoid a total government shutdown. If time runs out, one analyst says that could mean no USDA report in October and no yield cuts, which are likely.
Water levels on the Mississippi River haven’t hit the historic lows of October 2022 yet, but readings in some areas are already lower than at the same time last year. This is a real concern heading into harvest.
While ag loan balances are up, they remain in good shape with delinquency levels low.
Doug Hensley from Hertz Real Estate answers the question, “How much do crop prices impact the decision-making process of farmland buyers” and shares how this year is shaping up to be a bit busier than anticipated.
Matt Griggs faces a government ban on chicken litter: “What about my right to farm?”
Marketed as the highest horsepower Case IH tractor ever, the Steiger 715 Quadtrac headlines the updates of the model year 2024 Steiger tractors from Case IH.
Bitter blossoms sweet at Miles Farms. From father to son to brother to grandson, an annual sweet corn field has produced 1 million ears for the public.
In 2000, the highest auction price paid for any tillage tool that year was $28,500. Today, that number tops $140,000 and easily ranges from $80,000 to $120,000.
American farmers beaten, tear-gassed, herded and imprisoned by their own government for daring to protest authority? Welcome to agricultural revolt.
Remember: Weeds that never emerge have no impact on yield.
The only way to increase bushels per ear is to document results in the fall and make changes next season, which involves scouting before and during harvest, analyzing results and drafting your plan.
Here are three EPA-legal ways to optimize the horsepower of a combine’s engine.
Lots of grain can drop through even small holes in the trough beneath cross augers on corn and bean heads. Here are 4 options to repair holes, some good, some merely a stopgap.
Your annual harvest goal: Get grain out of the field in good condition. But what about how well that grain holds up in storage?
Energy costs are high, so a simple solution would be to cash in on Mother Nature’s free drying services this fall. Unfortunately harvest decisions are rarely simple.
From the feederhouse floor to the grain tank cross augers, nothing lasts forever, including these wear areas on combines.
The SCN Coalition’s new SCN Profit Checker tool allows growers and their crop advisors to estimate the financial toll of soybean cyst nematode in each field.
Don’t overlook the “middleman” in pre-season prep. Here are 4 wear points to check
Mizzou’s Ben Brown says the 81.2 million bushels new crop export sale marks the largest week of sales for the 2023/24 marketing year to date and double the previous record weekly volume for the year set last week.
During the 2024 Top Producer Summit, Top Producer will recognize remarkable farmers who have taken risks, built thriving businesses and given back to their communities.
China’s GDP growth could possibly drop lower than the U.S. this year. In fact, fewer and fewer sectors are healthy, and only then by direct government intervention.
A new generation of portable, battery-powered air compressors fit behind the seat of a pickup.
Some farmers in central Illinois are making yield estimates of 250 to 270 bushels per acre. Ken Ferrie says in many of those cases a more realistic estimate, though disappointing, would be in the 170 to 220 range.