News
Today’s agriculture headlines and expert perspectives serving farmers, ranchers, crop consultants, livestock nutritionists and the entire U.S. ag community.
Iowa’s crop size will play a role in the prices buyers pay for Iowa farmland this year. Real estate experts call the land market the hottest in 40 years as inflation and more buyers than sellers also fuel the market.
Drought dominated headlines in western Iowa last year during the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, and even as drought continues to be the talk of Iowa this year, fields in some portions of the state produced a different tone.
EPA is banning the use on food crops of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The decision is a victory for environmental activists who have fought to stop the use of the chemical that is applied to row and produce crops.
Crops across much of the state look good heading into the home stretch but still need to be monitored for insects and disease.
Pro Farmer scouts pegged the Indiana average yield estimate at 193.48 bu. per acre on Tuesday, just slightly below USDA’s prediction of 194 bu. per acre.
Just as American steakhouses are recovering from the first wave of COVID shutdowns, the Delta variant threatens to diminish the appetite for a sector seen as a barometer for full U.S. economic recovery.
Being more efficient directly leads to improved margins or higher profitability.
Federal officials announced this week mandatory water cuts to the Colorado River, marking the first federal water cuts, and it’s the first-ever water shortage for a river that serves 40 million people in the West.
Biofuels groups are asking for a rehearing on a recent appeals court decision that blocked the sale of E15 year-round. The approval of E15 sales during the summer driving season was made by the Trump Administration.
Fields sprouted the possibiity of big bushels on Tuesday. In Nebraska, scouts saw dryness, but also big potential for soybeans this year. And Indiana’s crops also showed potential records in areas of the state.
No matter where you stand in your soil health journey, there are practical steps to ensure you strengthen your financial position by paying attention to the underlying wellness of your soil.
As scouts entered fields in Indiana on Tuesday, the high expectations for the Eastern Corn Belt were reaffirmed. In the West, irrigated fields showed solid soybean counts, but signs of dryness were a noted concern.
Solar could supply more than 40% of the nation’s electricity by 2035 if Congress adopts policies like tax credits for renewable energy projects and component factories, according to a memo by the Department of Energy.
The latest Crop Progress report put the corn crop this week at 62% good to excellent, a two-point drop in a week. Soybean conditions dropped 3% across the country, now sitting at 57% rated good to excellent.
A big increase in benefits is on the way for Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The average SNAP benefit will increase for FY 2022 beginning on Oct. 1, according to the agency.
A tropical storm making its way across portions of the U.S. could dampen outlooks for cotton supplies this year. Parts of the southeast are dealing with heavy rains from the remnants of Fred this week.
Starting in October, average benefits for SNAP will rise by more than 25% after a USDA released report found the cost of a nutritious, cost-effective diet is 21% higher than the base calculation for SNAP benefits.
As scouts set out on the 2021 Pro Farmer Crop Tour Monday they got a soggy start, a good sign for soybeans in August. While Ohio did not disappoint, South Dakota showed scars from the drought with a mature crop.
“Once the Fendt 700 came out with the FendtOne operators station, dealers and farmers were asking how soon can we get that on the 900 and 1000 Series,” says Daniel Smith Senior Product Marketing Specialist
Prop 12 specified that by Jan. 1, pork sold in California will have to meet higher standards of animal welfare. Hog producers in the Midwest especially are concerned, with one CEO predicting pork price increases of 50%.
Shipping issues continue to surface. The latest is in China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan container port, which is the third-busiest in the world, and has been partially shut down for six days, with no sign of reopening yet.
Crop scouts weave their way across the Corn Belt as the 2021 Pro Farmer Crop tour kicks off. In the West, scouts will start in the drought-stressed state of South Dakota. The eastern leg starts in Columbus, Ohio.
It’s the tale of two extremes on the first day of Pro Farmer Crop Tour. Heading into the tour, USDA painted an optimistic picture for Ohio, while South Dakota’s outlook was grim. See what scouts saw during day 1.
Join the Jack family at Silent Shade Planting Company, Belzoni, Miss., on Aug. 25 to learn more about row-crop production in the Delta. A variety of speakers and topics are planned.
Drought conditions continue to plague portions of the Western Corn Belt, but in the East, it’s a much different story with Ohio farmers potentially sitting on an above average crop.
Bayer filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court verdict that upheld damages to a customer blaming his cancer on the Bayer’s glyphosate-based weedkillers.
There is more than $5 million in inventory up for sale during the first absolute auction, which closes August 17.
Pro Farmer Crop Tour is hitting the fields starting Monday, with a week of roughly 100 scouts capturing more samples across 2,000 fields. The scouts will work their way toward Rochester, Minnesota by Thursday.
USDA’s August crop production report cut the national corn yield and sent corn futures up more than 20¢. Now, Pro Farmer Crop Tour is gearing up for the first boots on the ground look at crop production this season.
USDA’s August reports came with surprises. From a cut to the corn yield, to the revisions in export demand, the changes fueled prices both Thursday and Friday. So, where does the market go from here? Analysts weigh in.