News
Today’s agriculture headlines and expert perspectives serving farmers, ranchers, crop consultants, livestock nutritionists and the entire U.S. ag community.
With all that’s going on, did you fail to launch a 2018 strategic planning initiative? Not to worry.
Do you demonstrate the value of learning and growing?
With the number of new job openings expected to increase this year, college graduates may find themselves at an advantage for landing their first full-time job. Agriculture majors offer a wealth of job opportunities in a wide array of areas, and the pace of job growth is expected to sustain momentum. To help develop tomorrow’s agricultural leaders, the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, will partner with farmers to award more than $500,000 to deserving students pursuing ag-related degrees in 2018.
Farmers looking for any sign of an economic bright spot for 2017 learned of a modest one yesterday. Net farm income is expected to inch up a slight 3% over 2016 and reach $63.2 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) November Farm Income Report. The small improvement is the first farmers have seen in the last several years but is still less than half the amount farmers saw in 2013, when net farm income reached a record $129 billion.
With water levels in the southern part of the Ogallala Aquafer declining, farmers in western Texas are working to squeeze the most production out of every drop of irrigation water they apply to their fields. With that goal in mind, the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC), a partnership between producers, industry and Texas Tech University, has engaged in a series of on-farm trials and demonstrations since 2004. Glen Schur, a farmer from the Texas Panhandle and Chair of the TAWC producer board, recently discussed the results of several comparisons of irrigation technology. In an initial three-year trial in 2011, 2012 and 2013, researchers compared results of using low energy spray application (LESA) with low energy precision application (LEPA) on 80-inch centers, on cotton crops under the same pivot.
Market factors stabilize, hinting at a modest rebound in prices
Do today’s grain prices make you cringe at the thought of marketing grain? Don’t be discouraged. “The market will give you opportunity every year,” says Angie Setzer, vice president of Citizens LLC. “There is a new trading range, $3.50 to $4.50, in corn, which is a bit wider and something to be aware of.” Strong prices tend to be $4 for corn, $10 for soybeans and $5 for wheat, she adds. To take advantage of marketing opportunities in 2017 and 2018, you must be proactive, agile and realistic. Follow these strategies and tips from market analysts.
Meanwhile, cattle and hog futures surged to new contract highs this week.
Shifts in expected rainfall could reduce growth of prairie grass
By partnering with Planet, an aerospace and data analytics company, Farmers Edge will offer satellite images more frequently—every one to three days. Planet says they have the highest number of available satellites, which means even with potential cloud cover farmers should still receive images frequently and at a high enough resolution to identify potential issues. Farmers Edge will combine the satellite images with analytics software to assist farmers during the growing season.
Three farm operators share their experiences working with preceding generations on career advancement.
As we close out the 2017 fiscal year and finalize our decisions, it’s time to get to work planning for success, survival or both in 2018.
The average value for U.S. pastureland rose 1.5% this year to $1,350 per acre, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2017 Land Values Summary reported in August. The new value reflects an increase of $20 per acre from 2016 and a record high since the USDA began keeping records. By comparison, the average acre of cropland is worth $4,090, a level unchanged from 2016 and the third highest on record.
If you’re looking at various energy options as an alternative to electricity, consider the time might be right to use solar panels to power your farm. A six-part webinar series later this month will help you evaluate Photovoltaic (PV) panels and whether they could be a good fit. The panels “convert sunlight into electricity and are installed on a roof or placed on the ground,” according to Extension
Hurt says in order to look forward, agriculture needs to take a hard look at the past. That includes the 1970s and 1980s, as that was the last major boom and bust cycle in agriculture.
It’s a story of tight margins on farms in 2017, and those margins are growing tighter for some farmers. That’s forcing farmers to turn to lenders in search of additional farm loans. Should land be used as collateral when looking for farm loans? Three ag lenders weigh in.
Changes in an operation are driven by opportunity and by necessity. Of course, farmers prefer to change when opportunity comes knocking, rather than being forced into unfamiliar territory. For years, growers have willingly adopted new seed and crop management technology to grow more. The results have been nothing short of phenomenal.
Supply chain teamwork is key.
This diesel lawn and garden tractor sold on Sept. 30.
As farmers work to harvest what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is calling third largest corn crop ever, compounding issues on the Mississippi River are causing grain handlers to slash basis, eating into farmers’ bottom-line. U.S. Waterways Council confirmed portions of the Ohio River are currently closed to river traffic, making it difficult to move harvested grain along a major shipping vein, which dumps into the Mississippi River.
A fire at a poultry farm in North Manchester, Ind. Monday night killed more than 1 million birds.
