Miscellaneous

Why Did Chicago Public Schools Ban Pork?

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:43:52 GMT

UPDATE: Josh Maschhoff, current past president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association, is traveling to Chicago on Feb. 26 to address the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. He will be calling for a formal review of the district’s pork prohibition impacting 630 schools that currently cannot serve pork at breakfast or lunch.

Of the 350,000 free meals served daily at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) through the Community Eligibility Provision, none include pork. Despite being a staple in Chicago households, an “illusive” vote during a virtual COVID-era board meeting quietly removed this nutrient-dense protein from the menu.

So why did CPS ban pork? That’s a mystery the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is trying to solve.

“We found out in February 2025, really by accident, there is an all-pork ban at all the Chicago Public Schools in our state,” says Jennifer Tirey, IPPA executive director.

IPPA sent Illinois public school food service directors a new resource from the National Pork Board designed to help public schools prepare nutritious, tasty pork dishes for large audiences of people.

“We received a response back from the food service director at CPS,” Tirey says. “It said, ‘Well, thank you for this resource. However, we have a ban on pork and we can’t serve pork – not for breakfast, not for lunch. None of our meals can ever have pork in it.’”

According to the CPS School Wellness Policy , all menu items must be “pork-free.”

A Cultural Disconnect

That means 325,305 students across 634 schools are not allowed to have pork as an offering despite efforts to accommodate other religious, ethnic and personal beliefs of Chicago students.

A high demographic of CPS is Hispanic and African American – approximately 85% or 265,124 students. According to 2024-2025 data, 47.3% are Latino/Hispanic, 34.2% are Black/African American and 11.3% are White. Pork consumption is high among these groups in Chicago, according to data compiled by Numerator, with 79.6% of Hispanic households and 75.8% of African American households regularly consuming fresh pork.

“Those families probably don’t even realize that something they hold so culturally close to them is no longer accessible to their kids,” Tirey notes. “It’s not fair that their children cannot access this valuable protein.”

A Missed Opportunity

CPS participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and receives USDA Foods, which are provided to school districts at reduced or no cost to help meet federal nutrition requirements. Section 32 and Pork Eligibility Pork products are included in the USDA Section 32 purchasing program, which allows USDA to procure surplus and domestically produced agricultural commodities

“The district is unable to accept or serve USDA-provided pork, and CPS forgoes access to a nutrient-dense, high-quality protein available through federal procurement,” Tirey says. “On a weekly basis, CPS misses out on approximately $5.51 million in federal reimbursements because roughly 39% of students skip lunch and 56% skip breakfast.”

One of the major reasons kids skip meals is because they don’t like what is being served, Tirey points out. At a time when inflation is causing everyone to pull back on spending, can CPS afford not to take advantage of these opportunities to provide a high-quality protein to students?

“CPS’ long-term debt is over $9 billion as of June 30, 2025,” Tirey says. “CPS’s short-term debt is $450 million on top of that.”

Allowing pork within CPS meal planning could improve program flexibility and align with federal procurement systems already designed to help districts manage costs, she adds.

“For example, most people think of sausage as pork sausage,” Tirey says. “By swapping out a pork sausage patty for a beef sausage patty at breakfast alone, it would save CPS $1.2 million over 180 days.”

Nutrient-Dense Protein

CPS dietitians indicated to IPPA through emails they were unaware of the original reasoning behind the pork ban. Although religious accommodation was suggested as a possible basis, there is no evidence in the record this was ever a consideration. CPS routinely offers multiple entrée options.

“We met with CPS nutrition leadership to share that pork is a high-quality, nutrient-dense protein that is culturally relevant to CPS students while being affordable and operationally feasible,” Tirey says. “Despite initial openness to discussion, CPS later declined to pursue any consideration of pork menu offerings due to the existing CPS policy.”

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued in January by USDA and Health and Human Services, emphasize the importance of adequate daily protein intake and encouraging consumption of nutrient-dense protein foods as part of healthy dietary patterns.

“Updated guidance reflects growing consensus that higher protein intake supports child growth, muscle development, satiety and overall health,” she says. “The guidelines recognize a range of animal and plant protein sources, including red meat — as appropriate components of a balanced diet when prepared and served in nutrient-dense forms.”

Pork qualifies as a nutrient-dense protein because it provides essential nutrients such as high-quality complete protein, iron, zinc and Vitamin B, including B12. It also provides choline, which is important for brain development in school-aged children.

According to a research article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America , high relative energy requirements for children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years signify micronutrient density needs are below mean global nutrient density needs across all life stages for folate, zinc, and vitamins A and B12, though calcium density needs remain high to support skeletal growth. Entering puberty, adolescent girls ages 10 to 19 also show increased iron density needs (11% higher than the global mean).

Chicago Families Deserve a Choice

“Families should get to decide what works for their kids,” Tirey says. “We are asking for a policy review focused on choice and inclusion. Menus should reflect many cultures and preferences. Pork is a nutrient-dense protein option that is affordable and adds to a well-balanced meal that works within a school’s budget.”

IPPA is requesting the following action from the CPS Board:

Initiate a formal review of the Local School Wellness Policy provision prohibiting pork.
Direct staff to identify the original rationale and supporting documentation for the ban.
Consider input from nutrition experts, food service partners and community stakeholders.
Evaluate whether pilot programs or limited menu testing are appropriate.

What do parents want from school meals? According to Tirey, a mother of two, it starts with enough protein to keep kids full and focused and nutrients that support energy and learning. As a parent, she desires affordable options that don’t sacrifice quality. Most importantly, she wants meals kids will actually eat.

“Pork provides high-quality protein that helps kids stay full longer,” Tirey says. “Pork provides iron and B12 support brain development and energy, in addition to thiamin that is essential for growth and metabolism. In a time when school food budgets are stretched, pork provides an affordable option that doesn’t sacrifice nutrition.”

Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), a former CPS student, is sponsoring SR 625 calling for CPS to review the ban along with Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago), House Ag Chairwoman, who is sponsoring HR 625 . Both have districts that represent CPS.

The legislators say a policy review is warranted for five reasons: alignment with current nutrition science; cultural inclusion and equity; student choice and accommodation; fiscal responsibility and transparency; and governance.

(Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash)

Inconclusive FOIA Requests

Since February 2025, IPPA has submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to CPS to find out why this policy was implemented. CPS declined to comment to Farm Journal’s PORK’s request for a response.

“The vote was made during a virtual board meeting, and the update to the wellness policy was voted on consent calendar,” Tirey explains. “There was no verbal discussion during that board meeting about that particular change. To be quite honest, a lot of the comments were about COVID and how to get students back to school. But in the middle of all that, this ban was implemented.”

The facts don’t add up. Even CPS board members haven’t been able to explain why there is a ban on pork, she says. Both FOIA requests filed with CPS came back with inconclusive findings.

“The last thing we want to do is approach an issue without having all the facts,” Tirey says. “What we are really hoping to find out is how we got to this point. At this juncture, we are working with the Illinois Attorney General’s office to help narrow our focus even further, because the second FOIA response said that the responses were too many for them to share because of the number of keywords.”

On Feb. 4, Tirey sent an email to every CPS Board of Education member regarding CPS’s policy that prohibits all pork products in school meals. Although IPPA was not selected through the lottery system to speak at the January board meeting, Tirey wanted to make sure the board was “aware of our position and concerns.” IPPA’s position statement can be found here on the CPS website.

IPPA will register again for the Feb. 26 meeting, of which five are in the lottery.

“We haven’t solved the issue yet,” Tirey says. “But I’m a pretty driven individual and I’m going to keep working until we get pork back on the menu in Chicago Public Schools.”

It’s Meeting Season: How to Conquer the Crowded Room

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:27:10 GMT

You walk into a crowded room of people you don’t know. Everyone is laughing and talking in their groups. It would be much easier to walk right back out, but you are there to represent a group with the mission of meeting people and making connections. So, you take your next step forward. But now what?

For some people, this is what nightmares are made of. For Jennifer Tirey, executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association , this is what she lives to do.

“Jennifer is excellent at building relationships with people,” says Josh Maschhoff, president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. “She can walk into a room where she might not know anybody and quickly make introductions and connections with those people. And most importantly, she can remember their name, and she can do it with a lot of people.”

Maschhoff admits he often finds himself in a room with a lot of people, and he can’t remember their names.

“Whether it’s fellow producers or members of the legislature, the closer I can put myself to Jennifer Tirey, the better off I will be,” he says. “I know I’ve got a resource that can help pull me along when I’m struggling because she can remember all of those people.”

He says her ability to remember the details about someone’s personal life and truly make a connection with them makes her unique.

Authentic Relationship Building Takes Work

How do you develop a superpower like this? Tirey admits it does take work.

“You just can’t go into a room and know a lot of people’s names without putting a lot of work into it,” she says. “I go back to the very first meeting that I had with Pork Producers. I’d only been on the job for less than a week, and they had already scheduled a regional meeting in Bloomington. I spent the entire car ride — because someone else was driving — memorizing the names of the individuals that were going to be there because I wanted the producers to know that I care and want to know them.”

If you want to truly connect with people and build a relationship, you have to be willing to work at it. Before every event, Tirey devotes time to reading over the list of who will be there and looks up photos to try to memorize faces.

“I’m always learning and trying to sharpen that skill,” she says. “I think that’s a valuable asset to have within agriculture. At the end of the day, agriculture is a really small community, and you cross paths a lot. You need each other to be successful.”

How to Connect and Be Remembered in Any Room

Now, back to the crowded room. Before you enter, adopt a mindset that you are there to learn and support others, not just “work the room.” Here are a few tips to help you connect with the crowd.

1. Scan The Room.
When you enter the room, use soft eye contact as you scan the room. Don’t stare, but instead do a “sweeping gaze.” According to the Science of People , a sweeping gaze is a slow, methodical look around the room. Start the gaze the moment you enter a room by looking to your left then slowly sweeping across the room until you find your opening or where you want to go. Then, make longer eye contact there.

“It’s easier to make connections when you give yourself the outward look that you want to meet people,” Tirey says.

2. Project Confidence.
Remember to smile and stand tall to project confidence as you head toward where you want to go. If you don’t feel confident, don’t worry because you aren’t alone, says Marilyn Sherman, a well-known motivational speaker .

“Even when you don’t feel confident, act confident. It will change your entire mindset,” Sherman says.

3. Make Direct Eye Contact And Have a Firm Handshake.
Tirey says the best advice she has to offer when connecting with people is to start with direct eye contact. Let the person you are talking to know they have your full attention.

“In addition to eye contact, a really firm handshake to a person that you’ve never met gives a good impression,” she adds. “It also keeps you top of mind with them.”

4. Listen.
“Really taking a moment to listen to who they are and what they have to say is key,” Tirey says. “I think doing this gives me a chance to internally set myself and get prepared for meeting somebody new. It allows you to learn about the person you’re trying to get to know without any ulterior motive.”

She believes taking a pause and letting people share what they want to share first is a great way to understand where they are coming from, too.

5. Offer Value.
Tirey says she strives to be a straight shooter and appreciates that when meeting others.

“Life moves fast, and I would much rather cut to the chase.” Tirey says. “I love making connections and catching up with people, but there are things that must be done, too. I appreciate directness and constructive criticism because that makes me a better person.”

If you have a relevant idea or suggestion, be ready to share it succinctly.

“One thing that works like magic is creating a memorable moment,” according to Wave Connect . “Think about ways you can add value right in the moment. Maybe you overhear someone mention a challenge they are facing, and you can recommend a solution or introduce them to someone you know. That kind of value sticks.”

As Maya Angelou said: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. People will never forget how you made them feel.”

Learn more about Tirey in the latest episode of The PORK Podcast.

Saying Goodbye to Dad: A Farmer’s Journey with Grief

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:37:04 GMT

Grief is hard. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a way of life, or even a dream, the pain of losing something we care about is an inevitable part of being human. However, that doesn’t make grief any easier to walk through.

On May 23, 2024, Nathan Isler lost his father, Bill, to a stroke. The man who was greater than life to him, was no longer by his side every day on their family pork and grain operation. The loss that everyone who loved him felt was undeniable.

“I don’t know how people deal with grief without faith. If you think death is just the end, it’s a hard thing to deal with,” Isler says. “For me, the toughest part is the loss of those moments where I wish he was there to talk to about things.”

In Isler’s mind, grief is more of a feeling than a definition. In the simplest of terms, he says it’s disappointment in life not going the way you want it to – not getting the answers you hoped for or not having the person you want to be there.

But grief, as painful as it feels, is also a process that can open the door to growth and resilience.

“It is impossible to live without experiencing pain at some point in our lives,” says Jorge Estrada, Global Coaching Alliance Latin America lead. “Life and pain go hand in hand. They’re part of the great dichotomies: black and white, day and night, life and death, love and pain.”

Pain isn’t an interruption to life, it’s a thread woven through it, Estrada adds. At the same time, grief isn’t a sign of weakness or failure. It’s evidence of our capacity to love deeply and to heal, even after profound loss.

Understanding Grief

“Grief hurts,” agrees Gina Forte, an expert in thanatology which is the study of death, loss and the processes that follow. “When we love someone or something, we become attached to it. The more we love, the more it hurts to lose.”

But that hurt has a purpose. Grief is an adaptive emotional process, a way to make sense of loss and find balance again, she adds. Knowing it’s a process helps people move forward.

“Perseverance is a necessity in life,” Isler says. “Life goes on. You can’t stop. You can’t lose your potential or your life. Putting my head down and getting work done – being productive – has helped me during this time.”

He says there is something healing about setting goals and pushing forward.

“Getting in your own head too much allows the grief to multiply,” Isler adds. “For me, being able to have wins and accomplish goals promotes healing.”

Forte says that’s the function of grief – to restore and heal.

“When we don’t allow ourselves to process it, grief can become unhealthy or even pathological,” she says.

From Shock to Acceptance

When loss hits, no one is ready to understand or accept it fully. The stages of grief all play a key role in the process. Forte outlined the seven stages of grief:

Grief isn’t a straight line, she says. Sometimes people circle back to the same stage again, but the visits grow shorter over time.

One day, one of Isler’s dad’s friends showed him a video of his dad swinging on a rope at a retreat not long before he passed away.

“I don’t know what, but something triggered inside me – to see that youthfulness and joy he always had,” Isler says. “It’s hard to predict what will trigger different parts of the grief process. I have found that the return to different stages gets quicker as you move on.”

On the Other Side of Loss

The resilience that emerges on the other side of loss makes us stronger people, Estrada says. In short, it’s not just surviving hardship, it’s being transformed by it.

Estrada defines resilience as the ability to navigate change, understand grief, learn, let go, and create a new reality—one that carries a better version of ourselves into the next stage of life.

“Everything you do in life changes who you are a little bit,” Isler says. “I’ve learned more about who my dad was to so many. I’ve learned not everyone has a role model like him. I hope I can live up to the example he set for my kids.”

Studies show one of the strongest predictors of resilience is having loving and supportive relationships that offer trust, encouragement and security through the grief process.

For Isler, living next door to his mom, who has been living with dementia for several years, has put him in a unique situation. Sharing stories about his dad with his mom has been especially healing.

“My mom has always been someone I could talk to easily,” Isler says. “I’ve used her as a map to put it all out there because she isn’t grieving the way the rest of us are. She knows dad isn’t around, but it doesn’t all connect for her like it does for us. When I talk about dad with her, it does nothing but bring joy to her.”

Get Off the Island

Everyone deals with grief at some point, Isler says. Maybe it’s grief from the loss of a loved one, but for farmers, grief could stem from a terrible financial situation on the farm or the loss of a business you’ve built your life around.

“For all the people who think they are alone, it’s just not the case,” he says. “We all deal with grief, and we all deal with it differently. A lot of times we put ourselves on an island – especially in our industry.”

Farmers – especially men – are some of the worst about talking about their feelings, Isler says.

“We are tough guys. We get the work done and go on,” he says. “But it helps to talk about it. Let people show up for you or go find someone to talk to if they don’t know what you are going through.”

When Isler’s sister told him that what helped her in the grief process was being around him, he was taken aback a little.

“She said I reminded her of dad and was a lot like him, that being around me made it easier not having dad around anymore,” he says. “To me, that’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”

Adam Sanders Brings Hog-Wild Energy on Stage in CBS Series “The Road”

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:09:39 GMT

What does pig farming have to do with the new CBS series featuring Keith Urban and Blake Shelton? More than you might think.

The Road is an exciting new show that features 12 emerging artists who are competing for a $250,000 prize package and recording opportunities. Each participant also earns the opportunity to open for Urban during his national tour.

Six artists remain, and one of the featured artists is Adam Sanders, a Nashville singer and songwriter originally from Florida. He’s also a good friend of Missouri pig farmer Jesse Heimer. Not only has he performed at Heimer’s farm multiple times, but the pair has also written two songs together, including “Do What We Do.”

The tour bus rolls into Tulsa for a concert at the iconic Cain’s Ballroom. In place of Blake Shelton, award-winning country artist Dustin Lynch sits in with Keith Urban. For the first time, the seven musicians are divided up to perform two group covers before performing their originals, on THE ROAD, Sunday, Nov. 23 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). Pictured: Adam Sanders. Photo: ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Highest quality screengrab.

(CBS/CBS )

“I think what folks see on the screen is someone who’s had just enough experience on stage in front of a crowd, and the feelings of all of it, to know that he really wants it,” Heimer says. “This isn’t Adam’s first time to town – he opened for Carrie Underwood at a sold-out Iowa State Fair. He understands the stage, the audience, and the emotions people have as they listen to an entertainer.”

It’s been an incredible experience to watch Sanders shine on The Road, Heimer adds.

“He really took this opportunity to heart – to be on screen in front of millions to tell his story and put his talent on display,” Heimer says. “Adam is a high energy guy all the time and that’s what you see on stage. But he’s also one of the most genuine, down-to-earth friends I’ve ever had. The Adam you see on screen is the Adam you’ll see on the street.”

That’s Why We Do What We Do

Heimer first met Sanders in 2019. They were introduced by a mutual friend after Heimer created a series of videos to highlight the benefits of showing livestock. His goal was to help people outside of agriculture see that showing livestock was about more than just the animal and the ribbon. Their mutual friend encouraged Heimer to produce a music video which eventually led him to meet Sanders, a talented songwriter.

Adam Sanders (l) and Jesse Heimer (r) on the farm in Taylor, Mo.

(Legacy Livestock Images/Heidi Anderson)

“I had to learn more about his industry, so I could have enough knowledge about his side of the fence,” Sanders says. “I think we spent months really talking about the idea of this. One day, it really just registered with me and it clicked. I remember writing down in my phone: ‘that’s why we do what we do.’”

Sanders called on his friend Brice Long, a fellow songwriter to help write “Do What We Do.”

“I wanted the song to be broad enough that it could appeal across facets of agriculture,” Heimer says. “I knew if we made it just about the show ring, we were only going to attract those that already believe the same things as me.”

The project started as an anthem for stock show kids and although that goal never changed, the video went down a different path than Heimer first expected. He wanted to create a music video that everybody in agriculture could see themselves in. Regardless of what your role in agriculture is, Heimer believes this song speaks to the feelings of many about why they do what they do.

“I couldn’t be prouder of how the song turned out, and how it all came together,” Sanders says. “It was just a natural fit. It took some time to make it happen, but God had a plan in all of this and how it shaped out.”

Sanders adds that the stats show the song resonates with people. Through organic promotion only, the song has now been streamed nearly 600,000 times and appears on 39 playlists. It’s received 873,000 views on TikTok, too. Beyond traditional streams, the song has been very popular with TikTok users who are increasingly using it in their content.

But You’d Get It If You Did It

Three years after Sanders released this song, Heimer had an “epiphany” at the 2024 Missouri State Fair.

“I realized I was watching my kids doing, saying and loving all of the same things I did at the state fair when I was a kid,” Heimer says. “It felt like déjà vu. I talked to Adam during the fair and told him we should write a song about it – to piggyback off ‘Do What We Do.’”

Not long after, the song ‘ Get It If You Did It ’ was born.

“From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why we raise pigs, why we go to shows, why we commit so many resources for our kids to find success in the show ring,” Heimer

But you’d get it if you did it
I bet you wouldn’t knock it
If you dug your boots down in it
You’d know why we can’t stop it
You can’t replace the dreams we chase
Naw ain’t no way we can quit it
Might not love it like we love it
Or live it like we live it
But you’d get it if you did it.

- Get It If You Did It

points out. “This song is a continuation of the original story. The writing is broad enough, though, that it fits anyone’s hobby or passion from hunting to sports to rodeo. I hope it gets a spot on The Road.”

The chorus is easy for people in agriculture to relate to, Heimer says.

“The show pig community has been incredibly supportive of me as an artist for several years, going back to the introduction of ‘Do What We Do’ – and even before,” Sanders says. “It seems like no matter where I’m playing, people from this industry are in the crowd.”

Live from Oklahoma Ranch

Show pig industry leader Blake Kennedy, owner of Kennedy Ventures, was fortunate to be in the audience during the taping of The Road in Oklahoma City.

“It was a really cool experience to be selected as a cast member,” Kennedy says. “When we got there, they checked us in and took our phones and belongings. Because no one had the distraction of a phone, everyone was very present and engaged.”

The atmosphere inside Oklahoma Ranch was very exciting, he adds. Sanders performed his original, “Burning Roses” and Jo Dee Messina’s hit song “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”

Although the contestants only get a few minutes of time in the TV show, Kennedy says their live performances were about 10 minutes and allowed the audience the opportunity to get to know each performer a little more.

“It was awesome to see someone like Adam be successful in his world who also enjoys seeing us achieve success in our world, too,” Kennedy says.

Tune in Sunday

Don’t miss the next episode performed at The Hall in Little Rock, Ark., airing on CBS on Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. CT. https://www.cbs.com/shows/the-road/

Read the ‘Do What We Do’ story here:
Nashville Singer and Pig Farmer Release Anthem for Ag

Farmers Ask How To Set Up A Hybrid Chisel To Achieve Maximum Tillage Results This Fall

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 22:11:35 GMT

Ken Ferrie gets a lot of questions this time of year from farmers on how to do a good job of setting a tillage tool. “Farmers want to know what depth to go after, where to run it, when to use the cutters and shanks,” says Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

But before he can answer any of those questions, he says farmers need to be able to tell him what kind of system they use. Most commonly in central Illinois, row-crop growers are going with either conventional horizontal tillage or conventional vertical tillage.

Conventional Vertical Tillage: In this system, farmers often use a disk ripper or a chisel plow to work the soil in the fall and then finish it in the spring with a vertical harrow prior to planting.

Conventional Horizontal Tillage: Because you’re going to make your seedbed with horizontal tillage in the spring – using something like a soil finisher, disk field cultivator or high-speed disk – how deep you run the tillage tool this fall is important but not critical.

“With conventional horizontal tillage, it comes down to how fast do you want to pull the tool – more so than how deep you want to go – how much coverage you want of your corn stalks,” Ferrie says. “For a lot of people, they’ll find that spot where they have the horsepower to pull it at the speed they want, using their front-end cutters like we have here to try and get that coverage. That’s an OK approach, because you’re going to build your seedbed in the spring with a soil finisher.”

In a new video, Ferrie demonstrates how he sets the up a hybrid tillage tool for both horizontal and vertical tillage.

Achieving Full-Width Shatter
Ferrie says with vertical tillage if the fall pass is your primary tillage that you’re doing – where you’ll chisel or rip in the fall and then run a vertical harrow in the spring before planting – that requires a bit of a different result with the fall pass.

“We have to get what’s called full-width shatter from shank to shank,” he says.

To achieve that, Ferrie sets the tillage tool a bit differently. “I’m going to suck these disks up as high as I can to make sure flow still goes through the rig, so you’re not plugging up. But I don’t want these disks doing much work. I want the shanks doing all the work,” he says.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

“This tool is doing a good job of laying things down level, and the amount of residue on both sides is somewhat equal. From the road, you would not know this tool is set differently for these two different types of passes,” Ferrie says.

You have to get behind the tool and down into the knife tracks to see what kind of shatter or soil fracture you’ve achieved.

After making the conventional horizontal tillage pass, digging behind the shanks reveals a humped soil bottom and solid berms in the video. These are problems Ferrie says you would be able to address next spring before planting, using a disk or soil finisher to shear off the berm.

In this photo, Ken Ferrie shows berms that have not been shattered but could be fixed next spring with horizontal tillage using a disk or soil finisher.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

In contrast, a vertical tillage system requires more extensive shatter. The columns between knife tracks have to be fractured all the way down and across, leaving no solid berms. Otherwise, you’ll get a lot of chatter and bounce in your planter as you go across the field.

“We’ve got to shatter this thing in that 6” of this column. It needs to be busted up and shattered so it’ll disperse when we hit it in the spring,” he says, showing shattered berms in the photo below.

For conventional vertical tillage, the tool is set deeper to achieve full shatter from shank to shank, ensuring soil is well-tilled for a spring seed bed. Ferrie demonstrates here how easily the berms collapse as opposed in a conventional horizontal tillage scenario.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

“In the conventional vertical system, we went down an inch to an inch-and-a-half more, so we could get the shatter so these points don’t make it all the way to the top. Digging behind the knife shanks here you see the columns in the middle, but the difference is these columns are fractured. So I’ve got these columns fractured, and I’m going to be able to come in here in the spring and buff this thing off to get a nice seedbed to plant into,” he adds.

Your next read: Drought Conditions Require Careful Attention To Fall Tillage Practices

Don't Break, Build: A Farmer's Playbook for Taking Control of Your Mind

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:01:41 GMT

It was already shaping up to be one of those days.

An unexpected bill is due, and the money just isn’t there. The kids are fighting again. Understandably, your wife is over it, and now it’s your fault. One of your employees just called to say the new group of wean pigs is sick. It’s all a part of a life, but sometimes it just stacks up to be too much.

“In a world of unpredictability with so many factors at play on any given day, it’s easy to be mentally or emotionally hijacked by elements out of our control,” says Athena Diesch-Chham with Restorative Path Counseling and Wellbeing. “Stress and anxiety thrive in this environment. However, the long-term effects of that are real.”

Farming stress will never go away, so how can you get more grit or become more resilient to that stress?

One expert says it starts by paying attention to the present.

“Don’t think about what happened yesterday or worry about what is happening tomorrow,” says Cheri Burcham, with University of Illinois Extension. “Focus on what you are doing and feeling in the very moment.”

Diesch-Chham likes to think of it as “being where your feet are.”

“So often brains are hijacked by stress and launch us mentally to a different space either in the past or in the future,” Diesch-Chham adds. “Mindfulness is just asking for our whole selves to be here in this moment, wherever our feet are planted.”

Pay Attention

This concept of truly being “in the moment” not only reduces stress, but research shows it can also lower blood pressure, increase immunity and reduce anxiety and depression, Burcham says.

When you intentionally notice where you are, you can recognize potential challenges sooner, says Abigail Cudney with Michigan State University Extension . Instead of habitually reacting to stress with intense anger, emotional shutdown, negative thinking or overthinking, this intentional awareness helps rewire the brain through a process called neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to grow and adapt to new experiences.

Consider the attention you pay when walking through the barn. You use all your senses to make assessments and determine what’s going on all around you.

“Whether it’s walking the barn or enjoying the fall scenery, naming something you are currently experiencing for each of the five senses is another way to practice mindfulness,” Diesch-Chham says. “This doesn’t have to be complicated – the whole goal is to bring mind and body to the same place.”

5 Senses Technique

Just Breathe

The fight or flight response animals have when stress strikes is the same thing that happens in people. As a review, the vagus nerve, which runs from the base of the brain and branches out to the organs, serves as a conduit of chemicals/hormones that are activated automatically/reflexively by the sympathetic nervous system. This is an involuntary and adaptive process that increases respiration and blood flow to prepare the body for quick and protective action, such as fighting or fleeing. Once the perceived threat has passed or been managed successfully, the stress response also passes and respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate return to a normal steady state, according to the Yale School of Medicine .

Through deep breathing, the vagus nerve can be stimulated intentionally to help restore, mitigate and even prevent these physical and psychological reactions. Slow, even breaths that originate deep within the abdomen stimulate the vagus nerve in a way that signals safety and cues the body and mind to relax, restore, and release chronic and unhealthy patterns.

“Deep breathing can be practiced anywhere and in so many ways – so it is very accessible and easy for farmers to practice,” Burcham explains. “Practice in the field or even while operating machinery.”

Let Go of What You Can’t Control

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of “being where your feet are” is realizing you can’t control it all.

“Working towards recognizing what truly is within our individual control and then choosing to focus our energy on managing what we can control to improve our overall mental health and stress, helps us remain resilient through the pieces that are outside of our control,” Diesch-Chham says.

Adversity happens. Markets will crash. Animals will get sick. Disease will strike. Families will argue. But you can recover faster from those stresses by staying grounded in the moment, aligning your thoughts and emotions with reality.

Resources to Help Build Resilience:
North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center

Mindfulness: University of Illinois Extension

Building Resilience with Mindfulness

Winter Is Coming: Farm Equipment Prep Pointers From an Oil and Fuels Expert

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:49:56 GMT

Every winter, after fall harvest and tillage are wrapped up, farmers begin prepping farm equipment for the long slumber ahead until spring planting arrives. Or, if you plan on using that tractor or UTV to move snow or for other tasks around the farm, you need to prep your machinery for that as well.

There are several essential steps farmers need to consider for winter farm machinery use and storage, says Jonathan Woetzel. Woetzel has enjoyed a long career with Minnesota-based cooperative CHS, where he focuses on quality assurance for the Cenex brand, which is CHS’ in-house label for its fuels, lubricants and propane.

How to handle fuel

Cenex fuel at Shumaker Ringnecks Pheasant Farm

(Adam Hester )

His first piece of winter farm equipment preparation advice for farmers and fleet managers is make sure you have the right diesel fuel on hand.

“The wax that naturally occurs in diesel fuel, especially No. 2 diesel fuel, when it gets too cold, the wax crystallizes and becomes a solid form that doesn’t pass through filters very well,” Woetzel explains. “There are fuels available, like our Cenex Winter Master premium diesel fuel, that include additives to prevent gelling.”

That unwanted fuel thickening, or gelling as Woetzel calls it, is mitigated specifically by cold flow improver (CFI) additives in the fuel.

For any gasoline-fueled equipment you’re not planning on running this winter, Woetzel recommends adding a fuel stabilizer to the tank if you’re not able to empty it out prior to storage. Although, oftentimes a premium winter diesel fuel blend will already contain fuel stabilizers, so check with your fuel supplier before investing in aftermarket stabilizers.

Oil and lubricants

Oil_Analysis_Cenex_rev

Changing the oil in any equipment you store for winter is a good idea, he adds.

“I say that because used oil, if it’s been in there for quite some time, has lost some of its ability to prevent rust and corrosion,” Woetzel says. “So, get the old oil out and put in fresh oil and a new filter, and then fire it up and run it for 10 minutes or so to circulate the oil. Now all the internal engine parts are coated with oil to prevent rust and corrosion.”

The quiet winter period is also a great time to send off any used oil samples for lab analysis, which helps detect internal equipment issues (e.g., contaminants like coolant leaks or unusual engine wear), and then you can address maintenance needs before spring planting season. Most oil testing services turn samples around in 48 hours and will email a PDF of the results.

Another consideration is oil type. You want engine oil that will flow quickly as the machine starts up. Woetzel says you want to use high-quality synthetic oil.

“A full synthetic gives better cold starting capabilities and lubrication,” he adds. “And you want to make sure you have the right viscosity grade, like a 5W-40. That 5W means it’s going to flow very well right away at cold startup and work well in cold temperatures.”

Coolant and antifreeze

dan anderson coolant

Because coolants and antifreeze are formulated for a wide range of temperatures, there’s not much to worry about in that regard. Woetzel does recommend checking your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommended coolant change intervals, and if you’re due for a coolant swap, get that done (and a coolant flush) before winter hits.

If you’ve purchased a used machine that’s already full of antifreeze, but you’re not sure what type or if it’s the right formulation for your climate, there are handheld testers that you can purchase to verify the fluid’s actual freeze point.

Finally: hit those grease points

types of grease

(Dan Anderson)

Take a second and think about when you last greased up all the grease points on your tractor, combine, planter or tillage tool, Woetzel says. If you’re putting the machine into storage and won’t need it until it warms up, a standard No. 2 grease is good for spring, summer and fall. If you’re going to keep using it during the winter, he recommends using a No. 1 grease.

“We tell them to switch to a No. 1 grease, which is softer and easier to pump, and it flows better,” Woetzel explains.

Your Next Read: Record Breaking Used Hay Baler And Seed Drill Headline Pete’s Pick of the Week

Farm Equipment Auction Increase Coming Soon, Farmers Must Capitalize Before Prices Jump

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:17:56 GMT

In the used farm equipment auction world, 2024 saw an absolute avalanche of late-model equipment hit bidding sheets around the country. Today, supply of 1-to-3-year-old machines has pulled back dramatically.

“Huge drop offs this year on late-model used,” Machinery Pete says. “That’s why, in part, we’re seeing this huge firming up [in the market]. Of course, not much new is being sold. Dealers are working through inventory, of course they’d like those to be lower, but collectively, it’s night-and-day better than where it was.”

Pete and Casey Seymour are anticipating a very busy November and December on the auction circuit. The number of auctions to date is up 15% compared to last year already, but with late-model supplies relatively low, prices solidifying and demand from farmers still trending up, bidding is still very competitive.

“This is one of those years where everyone is waiting until the last possible minute to get things purchased and push things through,” Seymour says. “We’re still seeing combines being sold at this time of the year — that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, right? It’s a last-minute thing.

Last-minute buying by farmers is not necessarily a negative development for equipment dealers. Pete thinks the wave of dealer consolidation over the past couple years has imparted more efficiency into the dealer network, so dealers are setup to handle an increase in volume.

“To me, the used farm equipment space is moving towards the used automotive space and becoming faster,” he adds. “Again, as a farmer I understand if you don’t like that, you lose one of your local dealers because they consolidate, but you have to be aware of these things because this short period to get to solidifying used values just hasn’t happened before like this.”

Pete says the lag in used equipment values that normally follows a market downturn — putting farmer-buyers in position to capitalize on lower-priced equipment — won’t be here for as long as when dad and grandpa were running the show. You should consider buying this winter versus waiting until late 2026 or 2027.

Commodities Update

Shawn Hackett, president and CEO, Hackett Financial Advisors, believes USDA overestimates to yield forecasts signal a corn price jump in January or February, but many farmers won’t be able to sell at the higher price if they didn’t have room to store harvested grain or erroneous yield projections led them to believe it was better to sell early.

“If we have a $4.80 or $5 corn price, but I already sold at $4 or $3.80 or whatever, now I’ve just locked myself into a financial bind,” he says, adding the current government downturn will levy yet another devastating blow to farmers’ bottom lines.

High Plains Update

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21^st Century Equipment, joins Seymour for an in-depth breakdown of the latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) U.S. tractor and combine sales report. You can view the latest data here as you follow along with the discussion.

Head on over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Go ahead and give it a “Thumbs Up” and hit the “Subscribe” button to get each new episodes as soon as it drops.

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Pete's Pick: 21-Year-Old John Deere Tractor Almost Hits $150,000

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:40:07 GMT

This week’s Pete’s “Pick of the Week” is a 20-plus-year-old tractor that came in just south of $150,000, but you can argue the buyer actually secured a nice bargain when you put it in the context of how much a new high-horsepower row crop tractor will run you.

At a farm auction in Asbury, Mo., a 2004 John Deere 8420 tractor with only 1,053 hours on it sold for $146,250. Pete says it’s the 16^th highest auction price of all time on an 8420, and nine of the past 10 high auction prices have all been recorded within the past four years. It’s a trend line that continues to show farmer preference for older, good conditioned, pre-DEF used tractors.

“It was one owner, so it checked all [the boxes],” Pete says. “And to push $150k, 21 years old … it was interesting when I posted this across social media, you get a lot of discussion and people were saying ‘Yeah, it’s a big check, but again for the horsepower and given it’s good condition [used] with a little age on it … the belts are tightening, and it’s sort of indicative of … the gap between a brand new and a good used one, those price increases on the new have gotten so high the past three to four years, you’ve opened this chasm.”

Pete also notes a “beautiful 1980s tractor” from Nebraska that sold last Tuesday in a DPA Auctions online sale.

A 1986 Versatile 1150 with what Pete calls that “beautiful orange and yellow color combo” sold for an even $50,000. It had 8,117 hours on it.

One of the more noteworthy transactions from last week, according to Pete, was a 2025 John Deere 616R sprayer with 127 hours selling for $309,000 in the DPA online sale. This sprayer was noted as “severely damaged – driven into a creek.”

(DPA Auctions)

“Driven into a creek and hard cash, it still goes over $300,000,” Pete says. “For comparison, our good friends at the Steffes Group sold a ‘24 model 616R sprayer with 464 hours in June and that went for $450K. The one that sold Tuesday, if it had not been driven into a creek, it’s going north of $450K. So, if you wonder what does that cost, driving into a creek? Well, you’re talking $150K to $160K. So, now you know.”

As far as rare, unique machinery selling over the past week on the auction circuit, Pete highlights a couple pieces of iron there as well.

A New Holland 1283 self-propelled baler — Pete says you just don’t see many of them around anymore — sold for $6,200, which is the highest auction price Pete can recall on that particular machine.

And in the same Big Iron online auction, an Allis-Chalmers 60 pull type combine with a two row corn head sold for $4,510.

(Big Iron Auctions)

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Machinery News: JCB Fastrac 6000 Tractor, Väderstad and Valley Debut New Products, Unverferth Acquisition

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:18:33 GMT

JCB Launches New Fastrac 6000 Series Tractors

(JCB)

British machinery manufacturer JCB says its new Fastrac 6000 Series tractors provide farmers with a feature-laden, highly productive power unit suited to a multitude of field and transport tasks.

Some notable features on the new machines include:

Two models will be available in the series, the 6260 (284 hp) and 6300 (335 hp)
25,240 lb. rear lift capacity plus a four-speed PTO shaft; optional 11,023.6 lb. front lift and 1000 rpm PTO.
A new chassis design combining sculptured front casting and rear fabricated structure, new engine and powertrain combinations for optimum power, torque and fuel efficiency, and a new central tire inflation system (CTIS).

The Fastrac 6000 Series will be available in North America in Q2 2026.

Learn more about the Fastrac 6000 Series at jcb.com/en-US/ .

Implement Innovator Väderstad Launches Trio of Products

E-Connect

(Väderstad)

Väderstad announces its new digital machinery telematics platform, E-Connect, as well as a next generation row unit for Tempo planters and a new front tool option for its disc cultivators Carrier XL 425–725.

The manufacturer says E-Connect provides farmers with a digital tool to monitor and manage Väderstad-branded machinery in real-time, with comprehensive visibility into fleet activity and machine performance. Users can track fieldwork progress, analyze operational efficiency and make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data. The platform also integrates with several major Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS).

In 2026, Väderstad will also introduce its next-generation row unit for the Tempo planter. The new row unit comes with a long list of new features, including:

Planting depth setting from a prescription map
Easier seed tube change
Easier switch between crops
Upgraded seed meters with one-handed seed meter opening

And its new third disc axle configuration, available for Carrier XL 425–725 tillage tools, increases disc density from two rows to three, reducing the disc spacing to just 3.3". The company says this results in 50% more tillage tool contact to the ground, delivering highly intensive mixing, crumbling and residue management.

All three solutions will debut at Agritechnica 2025. You can learn more here .

Valley Irrigation Launches Brand Agnostic Pivot Control Panel

(Valley Irrigation)

Valley Irrigation introduces the ICON+ Smart Panel, the newest addition to its ICON family.

Valley says the new digital control panel combines simplicity with essential functionality while offering a balance of performance and affordability. Valley says it shares the proven capabilities of the ICONX panel while delivering essential control at the panel and advanced management from any electronic device. Farmers can remotely manage an entire fleet of pivots, regardless of the brand or age of the equipment.

The ICON+ Smart Panel is available through authorized Valley Irrigation Dealers. To learn more visit valleyirrigation.com/icon or contact your local dealer.

The company also announced the Valley Irrigation Grant, a $100,000 initiative designed to help growers tackle their most pressing water challenges through smart farming innovation.

Two North American farmers will be awarded in-kind grants through the program, $75,000 for the grand prize and $25,000 for the secondary prize, redeemable for Valley equipment, technology and services through their local Valley dealer.

Applications are now open at valleyirrigation.com/grant and will be accepted through Dec. 15.

Unverferth Acquires Premier Tillage

Minimizer Blade Plow tillage tool.

(Premier Tillage)

Unverferth Manufacturing Co. has acquired the Premier Tillage lineup, including its popular, weed-eradicating Minimizer blade plow tillage tool.

Unverferth says the addition of Premier Tillage products strengthens its commitment to providing a full range of equipment solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity and agronomic performance.

Production of the Minimizer blade plow tillage tool will be moved to the Unverferth production facility in Lexington, Neb. Premier Tillage was founded by Dan Chupp in 1985 and is based in Quinter, Kan. The acquisition ensures Premier Tillage customers will continue to receive product support, now backed by Unverferth’s dealer network.

Learn more at umequip.com .

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Sign of the Tariff Times? Claas Shifts LEXION 8000 Combine Production From Omaha to Germany

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:47:33 GMT

German farm machinery manufacturer Claas has issued a statement reading, in part, that “to remain competitive in the Canadian market under current tariff and trade conditions, CLAAS will transition production of 2026 model year LEXION 8000 Series combines destined for Canada to Germany.”

By implementing this production shift, Claas would avoid paying the 50% steel and aluminum tariffs currently in place between the U.S. and Canada. Products manufactured in Germany and shipped into the U.S. are subject to a 15% blanket tariff, with some exemptions.

Related - From the Factory to Your Fields: Where Farm Equipment Is Made

Claas says the change will only apply to machines that will eventually harvest grain on farms in Canada. LEXION combines built for U.S. customers will continue to be assembled in Omaha, Neb., with most parts sourcing remaining local to the U.S.

A bit of good news amid the bad is Claas also says it will maintain stable prices in the U.S. until Dec. 31, despite the impact of tariffs.

So, if you’re looking at buying a new Claas combine, tractor or forage harvester, it sounds like you should think about locking in that pretariff price before the end of the year.

A busy 2025 at Claas

(Claas)

Claas recently soft launched its new Jaguar 1000 series forage harvesters (shown above) for the U.S. dairy market. That machine will hit the dairy industry in time for the 2026 forage harvest season when the first units manufactured over in Germany hit dealer lots.

Earlier this month, the company hosted a groundbreaking on its Omaha campus for a new North American R&D Center. And it recently expanded its dealer-network throughout a handful of states in the Midwest.

Back in August, we talked with senior vice president Eric Raby at the manufacturer’s booth at the Farm Progress Show . He told Farm Journal that Claas was absorbing the extra expenses from tariffs and “not passing all that on to the customer” but that the new-at-the-time 50% aluminum and steel tariffs would pose a significant challenge going forward.

“We’re still trying to figure out what are the implications because that is going to affect our industry much more broadly than just the tariffs on a country of origin for a specific machine,” Raby said at the time.

The manufacturer says it is currently reviewing preorder sales data to determine combine production requirements in Omaha . The company “sees strong potential in the future of U.S. agriculture and, with it, opportunities for continued growth.”

Despite the decision to move some combine production back to Germany, CLAAS is also actively recruiting new hires for sales and service throughout the U.S.

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Used Farm Equipment Buyer’s Market: Be Ready For Good Deals on Late-Model Machines

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:20:16 GMT

Stephen Spohn hawks used equipment all over the Midwest for Heritage Tractor, a 40-outlet John Deere dealer with retail stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri.

He says now is as good a time as any to be a buyer in the used farm equipment market. Prices have pretty much hit their bottom and will most likely only go up from here, but for now, he’s pretty confident another jump in prices won’t hit until 2027, unless something changes drastically.

“There will be opportunities for guys that maybe have [always] purchased new, but now they can buy some lightly used equipment at a good discount compared to new prices,” he says. “And there’s just a lot of good equipment [out there], and it’s probably [already setup] the way they want it, so just lots of opportunities right now.”

Big Iron’s Kurt Campbell, national account manager – dealer partnerships, agrees with that take. On the auction side, he shares that Big Iron has listed more late-model machines on its online auction platform in the past 24 months than it has in many, many years.

“If you’re thinking about updating and you find the piece of equipment that you’re looking for, I would encourage you to take advantage and buy it,” he advises.

Trending machinery segments

Spohn says Heritage Tractor is one of the most active sellers of used hay tools and baling machinery in the lower 48. And just as Machinery Pete and Casey Seymour have said for months now on the “Moving Iron Podcast,” he agrees the price of a new hay rake or big square baler is driving buying activity on the used side.

“[The] cattle market is strong like we’ve never seen it before, and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up; it just keeps getting stronger and stronger. So [used] hay equipment is at a premium , and we do have a lot of equipment ready to sell, ready to go to the field right now,” Spohn says, adding that demand is also strong for mid-sized utility tractors and windrowers.

“As long as we get the rain, we need to put the hay or the alfalfa out there for the guy to get it pulled in, and then we’re good to go,” he adds. “But yeah, that market is just incredible.”

Both Spohn and Campbell, who we spoke with at the Moving Iron Summit this week in Austin, Texas, are seeing a supply gap come into play across one machinery category: new high horsepower combines.

“I think most dealers of all makes, [John] Deere included, and the red and the yellow combines, too, there’s limited production and limited orders on new machines right now,” Spohn says. “I think everybody’s cutting that back, but there’s plenty of lightly used combines that can fill in that gap. To me that’s going to be a really good opportunity for the farmer to maybe get that price break on that lightly used combine compared to the new.”

“In ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, and into ‘23, the supply [of used machinery] was very limited, which obviously created demand,” Campbell adds. “We’re in a position now, we’re trying to get that back under control. The decrease in production from the OEMs is helping. So, to our dealer partner’s point, if you’re looking, there’s a good selection to look. And of course, when you’re shopping online or you’re using an auction company such as Big Iron, there’s always good inventory.”

Spohn says there’s enough good machinery in both the retail and auction worlds for everybody to eat this winter. Again, a win-win for buyers.

“I think the retail market is priced right,” he says. “Yeah, there’ll be some [nice deals] at auction, too, but I think the retail opportunity is there to get a good price on a combine. And then of course the benefit to the farmer is if they buy from the retail side, then you get dealer support.”

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National Farm Safety and Health Week: Stay Safe This Harvest Season With Expert Tips

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 21:12:05 GMT

Farmers spend a good chunk of their professional lives out in nature, producing healthy crops that feed communities and the world. But if there is one drawback to farming, it’s that it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S., according to Laura Siegel, AgriSafe Network.

Whether you’re talking about tragic grain bin entrapment , dangerous combine harvester fires, or just the simple fact that farmers, their family members and employees spend a lot of time in and around heavy equipment, the bulk of on-farm accidents unfortunately often involve farm machinery.

Siegel spoke with AgDay anchor Clinton Griffiths (video above) about how farmers can help reduce accidents and injuries. She says one approach that significantly reduces accidents is getting enough sleep.

“Harvest is coming up and we know a lot of people are losing sleep because with technology you can use those lights to stay up and work until the job is done,” Siegel says. “But honestly, working [with] your machinery with less sleep is as dangerous as if you’d been drinking [alcohol]. So, it’s important to make sure we’re getting enough sleep.”

Siegel shares these reminders to help everyone stay safe this fall:

If you currently have a pair of boots or gloves with holes in them, you should replace them to “prevent you from [having] any contact with harmful chemicals or organic materials.”
When working with machinery, make sure that your clothes are tight and not loose fitting. “And if you’re wearing a cover-up, make sure that the sleeves aren’t hanging loose because those can get caught in the equipment and cause accidents.”
Take the time to slow down and always be aware of your surroundings when you’re driving or towing farm machinery. “Even if you’ve taken these same roads every day for the past 50 years, ag roadway accidents are some of the highest [occurring accidents] compared to any other area, despite having less traffic.”
Practice smart, defensive driving on public roads. “You don’t know when a big farming vehicle might be coming down [the road] and they can’t stop as fast as you might be able to in your pickup truck or ATV.”

Side-Marking Machinery

(Lindsey Pound)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s John Shutske has 40 years of experience advocating farm safety best practices. He spends a lot of time talking about the dangers of slow-moving vehicle (SMV) and car/truck interactions on rural roadways.

Shutske says tractor-auto incidents on rural roads are increasing due to a handful of factors, including the higher average age of farmers (60-plus in many areas), a growing need to operate farm equipment on public roadways due to farm growth and consolidation, and distracted drivers. And most rural roads don’t have wide shoulders where you can quickly veer off to avoid a collision, with many lined by deep drainage ditches.

The average vehicle operator driving at 55 mph and approaching a SMV traveling in the same direction, like a tractor hauling two grain carts at harvest, on a two-lane highway with good visibility will have 11 seconds to slow down before an accident occurs, he says. If the driver of the car or SUV is distracted or simply does not see the SMV right away, it significantly reduces the amount of time needed to stop safely.

(ifloortape.com)

One answer, according to Shutske, is for the owner-operator of the SMV to make the vehicle more conspicuous, or recognizable, to oncoming traffic. There are many ways to do that, one of the easiest is to mark all vehicle and implement dimensions (rear, sides, front, etc) with side-marking tape and/or SMV signs (the red upside down triangle) made from retroflective material, which is engineered to reflect light back at the same intensity that is shined upon it.

“The side-marking tape [at your local hardware store], you can find it for $25, and you can essentially outline every piece of equipment,” Shutske says. “It’s an incredibly cheap investment and one that can save lives.”

He also says there are new safety products available from Amazon and other retailers that are made with LED lights and retroflective material that can be “bolted or clamped on, or affixed with magnets” for under $300 to add safety lighting and markings to any piece of equipment, regardless of age.

What About Trailers?

(Lindsey Pound)

It’s important to use side-marking tape on your trailering equipment, Shutske adds. You don’t have to mark a machine continuously across its side, he says you can simply outline a box or upside-down triangle with the tape at each end point. And always make sure your trailer is loaded and balanced correctly, and you have sufficient braking power for the load you’re hauling.

As more farmers embrace automation and robotics — remotely-piloted machines often must be hauled from field to field — more trailers will be seen loaded up with farm equipment on public roads. Spray drones often require large, bi-level trailers with a lot of heavy equipment packed on, like nurse tanks and power generators.

“We’re seeing a lot of big and small robotic equipment, and transportation is really going to be an issue,” Shutske says. “Right now, most have a steering wheel and seat for the operator, but I do see a future where we need to think about regulations and safety standards [for driverless farm equipment]. Trailering [safety] is going to be a lot more important in the future.”

If you want to learn more tips and tricks for staying safe, AgriSafe Network’s National Farm Safety and Health Week 2025 is happening this week. The agency is hosting 10 free online webinars exploring best practices for staying safe around the farm.

Get registered and check out the webinar topics at learning.agricafe.org/NFSHW.

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A Dive Deep Into Used Equipment Market Forces and Tips to DIY Your Next Sale

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 18:23:55 GMT

Farmers are feeling the squeeze of low commodity prices and uncertainty in the market — and that’s especially true for soybean growers right now — yet good condition, pre-DEF used farm equipment is still in strong demand.

Whether you’re selling a row crop tractor down at the local auction, parking the old combine out by the road with a “For Sale” sign on it, or throwing up a listing on Facebook Marketplace, Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson say there are best practices sellers need to use to present their machines in the best possible light.

Focus on taking a high quantity of clear images from a variety of angles, and show any defects with the machine. Make sure to wash and clean the machine as best as possible.

A detailed written description of the machine that includes its operating hours, how it was used on your farm and any maintenance history you can share is also recommended.

Use video (cell phone camera is fine) to give the online buyer a virtual “walk around” of the machine. Another tactic is recording a selfie video. Have the owner stand in front of the machine and speak directly to buyers about various upgrades and features on the machine and why they should consider buying it.

“You can throw a fishing lure, but if you don’t put any bait on the fricking hook, you’re not going to catch a fish,” says Pete.

Once pictures and videos are ready (that’s the bait on the hook), it’s time to cast the line into the water by setting a fair and realistic price. Use MachineryPete.com as well as other online auction platforms like Big Iron and Purple Wave to see how much the same make/models have sold for recently. Try to avoid emotion in your pricing decision, and do not say “Call for Price” in the listing. It sets off red flags that the machine will be overpriced.

“At the end of the day, there’s really three things that matter: how many pictures [and videos] do you have that tell a good story about the machine, what does your description look like and are you priced fairly in the market,” adds Seymour. “That’s it. Boom, boom, boom.”

Economics Update

Rich Posson, business cycles analyst, Critical Point & Ag Financial Strategies, correctly predicted the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates this week, and he thinks rates could bottom out early in 2026 and then rise again in 2027. Find out what he is seeing in the world of macro and microeconomics that will affect machinery sales.

The High Plains Perspective

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21st Century Equipment, joined the podcast to unpack the for-sale-by-owner trend and how sellers who choose to go that route can make sure they don’t leave any cash on the table.

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode . Please be sure to hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

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How Much Does It Cost to Run a High Horsepower Tractor?

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:20:49 GMT

Have you ever driven past a large tractor pulling a tillage tool and kicking up dust in a farm field and thought to yourself ‘I wonder how much money it’s costing that farmer in the driver’s seat to run that thing?’

If so, you might be a fellow machinery geek, and you also might want to check out The University of Illinois’ Farm Business Management “Machinery Costs Estimate: Tractors” report.

The study, published on Sept. 1, found that a high-horsepower, brand-new row crop tractor that puts out 640 hp costs a staggering $350 per engine hour in 2025.

At 590 hp, the same tractor would cost about $327 per engine hour. To get your hourly tractor spend down to a more reasonable level, under the $200 mark, you would have to trade down to a 240 hp tractor or lower, according to the data.

With its release at Farm Progress Show last week in Decatur, Ill., still fresh on the mind, it’s hard not to wonder how much it costs to run that new Case-IH Steiger 785 Quadtrac with 853 hp under the hood?

And then if you’re hauling a 12-row planter full of freshly treated, expensive traited seed as well, how much does that hourly rate go up?

The study considers several factors such as machine list price, labor and fuel costs, and “overhead” which includes asset depreciation, insurance, housing costs, interest and repair costs.

While the $350-per-hour figure sounds astronomical, it also makes sense, too. Literally everything seems like it costs more money these days — eggs , car insurance, a standard one-bedroom apartment in town — so why wouldn’t it cost more to run that shiny new tractor too?

It’s important we also keep in mind these figures from the University of Illinois are only estimated costs. The actual costs of running your farm equipment will depend on several factors that differ across the various ag production regions. The University of Illinois says the figures are “useful for determining machinery costs on farms, rental rates for machinery and custom rates for machinery operations.”

The report was prepared by Dale Lattz and Gary Schnitkey, department of agricultural and consumer economics, University of Illinois.

Head over to farmdoc.illinois.edu to check out the data for yourself

Auction Experts: Buy Used Farm Equipment Now Before Prices Jump, Machinery Specs Matter More Than Ever

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:53:14 GMT

With fall auction (and college football) season fully upon us, Moving Iron hosts Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson are paying close attention to how the used equipment resale market shakes out over the next few months.

According to Pete, last year was just the second fall auction season in the past 22 years that saw an overall drop in used machine values, but there are signs this fall will reverse that trend. That would be a positive development for dealers and private sellers looking to get good value for their used equipment at auction.

“I mean, if we get a little positivity in the market, if that continues, it might point toward maybe a stronger end of the year,” Pete says.

Pete also thinks interested buyers need to be aggressive now, because we might have hit the bottom of the market this summer and prices are only going up from this point forward.

Two used machines sold at a Big Iron Auctions sale in Illinois this week; the results show there are still good deals floating around in the auction market, but it is anyone’s guess how long that lasts.

A 2014 John Deere S680 combine with 3,340 operating hours sold for $69,000. Last year, the average auction price for that same model/year combine was $80,185, and the year prior it was right at $99,000.

And a 2017 John Deere 8370R tractor with 4,499 engine hours on it sold for $127,850, which is well below the average auction price of $182,500.

Seymour and Pete are also keeping close tabs on the upcoming Sept. 12 USDA corn production report. A rise in corn futures following the release of that report could increase used equipment buying activity significantly.

“I think if we start to see more people coming to the table to buy stuff, then we’ll see some organic growth in prices,” Seymour says. “But it feels like there could be some volume at the end of the year that gets gobbled up because of this, and that could bleed over to that first quarter [of 2026].”

Commodities Analysis

Chip Nellinger, co-owner, Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, says fall harvest is now underway south of I-70, but a lack of moisture in the Eastern Corn Belt and increased crop disease pressure throughout the Midwest have corn and soybeans on separate paths.

“In the case of corn, you have yields coming down, but demand is phenomenal, arguably in some segments the best it’s ever been, you combine that with shrinking yields, and it can become somewhat explosive,” Nellinger says. “[It’s] kind of the opposite in beans; yields are probably coming down, but we’ve yet to see any movement on a Chinese trade deal.”

High Plains Update

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21^st Century Equipment, joined Seymour to break down how machinery specs and different features drive resale values both regionally and nationally. Fintel says smart buyers must have a conversation with their dealer during the purchasing process so they know which machine specs used equipment buyers are looking for.

For example, combines with four-wheel drive and “Tri-Power” (power fold, power cast and power rear) are critical specs for high resale value. In the tractor segment, PTO shafts and high flow hydraulics are the current must-haves.

“With that third and fourth buyer paying more attention [to machine specs] it’s as vital as ever to get the right specs,” Fintel says. “Even if the guy has ordered the same thing for 30 years, there needs to be a discussion [with the dealer] all the time, because with how technology drives so much in ag right now, things change weekly.”

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

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What Farm Equipment Manufacturers Are Saying About 50% Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:00:17 GMT

Farm equipment manufacturers have spent the past nine months dealing with tariff fallout and implications. It’s an effort borne out of sheer necessity — that’s because the various tariff levels and targets have changed faster than a Kansas prairie headwind during spring planting.

It’s why we talked with executives from a handful of farm equipment manufacturers to learn more about how they are managing the situation. John Deere, for example, recently went as far as attaching a hard number to the tariff pain: a projected $600 million in balance sheet impact for 2025 is the figure shared by John Beal, director of investor relations, during Deere’s 2025 Q3 earnings call.

On Aug. 18, a 50% tariff on all foreign steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. went into effect. That alone has had a huge impact on the companies building farm machines here in the U.S. and abroad, and it’s even restricting the movement of used farm equipment across the border.

Almost All American Made

Case IH’s Kurt Coffey, who serves as the companies’ vice president of its North America division, says the executive team he is on meets daily to unpack global trade developments. Case IH is in a good position overall, he says, with 80% to 90% of its machines produced in one of four U.S. production facilities, and 95% of its machinery base material (i.e. steel) sourced domestically.

Related - From the Factory to Your Fields: Where Farm Equipment Is Made

(Case IH)

“What we’re trying to do is scale across our business to where there are impacts in the short term, in the transitory period, and make sure that we continue to flow product so we’re a reliable partner for our customers,” Coffey says. “But it is anybody’s guess where this is going. So, we’re maintaining focus on the customer and our supply flows.”

That supply flow is worth the extra effort in Racine, according to Coffey, due to this fact: Anywhere from 60% to 90% of Case IH machinery is presold, so a new tariff today means a big, unexpected extra cost tacked on the back end.

“We’re executing on product that was sold three, five or even eight months ago,” he adds. “So, no comment on [financial] impacts, but we’ve continued to focus on how we make sure our customers have what they need as they’re going to harvest.”

Coffey doesn’t come right out and say it, but reading between the lines, it seems clear that Case IH has had to flex its creative muscles and figure out how to manage, for example, a new 50% tariff bill on a brand-new AF-11 combine that was sold six months ago. That extra 50% wasn’t part of the equation when the deal was signed, so who pays for it?

More EU Than U.S.

While Case IH has a large manufacturing base in the U.S., German-based manufacturer Claas is a different story. While the company builds its Lexion combines and self-propelled corn detassler machine at a 250,000-sq.-ft. facility in Omaha, Neb., four-fifths (80%) of its row crop machinery portfolio is built over in Europe and shipped to dealer lots in the U.S.

In a Trump Tariff world, that means significantly higher production costs for Claas, and potentially, the farmers that buy their tractors and combines. That’s because tariffs are taxes, and most companies will pass that extra cost down the line to consumers in the form of higher retail prices.

Eric Raby, senior vice president of the Americas region, Claas, says his outfit is actually taking on some of those extra costs.

(Claas)

“From an EU [European Union] perspective, and in Canada and some other major countries, we’re pretty even keel right now on where the tariffs are, and I think the industry as a whole has pretty much absorbed [a lot of] those,” he says. “We’ve absorbed a lot, as well. We’re not passing all of it to the customer.”

The new-ish 50% tariff on steel and aluminum is a different story, however.

“We’re still working [on that] right now and trying to figure out the implications, because that really is going to affect our industry much more broadly than just the tariffs on a country of origin for a specific machine,” Raby says. “We’re always looking for local [material] suppliers as well, because our time to market gets shortened considerably. So, it’s much more efficient for us as well.”

One way to manage those costs is to onshore more of its material sourcing network here into the U.S. We visited Claas’ Omaha factory this summer, and efforts were already underway to find more suppliers in Nebraska and the Midwest.

“We’re always looking at broadening our supplier base,” Raby says. “If we go back to COVID, I think the whole industry suffered from a lack of versatility within the supply chain. So we’re always looking for different suppliers. And then obviously, with the tariffs now, we’re looking even more intently on sourcing locally.”

Nearly 50/50

New Holland is largely viewed as a Euro-brand in farm equipment circles, but it’s closer to an even split. The company manufactures about 50% of it’s row-crop machinery in the EU and 40% in North America, with the remaining 10% built in the Asia-Pacific region.

JEAN-MARC GIUBOUX PHOTOGRAPHY

(New Holland)

New Holland’s vice president of North America, Ryan Schaefer, has been in the leadership role for the brand’s domestic operations for about a year now. He says CNH Industrial has eight manufacturing plants in the U.S. as well as a significant presence in western Canada, but managing the tariff situation has been anything but easy, he says.

“We produce tractors and combines all over the world, as well, so we truly have a global footprint,” he says. “So really, I wouldn’t go so far as to call the situation difficult, but the challenges are something that many in our industry have never had to deal with firsthand. It’s been a learning experience for all manufacturers, I would say, throughout North America and the globe.”

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Harvest Milestone: New Holland's Twin Rotor Technology Celebrates 50 Years of Threshing and Separating Power

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 21:08:03 GMT

Any innovation with a half-century worth of staying power deserves some recognition.

That includes New Holland’s transformative Twin Rotor combine technology (pictured below), which was invented by a team of engineers in Belgium and patented by the manufacturer in 1975 and has left an indelible mark on the harvesting equipment sector: Over 70,000 combines with the once “game changing” innovation have been built and shipped to farms around the world since its debut 50 years ago.

(New Holland)

The story of the twin rotor starts, according to New Holland’s Ryan Schaffer, vice president for North America, just over a decade prior when New Holland acquired Belgian combine manufacturer Leon Clay Co. in 1964.

Clay’s engineers had already started on a twin rotor prototype before the acquisition went through, and New Holland’s engineering team jumped in and finished the job.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“This was at a time when grain quality was becoming more important to farmers, because farming had shifted from producing for local markets to producing grain more as a globally marketed commodity,” Schaefer explains. “The twin rotor design works because it utilizes physics to thresh the grain faster and more gently than other combines of its time.”

Schaefer likens the twin rotor separation process to something most kids from the ’90s will surely remember: the barf-inducing, head spinning Gravitron fair ride.

For those that don’t know, the Gravitron was a UFO-shaped, LED-bedazzled amusement ride that fairgoers pile inside of, where they would position themselves against a vertically moving, slanted wall. The ride would then start to spin in a circle at a very high speed until it generated enough inertia and centrifugal force to push the interior walls against the riders with enough force (along with static electricity) to basically plaster them against the wall like a bug smashed against a window with a fly swatter. Then, the floor would drop and riders would be treated to a several stomach-turning seconds of feeling like they are floating in air and defying gravity

And that’s exactly how the twin rotor works: The two hollowed out rotors spin at high speeds, creating enough inertia and force to toss the heavier material, in this case the harvested grain, into the grain tank and lighter material like chaff and pieces of stalk is blasted out the back of the combine.

New Holland’s CR 11 combine.

( Emmanuel Bourgois)

While that twin rotor setup was initially used in New Holland’s flagship combine of the time, the TR 70, it has lasted throughout the years and today is at the very heart of New Holland’s mammoth, sensor-and-automation-tech-packed CR 11 combine. Case IH also offers a twin-rotor setup in its AF-11 machine.

“When we built the CR 11, we clearly set out to produce a larger machine with a higher (grain tank) capacity, but it also had to help improve the operator’s bottom line,” Schaefer says. “A focus on lowering the total cost of harvesting — which calculates everything from maintenance costs to harvest losses — for our farmers powers every design update we make to our combines.”

Combine History on Display

Jacob and Brittany Loftus and their 1975 New Holland TR 70.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

As part of New Holland’s yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary, it connected a group of ag media and social media influencers with southern Indiana farmers Jacob and Brittany Loftus.

The Loftuses are the proud owners of a 1975 New Holland TR 70 combine with the original four row corn head. They use the now rust-pocked, unassuming yellow and red classic every year to harvest 10 acres of organic corn. The couple mostly grows a diverse selection of specialty crops, and some corn and soybeans, across 200 acres in the fertile Ohio River Valley just northwest of Louisville, Ky.

“We acquired this in early 2000 when my Dad decided to upgrade combines, and then we ran it for about 15 years as our main combine. Back then we probably did about 400 acres of beans every year, so it’s done a lot of beans in its lifetime,” says Jacob Loftus.

The couple also keep a backup “parts combine” on hand to pull original parts from when something breaks.

“It’s kind of semi-retired these days, and we actually had two of them at one time before we lost one. It burnt up,” Loftus says.

Inside the Loftus’ 1975 TR 70: no AC and no Bluetooth radio. All nostalgia and classic Iron.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Loftus likens the old harvester to a 1970s muscle car: It just works, and there’s really not much that can break on it, he says. Think the old hand-crank car windows of yesteryear versus today’s automatic power windows.

“You can just set it and forget it, basically. I rarely have to do any adjustments on this machine year to year; it just picks good, clean corn,” he says. “Luckily the main components have never failed, just have to get some bearings, pulleys, chains and belts from the dealer here and there.”

Brittany Loftus gets a kick out of seeing the locals reactions when the unique relic of the past is out kicking up dust and chopping corn. It has to be quite the contrast to today’s modern, shiny steel and tempered glass ensconced futuristic harvesters.

“A lot of the little kids in the neighborhood, he’s like their idol because they’ll stop and watch and go, ‘oh, Jacob’s out in the field, Mom,’ and they are just like mesmerized by big equipment, so that’s really cool,” she says.

Check out this video from YouTube content creators and Wisconsin custom farmers, New Age Custom Harvesting , who were on hand to help celebrate the anniversary and check out the Loftuses’ classic combine:

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Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:49:31 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

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Why Used Specialty Machinery Is Trending Right Now

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:56:35 GMT

Right now is the time to sell used hay equipment and versatile loader tractors at auction. That’s because farmer interest in both of those machine segments has likely hit its ceiling for the year, according to a recent episode of the “Moving Iron” podcast.

Another trend in the market is spiking farmer demand for economically priced machines.

“You’re looking at that $50,000 to $150,000 [range], that’s like the peak thing right now,” says Casey Seymour, host of the podcast. ”And you know, if you look at the cattle side of the business, there’s a lot of cash out there right now and a lot of things moving.”

With fall auction season right around the corner, Machinery Pete thinks dealers should monitor the volume of units that flow into the auction world, because he thinks the used market can go either way at this point.

“I wonder if there’s going to be some dealers that wish they would have sold at the end of the first quarter, or early second quarter,” Pete says. “We’ll see how the market holds up for the rest of the summer here.”

Seymour expects we’ll see a lot of auctions booked for November and December, and Pete agrees.

“Q4 has been an optimal time since 2003 or 2004 basically, with the Bush tax cuts that happened so long ago,” Pete says. “Last year was only the second year I saw a dip in the fourth quarter, and the only reason it dipped was sheer volume. That’s why I still think it pays to steer clear of when everybody else is selling.”

And all of you classic tractor fans out there will just love this fun little story that Machinery Pete shared on Facebook:

The rest of the episode

Rich Posson, business cycles analyst, Critical Point, joins the podcast to talk about implications of a recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report and Federal Reserve meeting.

“The CPI came out at 2.7% this morning annualized, and that was shocking to Wall Street. First they bought and then sold, and now they’re back buying today under the idea that it’s lower than what we thought – therefore lower interest rates are coming,” he says. “But that 2.7% was actually unchanged (from last month). Years ago I learned from watching USDA data that when the government gives you an unchanged number, it basically means they don’t know what to do next.”

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21^st Century Equipment, also joins this week to talk about how unique, specialty used farm equipment, like sugar beet harvesters, dry bean Pickett headers and hay steamers, are all “right on the cusp” of taking off on the High Plains.

“My biggest thing with keeping machinery moving is ‘Lot Rot’. On the sugar beet equipment, that’s the beauty – it’s nonexistent,” Fintel says. “In that specialty equipment (market) it’s pretty much ‘We’re upgrading to get bigger.’ or ‘We’re upgrading because we have to.’ That’s a world where a bigger percentage of your trade-ins are past their (useful) life.”

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

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Put the Corn in The Bag: How Grain Bagging Can Smooth Out Harvest Bottlenecks

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:06:35 GMT

If you’re planning out your harvest logistics and stumped on where you’re going to store all the harvested grain, grain bagging just might be the solution you’re looking for.

Shannon McComas, vice president of sales and marketing at Loftness Specialized Equipment, is seeing a huge increase in demand for grain bagging equipment.

He says a record crop in 2023 followed by a record corn yield in 2024 that will likely be surpassed this fall has left rural communities with no room in grain bin storage.

McComas says if you have a tractor with a PTO rated at 50HP to 150HP — and most row crop farmers do — you just need a grain bagger and unloader to extract the grain from the bags back into a grain cart or truck.

If you bag your grain you will also need a specialized implement to remove the grain from the bag when its sold.

(Loftness Specialized Equipment)

The bags commonly come in three different sizes, 250', 300' and 500', with diameters of 9', 10' or 12'. He says most farmers opt for the 10' or 12' bags that best suit their storage needs.

“Some guys, they come into fall harvest, and the bin is already full of last year’s crop. They need to take that out of the bin and put it into a bag because it’s dried down,” McComas explains. “Then, they can put higher-moisture grain from the new crop in their bins where they have fans to move air and dry it down.”

Cost-wise, grain bagging makes a ton of sense (pardon the bad pun).

“You’re talking about pennies per bushel of storage cost versus multiple dollars per bushel for permanent storage,” he says.

As far as the bags themselves, they are built to withstand a Midwest fall and winter pounding from rain, sleet, wind and snow.

“You need to keep an eye on it through the winter, because sometimes you’ll get a puncture from deer or other animals walking on the bags — or the occasional hailstorm. If you cover those small punctures, the grain will come out in as good a condition as it went in,” he says.

The Investment

(Loftness Specialized Equipment)

Craig Fisher farms 15,000 acres of fertile ground 75 miles east of Bismark, N.D. A lot of his ground is rented, and that’s his main motivation for using grain bags.

“We didn’t want to build big grain bins on land we rent, because you never know if you’re going to lose it,” he says. “The bags we use hold about 40 semi loads of grain, and they only cost us about 7¢ per bushel.”

There are, however, significant upfront costs for the bagging equipment. Fischer’s initial investment rang in just under $100,000 for his bagger and the extraction implement.

“You can spend anywhere from $100,000, like we did, up to $300,000 for a top of the line 12' system,” he says. “I have over 25 million bushels of crop run through my bagger. We just have to change the auger flighting, and that’s a cheap fix. It’s such a simple design.”

Top Notch Convenience

Fisher is also a fan of the flexibility grain bags give him in grain marketing. In this area, once you deliver to the local cooperative, you’re locked into their pricing, he says.

“You can’t sell it to CHS after you’ve delivered to ADM. Once they have your grain, you’re stuck,” Fischer adds. “But if you have the grain bagged on your land, you can take it to another elevator, or even to another state if all of the sudden South Dakota is paying big money for protein.”

He also believes the bags help him smooth out annoying bottlenecks in the harvest cycle.

He could be in the middle of harvest and need to get his crop off as soon as possible, but the semi driver isn’t back from dumping yet, his bins are full and the auger isn’t running. That’s not a great feeling for any farmer, especially one calling the shots on a 15,000-acre harvesting operation.

“With a bagger out there in the field, I can have 13 combines running and that one bagger can handle all 13 of those combines,” Fisher adds.

The bags also maintain moisture levels well, Fisher says, and he sees more of his farmer neighbors getting into grain bagging.

“They used to kind of cross their eyes. But now, pretty much everyone is doing it,” he says. “The one thing I tell everyone is, you have to keep it temporary. You don’t want it in there for more than a year, because you can end up paying a big price if wildlife — the deer, coyotes, even pheasants — start getting into it and ripping it open.”

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The Truth About Stock Show Moms

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 21:12:46 GMT

Stock show moms can’t be put in a box. From the mom who can feed barrows better than anyone in the barn to the mom who always has the best snacks for the kids, and from the mom who takes all the pictures to the mom who listens to everyone’s problems, it takes all kinds to make the show go on.

Emily Spray, a stock show mom of three from Indiana, says there is no shortage of lessons learned at stock shows. One of the most valuable she has learned from being a stock show mom is humility. If it’s not the animals, it’s the kids who humble you, she laughs.

The Spray family and friends at the 2024 Indiana State Fair.

(Lindsay Hanewich)

“The other day I saw a picture of a house with a long row of hydrangea bushes,” Spray says. “The owner was discouraged because there was only one bloom on that whole row of bushes. The owner said, ‘I’ve been fertilizing them the same way. I’ve been watering them the same way. They’ve all been tended to the same way. But I’m only getting one bloom on that bush.’”

Spray relates this to showing livestock and raising kids.

“We’re not just going to dig out all the bushes and plant something else,” Spray says. “We’re going to keep at it. We’re going to keep going. Sometimes when we’ve got these kids who have big goals, there’s a lot of stress, competitiveness and goals being made. You’re doing the right things. You’re walking them all the same, feeding them all the same, but you’re not getting those blooms.”

Motherhood is about teaching kids to keep doing the next right thing. And someday, Spray adds, they might have more blooms on all those bushes.

“Keeping things in perspective is a valuable lesson,” she says. “Being able to change, adapt and edit as you go is important because there’s not always one right answer.”

“Her flexibility with an ever changing and always busy schedule is probably her super power,” Makayla Spray (r) says about her mom Emily (l).

(Jennifer Shike)

Sometimes It’s Not Your Turn
Disappointments inevitably come when goals aren’t reached or hard things happen. Spray recalls a story about one of their best Hampshire gilts before the state fair.

“I’ll never forget when my husband Craig and daughter Makayla walked in from the barn,” she says. “I could tell there was something wrong.”

The gilt had shucked her hair. Because she had a thin belt to begin with, they knew the gilt would likely not be eligible to show as a Hampshire according to breed requirements.

“That led to some hard conversations about the right thing to do. Ultimately, we’re in this industry to teach our kids the right things to do. We had to sit down and say, ‘Okay, if this happens, this is how we’re going to handle it.’”

Emily Spray

During breed checks, the gilt didn’t pass. As she and Makayla walked out of the ring, Spray says she had to initiate another conversation to shift both of their perspectives.

“That week there was a family who had some teenagers coming to the state fair when they were in an awful wreck on the interstate,” Spray says. “There we were complaining we weren’t passing a breed check, but there was another family just down the road fighting for their life in the hospital. As hard as it was to say, ‘Okay, this is what we really wanted,’ we had to think about keeping the big things the big things.”

Sometimes it’s your turn, and sometimes it’s not, Spray says.

“In that moment it wasn’t Makayla’s turn,” she says. “Instead, she had a front row seat to the Hampshire show. It wasn’t from the middle of the ring like she wanted, but she sat in the front row and watched the entire show. Those are the moments that put that drive and desire in your heart – being so close to getting that goal – to come back and try again.”

Stop Comparing
New York Times bestselling author Shauna Niequist says, “You can compare and you can connect, but you cannot do both.”

Spray believes one of the biggest challenges parents face right now are social media highlight reels.

“So many of our kids are seeing all the wins, all the kids who are having success at all the shows across the nation,” she says. “That wasn’t a thing when we were kids. We saw who won the open show when we were there that day in living color. These kids are constantly seeing everyone’s highlight reel, so it’s easy for them in that moment to stop and compare themselves.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other families at shows.

(Craig Spray)

Spray wants to challenge people – kids and parents alike – to reframe that moment to connection instead.

“The best way to stop comparing is to find ways to connect,” she says. “I think there’s a lot of disconnect when it comes to being friends on social media. Have you ever had a conversation with that person? Do you know anything more than what you’re seeing on a screen about that person? How can you really get to know them?”

A few years ago, she had a t-shirt made for state fair that said, “You can’t compete with me.”

“When you read that first line, you think, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of proud.’ But the second line said, ‘I want you to win, too.’ When I wore that shirt, it confused a lot of people,” Spray says.

She remembers one dad who was particularly bothered by her shirt. He finally came up at the end of the day and asked her about it.

(Emily Spray)

“He said, ‘What do you mean? You don’t want your kid to win?’ I said, ‘Absolutely, I want my kid to win. But if you look at any other kid in this barn, it’s not like they just threw their pig on the trailer and decided to come to a show,” she says. “All of these kids have put in so many hours of work. And you know what? If your kid gets to win today, I’m going to clap for them, and I’m going to be happy for them.”

Keep the Big Things Big
The show barn is filled with people who share many common interests. It’s where true friendships are forged. For Spray, it’s worth remembering that as she strives to keep the big things big and the little things little.

“What are your big things? What is most important for you as a family?” she asks. “Is it winning a banner? Is it developing character? Is it enjoying what you’re doing? I think it looks different for every family, but taking that time to decide what means the most for your family is key to not letting all the other stuff get in the way.”

Episode 24 with Emily Spray is one you can’t miss.

(Jennifer Shike)

Even though it’s easy to judge others by what you see on the outside, Spray says the truth is that no mom has it all figured out.

“Look for that mom who’s in the season ahead of you,” she says. “Invite her to coffee and talk with her about the things she’s going through. That has been valuable for me, because when you’re in the thick of it – when you’re in the weeds and you can’t see beyond one day to the next – it’s helpful to have somebody who’s already paved that path ahead of you.”

Listen to The PORK Podcast to find out how Spray’s social media persona, The Funny Fair Mom, came to be, why she chooses to redirect when life gets stressful, and helpful hacks every show family needs to know before state fair season. Watch this episode on YouTube or listen anywhere podcasts are found.

Why Now is the Time To Move Used Construction Iron in the Farm Equipment Auction World

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:51:24 GMT

Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson agree now is the time when many farmers spend time shopping for what they call auxiliary machinery — things like wheel loaders, skid steers, track loaders and other compact and heavy utility equipment types.

“Skid steers are one of the first things that pop up when in my mind when I start thinking about that right now,” says Seymour, adding there is almost always a healthy supply of the versatile material movers in the used market.

Machinery Pete recalls skid steer values falling a bit last year due to that high supply, but this year is a different story. Values are trending up on used because, once again, the cost of a brand-new skid steer is high.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

“Pifer’s Auction had a sale (recently), and I think it was a 2024 Deere 335 P-Tier with 275 hours on it, give or take, and I thought that sold really well at $94,000 hard cash,” Pete says.

Another notable transaction came out of Illinois, Pete recalls. At a Joel Everett Tractors & Auction sale, a 2009 John Deere 325 with under 300 hours sold for $36,000, which was well over the previous auction high of $28,500.

“It was interesting. When they got to the skid steer they paused and said, ‘Hey, folks, this 2009 model is loaded with every single option,’ which is unusual for a 16-year-old model,” Pete adds. “But again, it was palpable how many people wanted that thing, and you know, $36,000 is a big check — but for hardly any hours on it and what you’re going to pay for a new one?”

Pete and Seymour also discuss the firming up they are seeing with used values on some of the large construction equipment seen around the farm, including excavators, wheel loaders and bulldozers.

How Kerr Auctions is Unlocking Export Markets

Alex Kerr of Kerr Auctions joined the guys next to discuss how his auction house is carving out space in the export market.

Kerr says the company has capitalized on growing equipment demand overseas by creating specialized sales that cater to export buyers. These sales often feature equipment that may not have strong domestic buyer interest due to age or condition.

Kerr has established partnerships to help overseas buyers handle logistics and shipping, and the company made the decision to eliminate buyer penalties for high bidders. Both decisions demonstrate a level of transparency and trust that helps put buyer minds at ease, he thinks.

“Specialized sales do well,” Kerr says. “We got to thinking that the export buyers, they hate some of the auction things they deal with. They don’t speak the language; you’ve got to talk to them on WhatsApp, or they have an online only presence.”

Kerr Auction’s next big export-focused Inaugural Farmer/Dealer Consignment Sale is set for Aug. 14. Check out all the details here.

The Rest of the Episode

Shawn Hackett, president and CEO of Hackett Financial, joined the show for an update on where commodity markets sit today and row crop futures prices. Glen Birnbaum, principal with Sikich, came on to talk machine depreciation rates and upcoming changes to tax law.

And Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21st Century Equipment, gave his view on moving used compact construction equipment out on the western plains.

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode , and give it a “Thumbs Up” and hit the “Subscribe” button to get every Moving Iron episode as soon as it drops.

Young Author Tackles Show Pig Journey in First Book: 'Bye-Bye Buddy'

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:59:35 GMT

It’s the time of the year that many stock show parents dread and struggle to talk about with their kids – the end of the show season.

That’s one of the reasons why 20-year-old Isabelle Doherty decided to write Bye-Bye Buddy, a book about the sensitive subject of saying goodbye to your show animals.

During a literacy class last year at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, she learned what it takes to make a good children’s book. An early childhood and special education major, she says she has always wanted to write a book about this topic because she thinks it could help kids.

“I’m not a writer, and I’m not an illustrator,” Doherty says. “But I knew this was a topic that needed to be talked about and that kids needed something to look at when they’re having to say goodbye to their best friends.”

Bye-Bye Buddy is written and illustrated by Isabelle Doherty.

(Jennifer Shike)

For Alex Bobell, a 10-year-old show pig exhibitor from Illinois, that’s one of the things she appreciates about the book.

“I love this book!” Bobell says. “It showed me that I am not the only one who gets sad when I have to say good-bye to my pigs at the end of the year. The pictures were also so good.”

Wravenna Bloomberg, a mother of four youth livestock exhibitors from Illinois, was one of the first to read Doherty’s book.

“What a sweet story depicting the bond between show pig and showman,” Bloomberg says. “The amount of time young exhibitors spend with their show animals creates a special relationship with memories far beyond that animal’s show career. I love how this story highlights this, while making it an easy read for young children.”

The Show Pig Journey
Doherty has been showing pigs since she was 3 years old. Her book explores the journey of the show pig project, including all of her own illustrations.

Isabelle Doherty reads her book, “Bye-Bye Buddy,” at a special event during the Team Purebred National Junior Show in Springfield, Ill.

(Showpig.com)

“The process of writing this book was difficult because I had to teach myself everything,” she says. “I couldn’t have done it without my parents and my family. I did not show them the book until it was finished, though. I wanted it to be something special and get the reaction when it was done and when it was printed.”

Her parents have served as her inspiration throughout her show career and the development of this book, Doherty points out.

“The show pig industry has been my life,” she says. “Now, it’s not every piece of my life, because there’s a bigger world out there. But what we take from this industry can help us impact that bigger world.”

Although she isn’t pursuing an agriculture-related degree, she believes the foundation she’s developed in agriculture will impact all of the children she meets in her future classrooms.

“I can’t wait to spread the love from this industry and what it has taught me to my future students,” Doherty says.

Of all the lessons she’s learned in the show ring, she hopes the industry will remember that the youth show industry is not about the breeders, feeders or fitters.

“This is about the kids,” she says. “We need to stay on track to that by placing value on showmanship and the contests, too. It is not about the place you get in class. That’s what’s so important about this industry and what it has taught me.”

Machinery Pete and Casey Seymour Talk Used UTVs, Auction Bidding Styles and Fishing

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:21:17 GMT

While the big iron is undoubtedly the star of the show at used farm equipment auctions, there are often miscellaneous-but-still-useful machines that make their way onto the auction docket.

Utility Task Vehicles (UTVs), also known as side-by-sides, four-wheelers, etc., are one such machine that you’ll encounter, because farmers and ranchers use these versatile, lightweight Swiss Army knives for a wide range of tasks around the farm.

And even if you’re not farming, if you’re into outdoor activities like hunting, fishing or trail riding, UTVs are a great tool to get into some spaces and places where a full-size pickup truck can’t venture.

Machinery Pete recalls a pair of UTV transactions that stick out from his recent travels around the Midwest covering farm equipment auctions.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

About six weeks ago, he says, a still-new-in-the-box 1984 Honda 250R ATC in New York sold for $200,000. And another Honda from the mid-80s, this one a 200 Series three-wheeler (shown above), sold for $14,500.

Besides Honda, Kawasaki, and John Deere with its iconic Gator series, Polaris is another manufacturer that Pete says is gaining traction selling four-wheelers to farmers and ranchers.

And if you consider yourself a bit of a UTV aficionado, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn MachineryPete.com tracks sales data and search traffic on used UTVs.

Pete says that data shows back in 2023, there was a big oversupply of the machines on the used market, but today that trend has flipped, and it’s actually a good time to sell a used side-by-side.

“One of the cool things about a side-by-side is that they have a big (depreciation) hit up front, but their mid-range life, that middle of the road dollar value that you see, it tends to linger a lot more than I think other pieces of equipment do,” adds Casey Seymour.

Pete has looked at the data on UTV sales and he’s found that sales and values at auction tend to spike when times are good in agriculture.

“If I were one of those ( UTV) companies, I would watch the price of corn and beans, and as soon as there’s a jump man, shift your ad spend into the ag space,” he says. “That’s what I would do, that’s my Machinery Pete recommendation.”

Our hosts then pivoted to a little fun and spent some time talking about anything other than used equipment values. If you’re into fishing, all of the different styles of bidding that farmers exhibit at auctions, or just having a laugh with two good ol’ boys like Seymour and Machinery Pete, you don’t want to skip the opening segment this week.

The Rest of the Episode
Economic analyst Rich Posson, RFPCO Group, gave an update on the state of the economy. He expects inflation to continue to trend higher going into 2026. Right now, we’re at about a 2.5% inflation rate compared to prices last year, Posson says.

Used equipment specialist Aaron Fintel, 21^st Century Equipment, took the last segment to take a deep dive alongside Seymour into the used farm equipment export market. The guys agree that one of the largest export markets for American machines, Ukraine, is down at the moment due to the conflict with Russia, while China is starting to come on strong as a buyer.

Head on over to YouTube to watch the full episode , and please give it a “Thumbs Up” and hit the “Subscribe” button to get new episodes as soon as they drop.

Your Next Read: Farmer Fred Pflugh’s Iconic Oliver 1855 Tractor Shines in Western PA

Red, White and Tractors: Machinery Pete’s Fourth of July Farm Equipment Highlights

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:59:16 GMT

Get ready to wave that flag, wave it wide and high!

It’s the official midway point of the summer growing season. The week of the Fourth of July is finally here, and Machinery Pete is feeling the USA Pride. He’s high-steppin’ like Uncle Sam with four “Picks of the Week” to share after a busy end of June on the used farm equipment auction market.

The first “Pick of the Week” comes to us from the Donald Bergquist farm retirement auction in Edmor, N.D. Pete recently talked about the high auction prices that well-maintained, pre-DEF equipment will often garner at retirement auctions, and this particular transaction set a new high for 2025.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

Donald Bergquists’ 2011 John Deere 9770 STS combine (above) in “beautiful condition” with only 446 hours sold for $187,500. That’s the third-highest auction price of all time on a 2011 9770 STS, and the top result for that make/model over the last six months.

“You expect that to sell high, and of course that’s pre-DEF,” Pete says. “I’ve been writing and talking a lot for the last year or so about how late-model combines have been adjusting downwards pretty aggressively for a couple years now, yet despite that fact these older pre-DEF combines in good condition, wow, they are really hot.”

Pete says the “sparks were flying on that one” because the combine sparked a fiery debate among his Facebook followers. Some used equipment aficionados claim it is a bargain because many farmers today prefer the 10-to-15-year-old used combines in good condition versus newer, harder-to-DIY models. Others claim old machines that haven’t been used much of late are “problematic to put back in use.”

Pete’s second “Pick of the Week” set a new all-time record, and it came off a consignment auction in Dalton, Minn.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

There, a one-owner 1982 Case IH 2290 tractor with 2,576 hours from the Glesne Farms retirement auction line out of Underwood, Minn., sold for $27,500. The previous record high for a Case IH 2290 was $26,250 set in 2023.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

Pete’s third “Pick of the Week” also generated a lot of discussion on social media. On Saturday, in Huntertown, Ind., a 2003 John Deere 7810 mechanical FWD tractor with 12,110 hours on it sold for $137,000. That’s the seventh-highest auction price of all time on a 7810 mechanical FWD, Pete says.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

And last but not least, Pete’s fourth Pick of the Week is a bit of a curve ball. At a Lake Benton, Minn., auction a unique, three-legged John Deere “Farm Implements” sign sold for $8,500.

Want more Machinery Pete? Check out the video segment above from “AgDay.” Pete highlights a pair of pre-DEF, used loader tractors he finds interesting.

Your Next Read: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

It's Hot Out There: Avoid Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion This Summer

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 20:01:10 GMT

As the temperatures begin to soar, we all know farm and ranch work never stops, even in the hot weather.

“Wear lightweight, long-sleeved, light-colored clothing, or a cooling vest and take short, frequent breaks in a shaded or cool area to stay cool while working outdoors,” says Tawnie Larson, a program manager in Kansas State University’s Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Kansas Agriculture Safety and Health Program.

She says technical cooling vests “are essentially like wearing air conditioning.”

“The vests use specialized fabric and fibers to circulate cooling products to keep body temperatures low during hot days,” she explains.

Larson also suggests using equipment with a canopy, such as a Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) with a sunshade.

“Usually, the ROPS with canopies cannot be folded down, which in turn provides more safety for operators because the ROPS is always activated,” Larson says. “Equipment that has an enclosed cab often times comes with air conditioning and has a built-in ROPS. Both of these options provide safety from rollovers and can help prevent heat-related illness.”

Because each individual reacts to hot days different, it’s important to listen to your body, Larson says. Take frequent breaks and stay inside during the hottest part of the day if possible.

“Medication may also play a role in affecting one’s body’s ability to stay cool, making it harder to handle the heat,” Larson says. “Before working outside this summer, check with your doctor to see if you’re at higher risk for heat-related illness and whether you should take extra-precautions due to medication.”

Is it Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 1 cup of water every 15-20 minutes, and before becoming thirsty. The CDC also recommends keeping sugary and alcoholic drinks to a minimum. Replace salt and minerals with snacks or a sports drink.

Heat stroke symptoms include high body temperature; hot, dry, red or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and lack of consciousness.

If a person is suffering from heat stroke:

Call 9-1-1 immediately.
Move the person to a cooler place.
Lower the person’s temperature with cooler clothes.
Do not give the person anything to drink.

“Heat exhaustion is different and usually not as serious,” Larson says.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion may include:

heavy sweating
cold, pale and clammy skin
fast, weak pulse
nausea
tiredness
headache
fainting

“If this occurs, take action by moving to a cool place, loosen clothing, get cool, sip water and seek medical attention if symptoms last longer than an hour or get worse,” Larson says.

Your Next Read — July Weather Outlook: Goodbye Rain, Hello Heat