There may be good news for the soybean industry, from grower to processor to exporter, as a partial trade deal with China has been reached.How have soybean processors been doing? What about biodiesel? If China trade normalization does not come through, what is their...
How do we keep nitrogen fertilizer in the soil until it is needed? An old question with some new answers. Suggestions and products from Koch Agronomic Services.AUDIO: Michael Berry, Koch Agronomic ServicesAUDIO: Profit Matters 12-11-19Ken Root: Michael Berry, with...
The 2019 calendar year has been one for the record books. Wet, cold, late, hot, wet again. The year was so far from normal that it may be of little interest to try to try to breed crops to deal with this type of extreme. One farmer told me he needs to plant corn that...
Soybean harvest is finished. Corn harvest is now down to about eight-percent left in southwest and northeast Iowa, but less in other areas.With grain in storage, what is the next move? If we were not able to export two-thirds of our soybean production, it would be...
One of the greatest advancements in agriculture has occurred since 1994, the year when tractors and combines had the first auto steering capabilities and yield monitoring. These technologies have been refined and expanded since. You cannot work on machines under a...
How is your health, as a farmer?I am not talking about physical health. I am talking about your financial health. Agricultural bankers are concerned about how their farm loans are doing, sometimes more than the farmer. I spoke with a representative of the American...
Agricultural financing is a slippery slope, especially in the economic climate in which producers are in. Securing that financing is tricky, even when you have the assets to borrow against. But what happens when you are a producer whose operation consists of more...
General farm organizations usually polarize to the left or right.National Farmers Union leans left and identifies with family farms, government guarantees and a regulatory framework that restricts growth of agribusiness. In recent years, however, they have moved into...
Ethanol has been a topic that has definitely had its share of the limelight this past year. We continued to be embroiled in debates over the Renewable Fuels Standard and small refinery exemptions. We finally received a mandate to allow E15 to be sold all year round....
Recently, we talked about the success bison is having domestically. The animal is a native to North America and has spent centuries adapting to the changes in the frontier. However, just like others in the agriculture industry, bison producers are facing challenges in...
