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Grain markets monitoring three major headlines
The ag marketplace has been all over the place recently. This week alone saw double-digit moves in both positive and negative directions for corn and soybeans, with both markets finishing the week higher. There are a few major news factors that have led to this heightened volatility. Bill Moore of PRICE Futures Group said there’s a lot of hope that a peace treaty can finally be reached with Iran. Moore said the markets are also anticipating the May WASDE report, which will offer the first good...
U.S. milk production to grow slower in 2024
The good news is U.S. milk production is expected to grow in 2024. Michael McConnel of the USDA’s Chief Economist Office says the bad news is the growth rate will slow compared to last year. The good news for U.S. dairy farmers is it will cost less to feed their...
Brazil soybean exports double U.S. shipments
Brazil’s 2023 soybean exports reached a record 3.74 billion bushels, 29 percent higher than the previous year as Brazilian production hit record levels. Meanwhile, U.S. shipments dropped 14 percent to 1.78 billion bushels in the same period. The two countries are...
Farm loan repayments are beginning to slip
After a couple of years of great prices and good profit margins, we have seen the ag profit forecasts start to dip lower year by year. However, we had been consistently reassured that the ag economy was holding its own. Several indicators are considered when these...
BoviJet helping producers gather more data on cattle
As labor becomes more difficult to find, cattle producers can take advantage of new technologies to ease the labor requirements for taking care of their cattle. Dakota Belling, co-founder of BoviJet, talked about their innovative automatic pour-on medicine applicator...
Getting equipment properly set up for planting
Getting equipment ready for the rush of spring planting can be a big chore. Greg Jones, global field engineering manager for Firestone Ag, says it’s important that farmers properly set up their tractors. Jones talks about when farmers should check out or change their...
New herbicide features wide application window to help fight troublesome weeds
A new crop protection product can take up to eight to ten years and millions of dollars to research, test, develop, and register. Surtain™ corn herbicide from BASF has reached that final stage with the product being approved by the EPA and now awaiting state by state...
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More Ag News
Grassley says farmers fed up with no new farm bill
Farmers are fed up with Congress’ failure to produce a new farm bill and will likely feel the economic impact. That’s according to United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Grassley (R-IA) was hopeful early in 2024 that a new farm bill would be agreed to in the new...
Modernizing the Federal Milk Marketing Orders
In early July, the USDA released its recommendations for modernizing the Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Stephen Cain, senior director of economic research and analysis for the National Milk Producers Federation, shared his initial reaction to the proposal. The...
ISU studying benefits of grass-to-gas energy production for farmers
We’re proud of our ability to produce corn and soybeans at a high level in the state of Iowa, but one of the unintended consequences of growing those dominant row crops is the effect they have on the soil. Erosion, fertilizer runoff, and greenhouse gas emissions are...
Majority of beef cattle farms have small herds
The United States has numerous beef cow-calf farms that raise beef calves at least through weaning. However, USDA data says while there are a large number of farms, most are relatively small. Data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture indicated that 55 percent of...
Iowa State Fair a showcase of education and advocation for Iowa Agriculture
Less than a week from now, Iowans will descend on Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair. It is a chance for our citizens to celebrate everything about Iowa. Among those things we celebrate is the agriculture industry. Whether it is the animals we show to the food we eat,...
