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Latest Cattle on Feed Report hints at minor herd rebuild
April’s USDA Cattle on Feed Report provided a breakdown of steers and heifers on feed with heifers falling to 37 percent of the total on-feed inventory. Typically, this is the initial signaling of herd rebuilding. ShayLe Stewart, a livestock market analyst with DTN, disagrees however and says that 37 percent is more of a neutral number, and does not indicate expansion or contraction of the herd. There are many market factors that are weighing on the cattle industry and could erase any signs of...
Growth Energy highlighting biofuel opportunities
Heading further into 2024, one of the top missions for Growth Energy is year-round, nationwide access to E15. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor spoke on E15 during her keynote address at the group’s annual meeting. Skor said it’s a proven fact that year-round E15 will save...
Competition in overseas markets increasing during 2024
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer talked about the state of the ag economy and the headwinds it faces in 2024. During his speech at the 100th Annual Ag Outlook Meeting, he said there are challenges ahead. “We've seen a lot of growth in trade for agricultural...
2022 Census Of Agriculture indicates loss of farms and farmland
The USDA released the 2022 Census of Agriculture this week. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says some of the results were concerning, especially the number of farms and total amount of farmland across America. While those numbers sound large, Secretary Vilsack was able to...
Crop insurance costs to jump 29 percent
The federally-subsidized crop insurance program will cost an additional $27.7 billion over the next decade. A Congressional Budget Office report says the government pays roughly 62 cents of each dollar in premiums, and sales of livestock and forage policies are...
Could whole & 2% milk be returning to schools?
During the Obama Administration, then-First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded changes to the school lunch program for Public Schools across the country. The effort was presented to the American people as a chance to bring kids healthier lunches. Much debate has ensued...
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-15-24)
Export sales are continuing their recent trends. Corn sales are looking good, while the same certainly cannot be said for the soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest export sales report. U.S. soybean prices are still far from...
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South American Weather and Crop Update (7-30-24)
For the last few months, the weather has been mostly static in South America, and that trend isn’t getting bucked any time soon. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said Brazil is still seeing dry weather in its major growing areas. McBride said it’s the same...
Corn and soybeans benefitting from recent weather conditions
In many of the nation’s key corn and soybean growing regions, the last couple of weeks have been slightly dry but not too hot. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that the recent lack of extreme heat has been beneficial for row crops during a critical portion of the...
HPAI continues to impact dairy and poultry industries
The current outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which traces all the way back to 2022, is unusual in not only the fact that it’s infecting dairy cattle, but also that cases are continuing to be diagnosed in the warmer summer months. Bernt Nelson, an...
USDA extends comment period on packers and stockyards rule
The USDA recently extended the 60-day comment period for the latest Packers and Stockyards Act proposal by 15 days. Tanner Beymer, senior director of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says that’s not enough time for USDA to properly...
Tips to earn top dollar at cattle auctions
It doesn’t matter whether cattle prices are high or low, producers want to make sure that they can do all they can to bring a quality animal to auction. When you can raise a quality animal, you can get the most money possible at an auction, especially when your animal...
