Top Stories
Now is a great time for cattle producers to make succession plans
Farm and ranch families across the country are beginning to realize that succession planning can’t wait any longer. Dr. Shannon Ferrell, an agricultural economist at Oklahoma State University said now is a great time to think about succession planning with the current strength in the cattle market. Dr. Ferrell said many people may not realize just how much work goes into succession planning. Dr. Ferrell said it’s vital to teach the next generation of ranchers why they do what they do on top of...
West Coast Longshoreman ratify new port labor contract
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents dockworkers at all U.S. West Coast ports, have voted to ratify a tentative contract agreement reached in mid-June. The six-year agreement is retroactive to July 1, 2022, and runs...
U.S. fruit producers losing to China because of “UnPear” trade practices
We don’t get to talk about fruits and vegetables all that much, because it is just not a major component of the agriculture industry in our state. However, all of us eat, and we like to enjoy the fruits and vegetables that are grown by our fellow ag producers in more...
Indigo Ag continues to aid farmers with sustainable ag programs
The Farm Progress Show is a great opportunity to showcase ag innovation, and that’s especially true for one of the newer opportunities in agriculture: carbon markets. Indigo Ag has a wide portfolio of carbon program options that are available to help provide farmers...
Drought intensifies in weekly drought monitor
The weekly Drought Monitor showed drought getting worse across areas in the Midwest, South, Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. In the Midwest, extreme heat impacted areas like Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Record high temps were set in cities...
USDA releases updated 2023 farm income forecast
The updated farm income forecast for 2023 is out from USDA and as you might imagine it’s predicting a drop. The new forecast includes information that wasn’t available during their last forecast in February according to Carrie Litowski, senior economist for the USDA,...
Grains & markets both challenged as harvest approaches
If you are holding onto grain to sell before harvest, you may have checked cash bids or listened to the Basis Matters program this morning and got a big surprise. The basis level has dropped like a stone overnight. I have seen drops as small as a nickel to a buck and...
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More Ag News
NCBA encouraged by final “Product of USA” rule
USDA this week finalized its “Product of USA” rule. Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of government affairs, says he is encouraged by the action. Now comes review of the final rule. Bacus says NCBA will be looking closely at...
U.S. Export Sales Report (3-14-24)
After a bullish WASDE report last week, this week’s export sales report was extremely neutral. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said both corn and soybeans came within expectations this week. There have been a lot of sales cancellations from China lately with...
USDA: Iowa leads all states in hog production
New data confirms Iowa is the top producer of hogs in the United States, with about $10.9 billion in cash receipts in 2022, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. Cash receipts represent the value of sales of hogs by farmers to processors or final users....
National Ag Day to be celebrated next week
March 19th is National Ag Day. It’s a celebration of the hard work and dedication of American farmers to feed the world. Increasingly we are finding ourselves having to educate our consumers and defend against slanted misinformation. The day is a great way to also...
Nitrogen stabilization key for spring application
A very mild fall and winter allowed for plenty of early nitrogen work to be done, which has set up an interesting planting season. Andrew Luzum, nutrient maximizer specialist with Corteva Agriscience, gave an update on how the soil is faring heading into this spring....
