The U.S. Customs and Border Protection says specialists have confirmed European cherry fruit fly was intercepted at the U.S. at the Detroit Metro Airport last month. A five-pound bag of fresh cherries was found with a traveler arriving from Romania and headed to Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The region is a major cherry producing area of the state.…… Continue Reading
More cheese, less butter in cold storage
The USDA says there was more cheese and less butter in cold storage at the end of June. Cheese stocks were up slightly from May, but down from last June. Total natural cheese in cold storage was 1.412 billion pounds compared to 1.40 billion pounds in May and 1.417 billion pounds a year ago. American…… Continue Reading
Study shows custom rates are steady for fertilizer applications
An ag economist at Purdue University says custom rates for fertilizer and chemical applications remain strong in 2025. Michael Langemeier says the latest Indiana Custom Rate Survey showed little to no changes in cost over the last two years. “Some of the activities were actually relatively flat,” he says. “If you look at land preparation operations, those…… Continue Reading
ASA sees promise in latest 45Z developments
The chief economist at the American Soybean Association says soybean-based biofuels continue to lead demand prospects for the crop. Scott Gerlt says updates to the 45Z tax credit in the recently passed reconciliation package are positive for soybeans. “The 45Z got rid of some of the scoring penalties for soy, so now we have…… Continue Reading
All cattle and calves down 1% from 2023
The USDA’s long-awaited return of the mid-year Cattle Inventory report indicates widespread herd expansion still isn’t happening. As of July 1, all cattle and calves in the U.S. are 1 percent below the same period in 2023, but have increased since the start of 2025. The number of heifers weighing 500 pounds and heavier is 2 percent below…… Continue Reading
Fall-applied sulfur benefitting soybeans and bottom lines
A Purdue University Extension soybean agronomist says fall-applied sulfur is proving beneficial for soybeans. Shaun Casteel says tank mixing sulfur solutions into fall fertilizer applications saves farmers a trip across the field. “We’re averaging 8 to 10 bushels with our early planted, or timely planting, on soybeans with sulfur in-season.” He says, “The fall application…… Continue Reading
More dairy consolidation coming?
A feed commodity dealer says a good forage season will help keep dairy farmers well positioned this year. Clint Cherney with Harvey Commodities tells Brownfield, “They have the highest amount of forage they’ve had in probably the last 10 years on farm, excellent hay crops, excellent corn silage, and a lot of high moisture corn on…… Continue Reading
New legislation would help keep the U.S. a global leader in crop innovation
The vice president of government affairs at The Fertilizer Institute says recently introduced legislation would help keep the U.S. a global leader in crop innovation. Ed Thomas says the Plant Biostimulant Act of 2025 would provide label consistency for crop protection products. “It gives us a federal definition of what a plant biostimulant is, so…… Continue Reading
EU threatens trade retaliation
Member states of the European Union say a retaliation plan is in place if trade negotiations fall apart with the U.S. Iowa State University Extension economist Chad Hart says the EU took a similar stance during President Trump’s first term. “Because what we saw the EU do back then was they picked their targets for…… Continue Reading
Buyers return as cash dairy prices close week mixed
Cash dairy prices were mixed Friday and buyers are back after what seems like a one week vacation at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was up $0.0150 at $0.54. Six sales were recorded, ranging from $0.5225 to $0.54. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.0050 at $1.64. Eight sales were recorded Friday, totalling only nine sales…… Continue Reading
