Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures closed sharply higher, shrugging off the midday drop in beef in favor of optimism about this week’s direct business. August live was up $1.50 at $223.90 and October was $1.47 higher at $220.75. August feeder cattle were $3.30 higher at $325.57 and September was up $3.47 at…… Continue Reading
Farmland values hold despite economic difficulties in ag
Farmland values seem to be holding despite ongoing challenges in the ag economy. Compeer Financial senior appraiser Dan Legner covers northwest Illinois and tells Brownfield the market has been stable in 2025. “Perhaps maybe a slight decline. I thought we’d probably see more of a decrease in values just given where commodity prices are, but…… Continue Reading
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 16, 2025
Sep. corn closed at $4.05 and 1/4, up 4 centsAug. soybeans closed at $10.13 and 1/2, up 18 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal closed at $268.40, up $3.10Aug. soybean oil closed at 54.82, up 26 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.41 and 1/4, up 3 and 1/4 centsAug. live cattle closed at $223.90, up $1.50Aug. feeder…… Continue Reading
Corn extends rally, soybeans finish higher
Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying. Contracts are oversold and unknown destinations bought 120,000 tons of new crop U.S. beans Wednesday morning. It remains to be seen if that’s China or another buyer. The likelihood of it being Beijing is questionable due to Brazil’s hold over the export market and tariff tensions,…… Continue Reading
Cage-free suit prompts Prop 12 questions
A National Ag Law Center attorney says she’s closely flowing how the Department of Justice’s challenge to California’s egg laws could impact animal housing regulations across the country. Elizabeth Rumley tells Brownfield several states have some form of cage-free requirements. “While we have 14 or 15 states that have these types of laws in place, dealing with the raising…… Continue Reading
Senate bill would close hemp “loophole”
The president of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association says a proposal moving through the U.S. Senate would decimate the growing industry. Rachel Berry says the measure would close what some have termed a “loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill that allows intoxicating hemp-derived products to be sold legally. “It clearly legalized all hemp-derived products with…… Continue Reading
Broiler data mixed on week, holding ahead of last year
The USDA’s broiler hatchery numbers were mixed from week-to-week. 251.319 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubators, 1.022 million more than the previous week and 2% above a year ago, with average hatchability improving slightly to 79.4%. 194.255 million broiler-type chicks were placed into meat production, down 79,000 on the week, but up 2% on…… Continue Reading
Ethanol production rises slightly on week
U.S. ethanol production saw a modest week-to-week bump. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 1.087million barrels per day, up 2,000 on the week, but down 19,000 on the year. Demand signals were mixed, mostly negative. The Renewable Fuels Association says stocks hit a more than six month low at 23.635 million barrels, falling…… Continue Reading
Alfalfa can help control problem resistant weeds
A common forage crop can help bring problem weeds under control. University of Wisconsin research biologist Mark Renz tells Brownfield herbicide-resistant weeds like waterhemp and ragweed have been controlled for years by dairy and organic farms by planting and harvesting alfalfa. “We’re harvesting it every 28 to 35 days. That’s not enough time for them…… Continue Reading
Farmers weigh ROI decisions for new ag technology
Some farmers say they’re turning to new precision agriculture technology to reduce input costs and improve bottom lines. Southwest Nebraska farmer Roric Paulman says each of his farms generates about 1 terabyte of data and AI programs will play a big role in the future in understanding information. “We believe we’ll be able to start…… Continue Reading
