Just like that, summer is winding down. School buses are back on the roads, kids are finding their routines again, and there’s a familiar crispness creeping into the morning air. Autumn is on its way—and many of us are left wondering, where did the summer go? At Brownfield Ag News, our team has spent the…… Continue Reading
Rise in farmland values provides short-term benefits
An American Farm Bureau economist says record farmland values will help support farmers facing lower prices this year. Danny Munch tells Brownfield ag real estate values averaged $4,350 per acre in USDA’s latest survey, but the rise in prices is starting to slow. “Back in 2022, when you had record commodity prices, the 2021 to…… Continue Reading
Boosting fungicide use with spray drone technology
An agronomist at Beck’s Hybrids says research shows aerial spray drone technology can help improve fungicide use. Luke Schulte says 2025 is the third year the company has tested fungicide use with spray drones. “We looked at a number of different ways to apply it from ground, helicopter, plane,” he says. “We’ve also done PFR…… Continue Reading
Shifting weather pattern a welcome change
An agricultural meteorologist says a shifting weather pattern will be a welcome sight for most farmers. Greg Soulje tells Brownfield the corn belt should see less moisture and some cooler temperatures for a while. Soulje says the cooler pattern should not be a problem for plant maturity. “If we weren’t ahead of the game with…… Continue Reading
New Iowa Corn president sees ethanol potential in India
The newly elected president of Iowa Corn says India could be a rising market for U.S. biofuels. Mark Mueller tells Brownfield ethanol could help provide India some environmental benefits. “India doesn’t use ethanol for fuel, but they use it for industrial purposes including cooking fuel. Right now a lot of meals in India, most of…… Continue Reading
Cash dairy prices mostly lower Wednesday
Cash dairy prices lower except for cheese Wednesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was down $0.0225 at $0.5675. Seven sales were recorded, ranging from $0.56 to $0.5675. Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0175 at $1.8675. Three sales were recorded, ranging from $1.8525 to $1.8675. Cheese barrels remained unchanged at $1.81. One sale was…… Continue Reading
Grassley says China has some “leverage” in U.S. trade negotiations
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says China has a lot of leverage in trade negotiations with the U.S. The Iowa Republican tells Brownfield the Chinese are dependent on imports for food and food products like soybeans. “Because they’re never going to be able to produce enough to support their people, now that’s a positive for the…… Continue Reading
U.S. rice supply larger than last year
U.S. rice stocks are rising. The USDA says that on August 1st, the domestic supply of un-milled rice was 44.615 million hundredweight, 35% larger than this time last year, with milled rice at 6.483 million hundredweight, a jump of 34% from a year ago. That steep supply increase is at least partially due to a…… Continue Reading
Cooler air on-the-move; an active summer pattern continues across the southern States
Across the Corn Belt, dry weather has returned in the wake of a cold front’s passage, although some corn and soybeans east of the Mississippi River are still benefiting from recent topsoil moisture improvements. Midwestern temperatures remain mostly favorable for summer crops, with Wednesday’s maxima forecast to range from near 75°F in the vicinity of…… Continue Reading
NCGA says Brazil’s ethanol tariff burdens U.S. commerce
The president of the National Corn Growers Association says Brazil’s 18% tariff on U.S. ethanol imports is unreasonable. Kenneth Hartman Jr. tells Brownfield Brazil was once a top market for U.S. ethanol producers. “That (tariff) basically was a freefall of us selling ethanol into the Brazilian market. We’re just frustrated with this because obviously we’ve…… Continue Reading
