The U.S. hog herd got a little bit smaller over the past year. The USDA says that at the start of September 2025, the U.S. hog inventory was 1% below September 1st, 2024 at 74.472 million head, with the marketing herd 1% under last year at 68.538 million head and the breeding herd dipping 2%…… Continue Reading
Ethanol production drop expected ahead of record corn harvest
The chief economist for the Renewable Fuels Association suggests last week’s four-month low in ethanol production is nothing to be alarmed about. Scott Richman tells Brownfield the dip was expected. “Normally ethanol plants do a little bit of maintenance before the corn harvest comes in, before they ramp up and start using that new crop…… Continue Reading
Farmers will receive assistance from tariff revenue, President Trump says
President Trump announced Thursday that the administration will utilize tariff revenue to help assist U.S. farmers that have faced a struggling rural economy. “We’re going to take some of that tariff money that we’ve made and we’re going to give it to our farmers,” Trump said, “who are, for a little while, going to be…… Continue Reading
New HPAI case reported in Wisconsin
A new case of highly-pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in Wisconsin. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says a Jefferson County commercial producer will be depopulating 3.07 million egg laying chickens affected by the virus. The same Palmyra, Wisconsin facility also handled a similar HPAI outbreak in 2022. Ag officials also say…… Continue Reading
Taiwan signs letters of intent to purchase more than $6 billion of corn, soybeans
Taiwan has committed to purchasing nearly $6.4 billion dollars of corn and soybeans over the next four years. Don Lamb, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, says the country’s long-standing trading relationship with the U.S. creates certainty for the state’s farmers. “Right now, the way our prices are, we can’t make money, so…… Continue Reading
University of Missouri Research: Drones and AI help farmers montior corn health
A doctoral student at the University of Missouri says drones and artificial intelligence can help farmers measure the health of their corn crop more efficiently. Fengkai Tian says using AI to analyze images taken by drones equipped with a special hyper-spectral camera gives farmers a new way of viewing their crops. “We can see the…… Continue Reading
U.S. soybean farmers slam federal aid to Argentina as markets shift to foreign competitors
U.S. soybean farmers are asking why the Trump administration is assisting foreign competitors. The American Soybean Association and many of their state soybean organizations are critical of the aid. Doug Rebout is with the Wisconsin Soybean Association. “The federal government goes and gives twenty billion dollars to our soybean competitor down in Argentina to help…… Continue Reading
Corn exports soar as Mexico buys big
Demand from Mexico continues to drive U.S. corn exports. The USDA says about half of the corn export sales total during the week ending September 18th was picked up by Mexico as buyers try to meet livestock feed needs. That strong demand from Mexico and favorable pricing has new crop U.S. corn sales running considerably…… Continue Reading
Much of U.S. entering fall in moderate to severe drought
A senior meteorologist with AccuWeather says much of the country has entered fall in drought conditions. Brett Anderson tells Brownfield, “Drought covers a large portion of the Northeast all the way down the lower Mississippi Valley, up through the Midwest.” He says, “And then, of course, you have the Western states and their usual drought…… Continue Reading
How the grilling culture has benefited the meat segment
Pellet grills and meat smokers have continued to rise in popularity. One of the benefits is being able to take more affordable proteins and make something fantastic out of it. Patrick Fleming, vice president of demand development for the National Pork Board, says the trend has been good for the pork industry. AUDIO: Healthy Living…… Continue Reading
