Help is on the way, but more details needed

Two state ag leaders say they’re glad to see USDA considering all options to help farmers navigate a tough ag economy, including ad-hoc assistance. Wes Ward, the ag secretary in Arkansas, and past president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, tells Brownfield “when it comes to ad-hoc, it’s a question of what…Continue Reading

EEE confirmed in northern Indiana for the first time since 2020

Eastern equine encephalitis has been confirmed in Indiana for the first time since 2020. The Indiana State Board of Animal Health says the disease was detected in an unvaccinated six-year-old gelding in LaGrange County. EEE, also known as “sleeping sickness”, can cause infected animals to enter a coma. The disease cannot be directly transmitted from…Continue Reading

Pay attention: Brazil has the competitive advantage in soybean production

Two analysts say U.S. farmers should be paying attention as Brazil continues to have a competitive advantage over the U.S. in soybean production. “We’re losing markets and we were losing China before this trade war.” Arlan Suderman with StoneX Group says Brazilian farmers have lower fixed costs for producing soybeans and a cheaper currency for…Continue Reading

Cattle futures higher, lean hogs mixed

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle futures were supported by supply tightness ahead of Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report. Ahead of that report, analysts all major categories to be below a year ago. That supply tightness helped contracts shrug off the recent trend in boxed beef and steady to lower cash…Continue Reading

Soybeans fall on China demand woes and technical selling

Soybeans were lower on profit taking and technical selling. The big bearish issue is the lack of new crop export demand from China due to tariff tensions. China remained absent from the U.S. soybean market last week, and, possibly tellingly, there was a net cancelation by unknown destinations, which has often been rumored to be…Continue Reading

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy discusses ag labor concerns

A leader with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy says ag labor is one of his biggest concerns heading into 2026. Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change, says the U.S. food system is dependent on immigrant labor. “Fruit and vegetable production in particular. Dairies, particularly bigger dairies, rely on it. And…Continue Reading

Late summer drought impacting southern Illinois yields

A southern Illinois farmer says the months-long drought is impacting crop yields. “I don’t know that we’ve had any rain since July 4th, other than one, one-inch rain.” Granvil Travis, who raises corn, soybeans, and cattle in Massac County, tells Brownfield, “For our non-irrigated early beans, we’re off about 10 to 15 bushels.”  He says,…Continue Reading

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