Uneven corn brings uncertainty to in-season fertility

Planting delays in some parts of the Corn Belt are resulting in uneven crop development, creating some questions about in-season fertilizer use. Stephanie Zelinko with AgroLiquid says farmers should base application decisions on how far along the majority of the field is. “You don’t want to short those early-planted crops, and then you don’t want…Continue Reading

Foreign milk production strong in Australia, down in Argentina

USDA’s Foreign Ag Service says two of the top five exporters had a drop in milk production.  Argentina’s production fell 7.4% and New Zealand was down seven-tenths of a percent.  Meanwhile, Australia’s production rose 3.3% while the European Union was up one-tenth of a percent and the U.S. rose two-tenths of a percent.  The EU…Continue Reading

Judge upholds Massachusetts Question 3 pork law

A U.S. District Judge in Boston has upheld a Massachusetts law that bans the sale of pork, veal, and eggs from animals kept in confinement that doesn’t meet certain space requirements.  Missouri-based Triumph Foods and other out-of-state hog producers have challenged Question 3, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, claiming the state law created…Continue Reading

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 23, 2024

Sep. corn closed at $4.02 and 1/2, up 2 and 1/4 centsAug. soybeans closed at $11.17 and 1/2, down 1/4 centAug. soybean meal closed at $342.70, down 90 centsAug. soybean oil closed at 46.66, down 34 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.42 and 3/4, down 5 and 1/4 centsAug. live cattle closed at $186.30, up $2.37Aug.…Continue Reading

USDA says June milk production was down

USDA says milk production for June was down by eight-tenths of a percent from 2023.  Tuesday’s report shows the 24 major dairy producing states made 18 billion pounds of milk in June.  USDA also revised their May report to 18.8 billion pounds, down eight-tenths of a percent from a year ago.  The total 2nd quarter…Continue Reading

Wheat closes weak, with soybeans and corn mixed

Soybeans were mixed, mostly modestly higher, adjusting spreads after the recent strength. Forecasts have a hotter, drier pattern emerging in parts of the region, potentially lasting into mid-August. That could cause stress during key phases of development and pull condition ratings down sharply. Eastern and southern growing areas are expected to see comparatively less threatening…Continue Reading

Preventive tar spot treatments going out

A mid-Michigan farmer says he’s not taking a risk with tar spot this season. Mark Senk spoke with Brownfield while he was out spraying for the disease Tuesday. “My farm was hit really hard with tar spot in 2021 and the fungicide really paid off that year,” he shares. “We had acres that didn’t have…Continue Reading

June egg production down on year

U.S. chicken egg production declined during June. The USDA says 8.809 billion eggs were produced last month, 2% less than June 2023, with a 3% decrease in the number of layers canceling out a 1% increase in efficiency. That included lower moves for both table and hatching eggs. The number of broiler-type chicks hatched did…Continue Reading

Western Iowa farmer having ‘favorable’ growing season

A west-central Iowa farmer says conditions have been favorable for the development of his crops. Jeff Frank raises corn and soybeans in Sac County. “Things look really good here. We’ve had enough rain to keep us going and not too much, maybe a little much early but things look really good here.” He tells Brownfield…Continue Reading

Playlist