Saginaw Bay farmer gets ideal harvest window

A Michigan farmer says he’s thankful he finished wheat harvest by the Fourth of July and beat the rains. John Burk tells Brownfield any wheat left in fields near him is quickly eroding. “We had a few small rains in between that harvest, but at least the quality stayed.” “Right now the guys are really…Continue Reading

A variable soybean crop

A farmer in north-central Missouri says some flooding has affected the crops this summer. Meagan Kaiser tells Brownfield “we’re not used to flooding in July, but we did get flooding this year for a little bit. We’ll see in the next few weeks if the crops grow out of it.” Kaiser, the former chairman of…Continue Reading

Ethanol tour led to more learning; the value of an internship

Connected and appreciated is what I felt after the tour of an ethanol facility organized by Missouri Corn’s Director of Market Development Lane Howard. The purpose of the tour was to learn, and I did just that! We heard from an employee who helps sell the product – the co-products merchandiser Anthony Schreiner – and the process manager,…Continue Reading

Butter prices remaining unusually high

A dairy economist says strong domestic demand has been driving the butter market. Highground’s Betty Berning tells Brownfield, “Buyers have been extremely eager to buy whatever is available, so if there’s more butter for sale, it’s getting sold even at these higher prices.” She says there have been unbelievable high prices since the spring. “We’ve…Continue Reading

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 16, 2024

Sep. corn closed at $3.95 and 3/4, up 5 and 1/4 centsAug. soybeans closed at $10.90 and 1/2, up 12 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal closed at $335.40, up $1.60Aug. soybean oil closed at 46.70, up 28 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.30 and 3/4, down 1 and 3/4 centsAug. live cattle closed at $182.67, up…Continue Reading

Soybeans, corn up on oversold signals, storm damage concerns

Soybeans were higher on speculative and technical buying. June’s NOPA member crush was record large for the month, reflecting the solid margins, and storm damage is probable in parts of the Midwest following a derecho. That storm damage is expected to show up, at least partially, in next week’s USDA weekly crop progress and condition…Continue Reading

Lake Erie farmer watershed group offers peer-to-peer support

A farmer in the Western Lake Erie Basin says a local peer group is allowing farmers to learn water quality best management practices together. Lenawee County’s Jim Isley tells Brownfield he joined the River Rasin Watershed Council’s farmer-led working group following the Toledo water crisis. “And since then we’ve had a lot of opportunities to…Continue Reading

Cattle industry continues to look for signs of herd expansion

The market news manager for the Missouri Department of Agriculture says he’s not seeing any major signs of herd expansion to the cattle herd. Tony Hancock says high cattle prices are good for the cattle industry, but a challenge at the same time.  “It’s really hard for them to hold on to any heifers when…Continue Reading

Flooding forces evacuations in southern IL

Some residents of the southern Illinois town of Nashville had to be rescued from their homes Tuesday due to extreme flooding. The Washington County Emergency Management Agency said in a release over six inches of rain Monday and Tuesday led to the overtopping of the Nashville Reservoir dam.  A secondary dam failed Tuesday morning.  The…Continue Reading

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