New Michigan Sugar facility doubles molasses processing

A new processing facility is helping Michigan sugarbeet growers capture additional returns from the same acres. Michigan Sugar Company’s Rob Clark tells Brownfield a Molasses Desugarization Facility at the company’s Bay City site is extracting additional sugar from what was previously a byproduct used for animal feed. “We are going to produce 80 million additional…Continue Reading

Dairy Distillery Alliance breaks ground on biofuel project

A new alliance plans to convert a milk byproduct into ethanol for sustainable aviation fuel. Canadian-based Dairy Distillery CEO Omid McDonald tells Brownfield this isn’t the first time the technology has been used. “In the ‘70s, there was a lot of focus on fermenting lactose to make ethanol to power cars during the oil crisis,”…Continue Reading

Ag Economy Barometer slightly improves in June

According to the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, farmer sentiment improved slightly from last month. Jim Mintert with Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture tells Brownfield the rise was surprising. “Given that we saw weakness, especially in corn and soybean prices from June to July, to see the rise in the indexes that rose eight…Continue Reading

Cattle markets, input costs headline Rep. Hinson’s Women in Ag Roundtable

Some cattle producers say they are cautiously optimistic about the continued strength in the markets. Lisa Kubik of Traer tells Brownfield live and feeder cattle futures continue to trade near all-time highs. “Cattle prices the last couple of years have been great,” she said. “As a cattle producer ourselves, we’ve definitely benefited from that.” But…Continue Reading

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: August 6, 2024

Sep. corn closed at $3.88 and 3/4, down 2 centsSep. soybeans closed at $10.14, down 17 and 1/2 centsSep. soybean meal closed at $330.60, down $8.10Sep. soybean oil closed at 40.85, down 24 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.43 and 1/4, up 3 and 3/4 centsOct. live cattle closed at $179.05, up 5 centsSep. feeder cattle…Continue Reading

New export facility can expand soybean meal opportunities

A Great Lakes shipping facility built only a year ago is looking to expand export opportunities for farmers.  The DeLong company opened a new bulk commodity loading facility last year at the Port of Milwaukee, and in its first season, shipped mostly dried distillers grains, but Senior Trade Manager Brian Arnold tells Brownfield one load…Continue Reading

Milder weather forecast sends soybeans, corn lower

Soybeans were lower on speculative and technical selling. The USDA’s national soybean rating was up 1% on the week, holding above a year ago. Forecasts for this week are generally a little cooler, with rain in some areas. That’ll ease some of the recent regional stress, but on the balance, the trade is expecting a…Continue Reading

Fungicide and Nitrogen: Prioritize for Mid-Season Crop

Dan Emmert, a lead agronomist with Advance Agrilytics in southwest Indiana, tells Brownfield about how crops are progressing mid-season, as well as the impact tar spot has in the Corn Belt. Emmert says they are looking at several factors, including fungicide timing, pollination, and nutrient uptake, to see how to improve crop management for next…Continue Reading

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