Farmers excited for ZFS Riga project

A southeast Michigan farmer says he’s excited to see what new ownership of a local corn ethanol plant can bring to the region after the facility has been idle for the past five years. “If it could put 10-15 cents into our pocket that’s great, and it might supply some jobs for the local community…Continue Reading

Grain farmers advised to ‘protect the bushels’

An agronomist and an economist both say grain farmers need to protect their crops in 2024. Bayer agronomist Lance Tarochione, who’s based in western Illinois, says it’s shaping up to be a bad year for disease. “If you think it’s good growing weather for corn right now, and it is, but it’s even better growing…Continue Reading

Biofuel group calling for federal year-round E15 solution

Biofuel groups continue to call for a permanent solution to year-round E15. Monte Shaw with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says a yearly summer waiver isn’t sustainable long-term. “You’re not going to have major adoption of E15 when major retailers don’t know what they’re going to be able to do the next year, so you…Continue Reading

Solar Farm Summit opens lines of communication

American Farmland Trust says the recent Solar Farm Summit in Chicago allowed farmers and developers to have candid conversations about what future integration into agriculture might look like. Midwest Solar Specialist Alan Bailey tells Brownfield solar projects on agricultural lands are very much still in the infancy phase. “Everybody’s trying to figure this out and…Continue Reading

Mink production down, pelt value up

Mink pelt production continued to fall in 2023. USDA says nationwide, mink pelt production was down 28% from 2022, and down 10% in Wisconsin, the nation’s leading mink producer. Wisconsin produced just over 514 thousand pelts in 2023, and Utah was the second-highest producer with just over 138 thousand. Mink breeding is also down, with…Continue Reading

Turkey hatchery numbers fall sharply

Turkey hatchery numbers dropped during June. The USDA says there were 22.798 million turkey eggs in incubation at the start of July, a decrease of 15% on the year, partially due to producers trying to improve their bottom lines and the discovery of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza being found in some commercial flocks. 19.545 million…Continue Reading

Grassley critical of stalled farm bill progress

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says a farm bill markup needs to take place sooner rather than later. “The Senate is in session for less than six weeks between now and the end of September.” During his weekly ag press call, the Iowa Republican criticized the Senate Ag Committee’s recent agenda which included a hearing on…Continue Reading

A decent winter wheat crop expected in SD

The executive director of the South Dakota Wheat Commission says winter wheat harvest continues to advance across the state. Last Monday, USDA said 9% of the crop had been harvested. Jon Kleinjan tells Brownfield “I heard there was a lot of combines rolling near Fort Pierre. The protein content has been average to above average…Continue Reading

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