Kansas Ag Secretary weighs in on Rollins’ vision for USDA

Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam says he’s uncertain how a new USDA initiative will impact Kansas farmers. “I’m hoping that it’s going to be putting an emphasis and maybe even resources towards enhancing our research efforts. We need to be at the forefront, because in the end, it usually relates to science and economics,”…Continue Reading

Minnesota sees Netherlands as “gateway” to EU for ag exports

The Netherlands is seen as a gateway to the European Union for U.S. ag exports. Minnesota Department of Agriculture deputy commissioner Andrea Vaubel spoke to Brownfield after returning from a recent trade mission to the east European country. “They’re one of the largest importing countries in the EU (and) we’ve got a really strong relationship…Continue Reading

Strong heifer market

A northern Minnesota cattle producer is benefiting from continued strength in the heifer market. Rachel Gray of Blackduck says high calf prices are trickling down to bred heifers. “We’ve seen record-high bred heifers (and) we hope that it holds. And my hope for people is that as they’re paying for bred heifers, which is my…Continue Reading

Meat export sales up on week

Meat export sales up on week

The USDA’s reporting a good week for U.S. meat export sales. Beef and pork sales during the week ending February 13th both saw improvements, with Japan leading the way for beef and Mexico topping the list for pork. Soybean, rice, and upland cotton sales were also up on the week. Export demand is influenced by…Continue Reading

Drought concerns ahead of 2025 growing season

A climatologist says he’s concerned about precipitation deficits across the Midwest. Brian Fuchs with the National Drought Mitigation Center says the growing season is rapidly approaching and farmers need more moisture. “Some of these areas over the last four or five years have missed out on over 20-to-25 inches of precipitation.” He tells Brownfield long-term…Continue Reading

MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year reflects on career

A Michigan dairy farmer says the past year of good prices have helped to catch up on some long-awaited improvements. Tony Jandernoa says it has been more than challenging to be a dairy farmer over the past decade. “It was a tough five or seven years stretch where dairying in Michigan was not fun, it…Continue Reading

IL Beef Expo brings cattle worlds together

A longtime cattle exhibitor says commercial beef producers and show competitors can learn from one another. Kim Carney Rhodes, chair of the 2025 Illinois Beef Expo, says there’s two worlds within the cattle industry. “Sometimes the commercial producer doesn’t understand the show ring, and the show ring doesn’t understand the commercial producer.”  She says, “There’s…Continue Reading

Frigid weather making for difficult calving season

Frigid temperatures have made calving season more difficult for a southeast Nebraska farmer. Logan Bredemeier tells Brownfield cattle have mostly fared well. “This week has been kind of tough on the calves. We’ve actually lost three or four this week with the cold and how everything has cycled from warm back to cold. It’s pretty…Continue Reading

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