The USDA has announced it will release the first tranche of funding that had been paused after a review of the Inflation Reduction Act dollars. $20 million in payments will go to farmers who signed contracts under the Environmental Quality Incentive Program or EQIP, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Ag Conservation Easement Program. In a…… Continue Reading
Midwest farmland values down 1% in 2024
Midwestern farmland values decreased one percent in 2024. Chicago Federal Reserve Bank policy advisor David Oppedahl says the district, which includes Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, saw dips of two to three percent in every state except Wisconsin. “So we are not seeing everywhere that farmland values are down, but generally in most areas…… Continue Reading
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
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
The 20 Best Keith Urban Songs
By 2004, Keith Urban was rattling off No. 1 hits at a George Strait-like pace. Here’s his best songs. Continue reading…… Continue Reading
