A climatologist says some farmers have been concerned about the possibility of an early freeze and its impact on corn and soybeans. Dennis Todey, director of USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub, says he’s been talking with growers who faced planting delays or had to re-plant. “We can’t see anything about absolute chances for freeze until about…… Continue Reading
Wisconsin farmer expects good, not great harvest
A western Wisconsin farmer is expecting a good harvest, but not a record-breaker. James Giese tells Brownfield, “I’ll just have a little bit bigger drying bill than normal and maybe a little lighter test weight corn.” Giese says 2024 has been a challenging year for crop production, starting with planting during the wet spring. “When…… Continue Reading
Ag Economy Barometer takes a nosedive in August
Farmer sentiment decreased drastically in the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Jim Mintert with Purdue’s Center for Commerical Agriculture says the August reading is the lowest for the survey since late 2016. “The ag economy barometer index fell 13 points to a reading of 100,” he says. “That leaves the index down 15…… Continue Reading
Illinois Corn Marketing Board sees promise in ethanol exports
The executive director of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board says growing ethanol exports helps increase corn demand. Rodney Weinzerl says their group is focused on several emerging ethanol markets. “We think the Japanese market is going to continue to grow.” He says, “The Philippines is in the process of moving to an E20 blend, as…… Continue Reading
Corn grind, soybean crush both solid during July
Corn demand for ethanol use continues to be strong, while crush demand remains a bright spot for soybeans. The USDA says 473.504 million bushels of corn were used for fuel alcohol production in July 2024, up 6% from June and 4% from July 2023, with demand driven by supportive processing margins and demand expectations. Production…… Continue Reading
Spring wheat crop insurance usage up
The crop agency manager with Country Financial says the number of farmers protecting their spring wheat acres with crop insurance is increasing. Doug Yoder tells Brownfield nearly 80% of Illinois wheat acres are protected. “Roughly about the southern third of Illinois, those counties automatically are able to grow wheat, and then harvest the wheat, and…… Continue Reading
‘1000-Lb Sisters’ Amy Slaton Arrested at a Tennessee Zoo
Police were “overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guest’s vehicle.” Continue reading…… Continue Reading
Jelly Roll’s New Necklace Has a Deep Meaning Behind It
What a full-circle moment. Continue reading…… Continue Reading
Cash dairy prices mostly higher Tuesday
Cash dairy prices were higher except for butter Tuesday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was up $0.01 at $0.57. One sale was recorded at that price. Forty-pound cheese blocks were up $0.0050 at $2.2150. One sale was recorded at that price. Cheese barrels were unchanged at $2.26. One sale was recorded at that…… Continue Reading
Grassley critical of EPA draft Insecticide Strategy
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley is echoing concerns of ag stakeholders that have submitted public comments critical of EPA’s draft Insecticide Strategy. The Iowa Republican says those groups are urging EPA to redo its practice for pesticides. “They also asserted the EPA was overregulating by setting policies based on worst-case scenarios rather than real world data.…… Continue Reading
