A thaw ahead for much of the Heartland; a quiet, early-Winter pattern for some, not all

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of warmer-than-normal weather nationwide, except for near- or below-normal temperatures in parts of the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.  Meanwhile, drier-than-normal conditions from the Plains—excluding Montana and North Dakota—into the Southeast should contrast with above-normal precipitation in much of the West and across the nation’s…Continue Reading

Reducing gulf dead zone possible, but challenging

An agricultural engineer says reducing the size of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is possible but won’t be easy.  Dr. Matt Helmers with Iowa State tells Brownfield the agriculture sector can make a big impact by using conservation practices to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus reaching waterways by 45 percent.…Continue Reading

Accountability beats a trade war

A North Dakota farmer says enforcement is better than starting another trade war as the Trump administration investigates China’s follow-through in the phase one trade deal. Josh Gackle says China remains the most important export market for U.S. soybeans, and the recent Section 301 investigation is a good enforcement tool. “They’re looking to see if…Continue Reading

Down day for soybeans, corn, wheat in pre-holiday trade

Soybeans were lower on fund and technical selling. Crop conditions look good in most of Brazil, while parts of Argentina could see a warmer, drier pattern later this year or early next year. There was another round of talk about China buying more U.S. beans, but no confirmation ahead of the open, breaking the four-business…Continue Reading

Cattle futures higher ahead of USDA’s On Feed report

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were up ahead of the week’s direct business and Friday’s On Feed report from the USDA.  February live cattle closed $.15 higher at $230.70 and April live cattle closed $.25 higher at $230.27.  January feeder cattle closed $3.40 at $343.32 and March feeder cattle closed $2.75…Continue Reading

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