Cattle futures mostly higher ahead of direct business

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were mostly higher ahead of the week’s direct business.  August live cattle closed $.72 higher at $187.70 and October lives closed $.65 higher at $187.45.  August feeder cattle closed $.55 higher at $256.97 and September feeders closed $.87 higher at $256.90.  Direct cash cattle trade activity…Continue Reading

BeeHero zeroes in on the hum of the hive

Remote sensing technology is allowing farmers to track bees within the hive and during pollination to improve yields. BeeHero CEO & Co-founder Omer Davidi tells Brownfield the Pollination Insight Platform follows managed honeybee and wild pollinator activity through heat mapping, sound frequencies, and other insights. “It’s about creating this huge data set of 10s of…Continue Reading

IL specialty grower happy with season so far

An eastern Illinois specialty grower says it’s been a productive summer. John Williams, manager of Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, says the rainy July has been a mixed bag. “Definitely put us a little behind in terms of weeding and we’ve had some issues disease wise and that’s, you know, another reason why we do…Continue Reading

Michigan extends deer hunting windows

The state of Michigan is supporting efforts to address an overpopulation of deer. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislative Counsel Andrew Vermeesch tells Brownfield there are less than a half of million hunters in the state today, down about 200,000 from 20 years ago. “Deer repopulate at astonishing rate,” he says. “In order to maintain a population,…Continue Reading

Potato harvest underway in Wisconsin

The potato harvest is underway in Wisconsin.  Jeff Huber with Alsum Farms and Produce says, “We started digging yesterday and they’re probably heading out to the stores today.” Huber tells Brownfield they’re starting harvest about two weeks earlier than usual, and they’re starting slow, only sending a couple of semis of fresh bagged potatoes to…Continue Reading

Sygenta’s sustainability priorities to help drive farmer success

Farmers play an essential role in growing the feed, fuel, and fiber that keep the world moving.  Val Dolcini, head of business sustainability and government affairs at Syngenta says the company has rolled out four new sustainability priorities that will drive sustainable progress for America’s farmers and ranchers. He tells Brownfield each priority has a…Continue Reading

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 30, 2024

Sep. corn closed at $3.88 and 3/4, down 7 and 1/2 centsAug. soybeans closed at $10.27 and 1/4, down 27 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal closed at $352.00, down $3.50Aug. soybean oil closed at 42.75, down 9 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.24, down 7 centsAug. live cattle closed at $187.70, up 72 centsAug. feeder cattle…Continue Reading

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