Livestock producers dealing with extreme cold

Livestock producers in the Upper Midwest are dealing with temperatures well below freezing. Rachel Gray and her family operate a heifer development program near Blackduck in northern Minnesota where temps have recently been more than 30 degrees below zero. “We have been doing well, we’re very very fortunate in that we have really good winter…… Continue Reading

Soybeans, wheat see modestly higher finishes

Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying, buying back part of Wednesday’s decline. Beans are watching weather in South America, with generally favorable conditions expected over the next week. CONAB’s new production guess for Brazil is below the USDA’s last estimate. CONAB has the crop at 166.014 million tons, fractionally less than in…… Continue Reading

National FFA Week is an opportunity to celebrate ag education

The president of National FFA says members are celebrating ag education. Thaddeus Bergschneider from Illinois says more than one million members are participating in National FFA Week activities.  “It’s not only about the members that we have an FFA right now, it’s the hundreds of thousands of FFA alumni we have,” he says. “All the people…… Continue Reading

U.S. Senate confirms secretaries at USDA, Health and Human Services

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Brooke Rollins as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Department of Health and Human Services. Agriculture organizations say there’s a lot of work ahead at USDA now that Rollins has been confirmed. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall says he…… Continue Reading

Exports continue to boost U.S. pork demand

U.S. pork demand continues to be boosted by exports. National Pork Board senior vice president of market growth David Newman tells Brownfield 2024 was another banner year for pork exports. “And again, we continue to be the shining star globally on both volume and value of exports. So that’s roughly 30 percent of our production,…… Continue Reading

New Ohio legislation would create more native plant habitats

The Ohio State Legislature has passed a bill that would create more native plant habitats across the state. Mary Turocy, with the Nature Conservancy in Ohio, says the legislation allows organizations to restore over-run invasive land by planting native seeds across the state. “There isn’t really much of a market for locally sourced native seeds, so this…… Continue Reading

Fertilizer prices could jump soon, economist says

An ag economist says the outlook for fertilizer prices isn’t favorable for farmers. University of Missouri’s Ben Brown says, “My general bias here is that fertilizer prices are going to move higher as we get closer to spring. I think there’s certain product categories that are going to see more of a rally than others,…… Continue Reading

IL pork farmer optimistic in 2025

A central Illinois pork producer is optimistic about the industry’s direction in 2025. Phil Borgic, who raises hogs and grain in Montgomery County, says the pork profitability outlook has improved. “2025 is looking a lot better than the last 24 months.”  He says, “The future looks very bright.  For the first time in my history,…… Continue Reading

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