The chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee says the USDA’s new Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will help farmers struggling in the tough farm economy, but “I think the unknown question is right now, is it enough? Is it going the be enough to get people through?” John Boozman says the USDA is trying to… ... Continue Reading

The president of the South Dakota Farmers Union says he’s concerned thinking about the farm economy heading in 2026. “It’s kind of like deja vu all over again.” Doug Sombke says the situation is like the late-1970s and 1980s; it’s hard to make ends meet, especially if crop farms aren’t diverse. “A bag of seed… ... Continue Reading

The executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association says a long-standing partnership among several agricultural organizations is helping to feed those in need this holiday season. Jennifer Tirey says the Illinois Pork Power program has donated over 100,000 pounds of ground pork to food banks across the state. “It’s a partnership with the Illinois… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin’s 2025 winner of Farm Bureau’s Farming for the Future award says the best advice for new farmers is to remember, farming is a business. Stephanie Abts and her husband Keith milk 225 cows, raise their own young stock, and grow crops near Coleman in northeastern Wisconsin.  She says it’s a lot of work, but… ... Continue Reading

Cash dairy prices were mostly lower Thursday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  Dry whey was down $0.0150 at $0.7050.  Four sales were recorded at $0.71. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.03 at $1.3675.  No sales were recorded.  Cheese barrels remained unchanged at $1.40.  No sales were recorded.  Butter prices were down $0.0275 at $1.44. Three sales were recorded, ranging from $1.4375 to $1.44.  Nonfat dry milk was down $0.0025 at $1.1550.  Seven sales were recorded at that price.  The post Cash dairy prices down Thursday appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.      ... Continue Reading

An extension ag economist is watching soybean export business to close out what should be a quiet end to 2025. Chad Hart with Iowa State University says there’s typically not a lot of market activity the last two weeks of December. “I think they will be quiet, but we are watching for, let’s call it… ... Continue Reading

Direct cash cattle trade is staring to develop.  A light trade is being reported in Nebraska at $358, $4 higher than the prior week’s weighted average basis in Nebraska.  Bids have been floated at $227 live in the South.  Asking prices are firm at $232 to $233 live in the Southa and $360 plus dressed […]

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An ag economics professor at Kansas State University says the concerns of today’s ag economy are different than the 1980s farm crisis.   Megan Hughes says there have been a few changes. “We were seeing historically high interest rates and we’re not there. The other thing is there have been lots of changes in lending… ... Continue Reading

The USDA continues to develop a vaccine strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Minnesota turkey grower John Zimmerman, a past president of the National Turkey Federation, says he hopes stakeholders have an opportunity to weigh in. “We’re aware the USDA has the vaccine strategy, and we hope that they would put their stamp of approval… ... Continue Reading

A market analyst says high input costs could discourage farmers from planting corn in 2026. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank says he expects an acreage shift to soybeans. “Soybeans really step out as the one taking acreage from the other commodities,” he said. “Because of the price performance, looking at futures prices soybeans have had a… ... Continue Reading