Commentary. Much needed rain fell on our farm a couple of weeks ago, bringing us out of the “extreme drought” category and back to “severe drought.” The earth was thirsty, and the hay crop we are cutting this week will be half of what it was last year. Last year produced less tonnage than the previous year. Part of that is due to drought and part due to a late […]
Animal health company Medgene is studying the Asian long-horned tick and the possibility of developing vaccines for the diseases it can carry. Medgene founder and researcher Dr. Alan Young tells Brownfield they received a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study this tick because of its impact on livestock including cattle. “It directly has an impact on cattle health and productivity, but it also has the […]
Manhattan, Kan., May 24, 2023 – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials celebrated the dedication and ribbon-cutting of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). This facility, which offers the highest level of biocontainment laboratories and safety protocols, is the first of its kind in the United States and will allow scientists to study and diagnose critical […]
A southwest Minnesota farmer has finished putting his 2023 crop in. Bob Worth grows corn and soybeans in Lincoln County and tells Brownfield the planting season started late. “In some ways it’s late, but I guess the norm now the last couple three years has been May. We started May 5th, it was dry. The ground really dried out in a hurry even with all the snow that we had, […]
A leader with the University of Nebraska says he’s still optimistic about USDA’s precision ag research facility despite disagreements over its funding. Mike Boehm, vice chancellor with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, tells Brownfield ground could be broken on UNL’s campus in summer of 2024. “This center will be a pivotal tool in American agriculture’s arsenal to maintain our cutting edge forward leaning #1 spot in the world […]
Three men have pleaded guilty to charges for stealing frozen meat across several Midwestern states that totaled $9 million in losses. Investigators say the men conducted a sophisticated, organized criminal enterprise in 2022 that consisted of 45 thefts of beef and pork from packing plants across Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South and North Dakota. Investigators say the men scoped out plants and drove away with semi-trailers full of frozen meat. The […]
Farmers are encouraged to scout for pests. Iowa State University Extension agronomist Meaghan Anderson says early planted soybeans are vulnerable to insects like bean leaf beetles. “And then we certainly have our fair share of moths always flying across the state, so paying attention to things like the black cutworm. Now is the time on any emerged corn to be scouting for cutting from black cutworm.” She tells Brownfield cover […]
The chair of the House Ag Committee is asking USDA officials about new conservation program problems. Glenn GT Thompson told a subcommittee hearing Tuesday the SUSTAINS Act, which created public-private partnerships for USDA to fund additional conservation projects beyond the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), doesn’t appear to be helping farmers. He says, “Let’s not let bureaucracy kill that. You have the authority. President Biden signed that into law. We […]
The CEO of the largest agriculture cooperative in the United States says he optimistic about renewable diesel demand from California’s low carbon fuel standard and what that means for U.S. agriculture. Soybean oil can be used to make renewable diesel. Jay Debertin with CHS Inc. says the investments in soy processing will likely continue in the next few years. “Demand certainly seems to be there and there are other things […]
