American Farm Bureau analysis finds farmers in the Midwest are the most likely to be impacted by Department of Labor wage changes for H-2A seasonal farm workers. Economist Veronica Nigh tells Brownfield H-2A positions vary significantly from state to state and new rates could now be two to three times higher depending on how paperwork was filed. “This could potentially limit farmer’s ability to stay in business and frankly seems […]
Soybeans were lower on fund and technical selling. 35% of U.S. soybeans are planted, ahead of average, but with big delays in some northern growing areas. More delays are expected in parts of the Midwest and Plains this week, even if it is still a little worried to get too concerned and the precipitation should help the crop start the growing season on the right foot. The trade is currently […]
Eastern Iowa farmer Dave Walton says tar spot is his biggest concern for the 2023 growing season. “We’ve had it for four or five years at varying levels,” he said. “What we have learned over the years is we have to be a little bit more aggressive with our fungicide applications.” He tells Brownfield, “It has cost us some yield the last few years where we have not treated it […]
The executive vice president of the Wheat Quality Council said he’s expecting to see a tough wheat crop during next week’s Hard Winter Wheat Tour. In the last week, USDA said winter wheat conditions in Kansas are rated 68% poor to very poor with 32% of winter wheat headed. Dave Green said this is some of the worst rankings ever. “Obviously the crop is in trouble, particularly in the west […]
Milk futures were lower and cash dairy prices were steady to lower Tuesday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. May Class III milk was down $0.06 at $16.40. June was down $0.16 at $16.88. July was down $0.05 at $17.65. August was down $0.05 at $18.45. September through April contracts ranged from unchanged in January, February, and March to four cents lower in September. Dry whey was down $0.0150 at $0.3125. […]
Three lock and dam systems on the Illinois River will close for upgrades beginning June 1st. The Army Corps of Engineers will replace machinery, install upper miter gates and do electrical crossover work at the Brandon Road, Dresden Island and Marseilles locations, finishing out a three-part repair project that started in 2019. Jim Tarmann with the Illinois Corn Growers Association says farmers have had ample time to prepare, and the […]
A dairy farmer says farm labor is still a top concern. Pam Selz-Pralle tells Brownfield finding help for the farm is not easy. “When you’re seeing your local grocery stores and your local restaurants, they’re closing down because they don’t have labor but they can close down for a night. Our cows still have to get milked. Our crops still need to be harvested, so labor becomes a really big […]
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook for the likelihood of below-normal temperatures in the lower Great Lakes region and the south-central U.S., while warmer-than-normal weather will prevail in the southern Atlantic States and northwest of a line from Arizona to Minnesota. Meanwhile, near- or below-normal precipitation throughout the North should contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions across much of the southern-half of the country. ...
In this week’s Missouri Corn Talk, Missouri Corn’s Associate Director of Market Development Lane Howard talks about growing demand for ethanol and year-round E15. ...
