Dry weather in Wisconsin has farmers concerned about crops. Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden has been harvesting a low-volume second crop of hay. “Some of the farmers are starting to put second crop up, but it’s less than half of what it should be.” And, the Westby area farmer says he and many of his neighbors are already wondering if they will have enough hay to get their […]
Jul. corn closed at $6.60 and 1/2, down 10 and 1/2 centsJul. soybeans closed at $15.00 and 1/2, down 14 and 1/4 centsJul. soybean meal closed at $424.70, down $14.50Jul. soybean oil closed at 55.77, up 14 pointsJul. wheat closed at $7.39, up 4 and 1/2 centsAug. live cattle closed at $171.15, up $1.40Aug. feeder cattle closed at $230.67, up $2.95Jul. ...
Southeast Iowa farmer Tim Meyer says his crops are handling the dry conditions better than expected. “Corn is starting to curl just a little bit, but it’s not as bad as I’ve seen in other places. I do think that we’re going to need some significant moisture in the next two weeks or we’re going to start to see some yield loss here if we don’t.” He tells Brownfield, “We’re […]
Ag land owners in Minnesota are eligible for enhanced incentives when selling or leasing to beginning farmers. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says recent legislative changes have increased the tax credit amount to eight percent of the sale price for buyers and 12 percent if the buyer is an emerging farmer. The maximum tax credit has also been raised from $32,000 to $50,000, and direct family members are now eligible […]
A wheat breeder says disease pressure is limited in on-farm trials this year because of dry weather in Michigan. Michigan State University’s Eric Olson regularly studies genetic resistance to fusarium head scab. “We have not seen a significant level of disease across the state this year,” he shares. “However, in our scab nursery on campus we are just starting to see the beginnings of the epidemic.” Trial results will be […]
Soybeans were lower on profit taking and technical selling. The trade gave back some of the recent gains, with spillover from profit taking in bean meal and a drop in crude oil. However, beans were above the day’s lows as the U.S. Drought Monitor does show expanding drought conditions in the Midwest, now covering nearly the entire region. Soybean oil was firm on an oversold bounce. Argentina is reportedly the […]
A regional agronomist says corn crop in the central United States is variable as it transitions to reproductive phases. Jon Skinner with Beck’s Hybrids works with farmers in Illinois and Iowa. He says the corn crops vary, based on location and rainfall. “Big portions of Illinois and Iowa are seeing some pretty significant reductions in rainfall amounts, so we’ve got corn that’s shoulder high and tasseling and we’ve got corn […]
A member of Congress is condemning Brazil for what she calls discriminatory import tariffs on U.S. ethanol. Minnesota Republican Michelle Fischbach says a tariff rate of 16 percent was re-imposed in February. “And in addition to that this is a little bit twofold because they put on the tariff, but there are some non-tariff issues (as well). U.S. producers have not been okayed for Brazil’s biofuels program, and that’s been […]
An Iowa farmer says fungicide applications have helped him manage disease and environmental pressure. Brett Heineman tells Brownfield spraying at the right time has been critical. “From what we’ve seen, the biggest bang for our buck has been getting it on before you see the disease. If you are already seeing disease, you’ve already lost some potential in your plant.” He says fungicides can help protect plants from heat, drought, […]
