Brownfield

The University of Wisconsin’s Farm and Industry Short Course is undergoing some changes.  College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Kate VandenBosch says the current 16-week residential student format no longer meets the needs of many farmers and other agribusiness owners who can’t spare workers for four months in a year and who no longer see winter as a ‘down-time’ for their businesses.  VandenBosch says starting next year, the short […]

Commentary. As someone who has been in the field of journalism for 37 years, it breaks my heart to see that there are those in this modern media culture who lack integrity in their work and are willing to toss out wild assertions simply because they “heard it” somewhere. How many consumers believe that something is reasonable and true because they googled it or read it on a friend’s wall […]

A veterinarian is stressing the importance of getting colostrum to calves in the first few hours after birth.within hours of being born.  Dr. Rich Caves with Osceola Vet Clinic says inadequate absorption of colostrum can be detrimental to a newborn calf. “They can be prone to more diseases, they have lower weaning weights, they don’t have as good immune function throughout their life.” He tells Brownfield he does not agree […]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a non-commercial backyard flock in Iowa for the first time since 2015.  Iowa Secretary of Ag Mike Naig says they’re working to implement response plans to protect the health of Iowa’s poultry flocks.  “Given the size and status of this flock as a non-commercial backyard flock, there is no trade or supply chain implications from this detection.” Samples from the flock in […]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle were mixed, and feeder cattle were higher watching corn and direct cash business develop.  April live cattle closed $.42 lower at $140.10 and June live cattle closed $.55 lower at $136.50.  April feeder cattle closed $3.20 higher at $163 and May feeder cattle closed $2.75 higher at $168.  It was an active Wednesday for direct cash cattle trade.  Live deals across all areas […]

Land values have increased steadily over the last year and an ag economist says Russia’s invasion into Ukraine could drive up land prices even more. Nathan Kauffman with the Kansas City Federal Reserve says it will hinge on crop production in those two countries. “Ukraine and Russia are both large areas where crop land is used for production and (if) the issues we’re seeing now translate into more significant long-term […]

May corn closed at $7.25, down 3/4 centMay soybeans closed at $16.63, down 27 centsMay soybean meal closed at $448.00, down $6.30May soybean oil closed at 75.87, down 34 pointsMay wheat closed at $10.59, up 75 centsApr. live cattle closed at $140.10, down 42 centsApr. lean hogs closed at $106.30, up 10 centsMar. Class III milk closed at $22.24, down 2 centsApr. ...

Soybeans were sharply lower on profit taking and technical selling, giving back a small part of the gains from earlier in the week. Most near-term forecasts have rain in dry parts of Argentina and southern Brazil, but it’s too late for some of the crop, which has boosted U.S. exports. AgRural says 44% of Brazil’s soybean crop has been harvested. Unknown destinations and China both bought old and new crop […]

Workshops are underway in Indiana to help recognize stress and reduce stigma surrounding mental health in agriculture. The Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives program was created by the Indiana Rural Health Association. Program Director Kathy Walker says the suicide rate among farmers and others in the agriculture industry is higher than the general population. “The farming and agriculture community have some unique stressors and fluctuations and things that they just can’t […]