The USDA says there were 2 million cattle placed into U.S. feedlots during January 2022. That’s down 1% from January 2021, with concerns about high feed costs partially canceling out the impact of poor pasture conditions and tight hay supplies in many of the major feeding areas. About three quarters of the monthly total weigh less than 800 pounds, which might be an indication ranchers are expecting lower feed costs […]
Dryness in the Central and Western states is impacting nearly $160 billion of U.S. ag production. Data from the American Farm Bureau shows most of the U.S.’s top ag commodities are grown or raised in states experiencing extended dryness – like 81 percent of cattle and calves. Jon Doggett, National Corn Growers Association CEO, tells Brownfield his family’s ranch in Montana is in desperate need of moisture. “We had a […]
Organic farmers are looking for better representation in the next farm bill. Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) executive director Lori Stern says organic farmers seem to be in the minority compared to conventional crop and livestock producers. “In the past, it’s just not been very front and center. It’s a smaller staff at the USDA that works on organic farming, and across the USDA programs farmers interact with. […]
The president of the National Association of Wheat Growers says while USDA has increased its outlook for planted acres, conditions remain variable. Michigan farmer Dave Milligan tells Brownfield some farmers couldn’t get the acres they wanted planted last year because of questionable conditions and rain and ice have continued to beat the crop over the winter. “The crop probably isn’t dead yet, we’ll have to see what happens in the […]
The Kroger Co. has relased its 2022 Food Trends Report, predicting emerging food trends, consumer behaviors, and popular items for the year. Healthy Living: ...
The Alliance for Aviation Across America is highlighting the importance of general aviation to agriculture and rural communities. Dan Hubbard, a board member for the alliance, is the senior vice president for communications with the National Business Aviation Association. “A lot of businesses in agriculture rely on general aviation to operate from rural areas,” he says. “…with these small general aviation airplanes, you could fly out of 5,000 airports across the […]
The USDA says combined old and new crop soybean export sales during the week ending February 17th topped 2 million tons. Egypt was the biggest buyer of old crop U.S. beans, while China led the way for new crop. The recent spike in U.S. soybean sales can be linked to declining production projections for South America. Corn, wheat, pork, rice, and cotton export sales all showed week-to-week improvements. The USDA’s […]
Volatility in the commodity markets has continued following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, but a market analyst expects prices to stabilize. “The emotional reaction to the events in Ukraine has peaked.” Bill Biedermann with AgMarket.Net tells Brownfield soybean and grain futures were unable to hold onto the early gains Thursday and wheat dropped overnight after hitting a nine-year high but those swings should end. “The market is going […]
As the growing season approaches, a northwestern Ohio farmer says ag input price and availability remains a top concern. Craig Pohlman raises corn and soybeans in Van Wert County. “With that unknown of skyrocketing costs and you’re not sure what you’re going to get, there’s some uneasiness,” he says. “I think farmers are optimistic coming off the year we came off of, but with inflation everything at the grocery store […]
