Brownfield

Across the Corn Belt, warm weather is promoting a rapid pace of crop development, following extensive spring planting delays.  High temperatures near or slightly above 90°F should occur later Friday in much of the Midwest.  Scattered thundershowers in the western Corn Belt are locally improving topsoil moisture, which on June 19 was rated 44% very short to short in Nebraska. On the Plains, hot weather favors winter wheat maturation and […]

A new agreement between the USDA and the Port of Houston will increase capacity for exporting chilled and frozen ag commodities. Travis Arp with the U.S. Meat Export Federation says the plans allow the USDA to lease additional chassis to fully utilize the port’s capacity for refrigerated containers. “There was a lot of increased volume of refrigerated containers going through the Port of Houston,” he said. “Houston was having issues […]

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture has announced the approval of $243.7 million in grants and loans for drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste projects. The department says the funding will result in upgraded infrastructure that benefits residents and the environment. The grants and loans were awarded from the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, Consolidated Water Facilities Construction Program, Solid Waste Management […]

Summer is officially here and it’s important to make sure you and the whole fam are staying hydrated.  Here’s a little secret – while water is an awesome way to stay hydrated – it isn’t the only way. Registered dietician Kim Galeaz explains. AUDIO: Kim Galeaz, Staying hydrated ...

Fifteen Wisconsin projects are getting funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program. State ag officials say the projects will get more than a million dollars for work designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop industries using research, education, and market development. The funded projects range from promoting the growth of chestnuts to improving honeybee health and from scouting for potato diseases to making sure ginseng roots meet […]

Slower demand for some types of cheese pushed the U.S. supply to record end of May levels. The USDA says natural cheese stocks at the end of last month were 1.512 billion pounds, up 4% on the year, even as cheese production for the month was mostly below a year ago. That included the largest monthly supply on record for non-American types of cheese, primarily Italian-style, cream, Hispanic, and brick […]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle closed lower, watching the direct markets, and feeders were higher on the drop in corn.  August live cattle closed $1.05 lower at $133.87 and October live cattle closed $1.07 lower at $140.  August feeder cattle closed $1.70 higher at $174.85 and September feeder cattle closed $1.55 higher at $176.85.  Thursday was a relatively active day for direct cash cattle trade.  Deals were at […]

A biofuels group has sent a letter to President Biden outlining the industry’s contribution to meet the needs of consumers. Paul Winters with Clean Fuels Alliance America says U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel production generates a four percent decrease in the price of diesel fuel. “Those are fuels needed to move goods around the country to fill the long-haul semi-trucks, contributing to the needs of shipping all sorts of essential […]

Clean Fuels Alliance America says demand for biodiesel is ratcheting up because of corporate pressure. Scott Fenwick says clean energy market growth is going from being government led to led by the largest corporate shippers. “Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Walmart… they’ve got their own sustainability and decarbonization goals and they’re demanding their shipping companies implement similar goals,” Fenwick said. He said global shipping companies, like Maersk and Stolt, setting these goals […]