Knowledge is power. And by using information from their operations, farmers can maximize their return on investment. In this Managing for Profit, Joel McCormick, AGRIntelligence Information Specialist for Helena talks the tools available to help farmers harness that data. ...
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of above-normal temperatures along and east of a line from Texas to Minnesota, except for cooler-than-normal conditions along the middle Atlantic Coast. Cool weather will also dominate the northern High Plains and the West. Meanwhile, near- or below-normal precipitation throughout the East and Far West should contrast with wetter-than-normal weather across much of the nation’s mid-section, including the Plains […]
An agronomist says farmers should not worry about this year’s later planting dates impacting yields yet. Farmers are planting two to three weeks behind last year, but Bob Berkovich with Pioneer in Wisconsin tells Brownfield the number of growing degree units or GDUs is not far behind the average, and he says the forecast looks good. “The National Weather Service, they actually think that there’s a greater chance for above-average […]
Workers at two CNH Industrial plants went on strike Monday at noon after contract talks broke down. The company that makes Case IH, New Holland, and Steyr farm machinery had more than one-thousand employees at Racine, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Iowa walk off the job. United Auto Workers Vice President Chuck Browning issued a statement saying, “Our members at CNHi strike for the ability to earn a decent living, retire with […]
Iowa’s first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in more than a week is in a non-commercial backyard flock in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Agriculture says the virus was found in Bremer County and reminds flock owners they should prevent contact with their birds and wild birds. Before Tuesday’s detection, the last case of avian flu in the state was reported on April 22nd in a mixed backyard […]
A lack of sun and warmth is stunting alfalfa development in at least one Midwestern state. University of Minnesota Extension crops educator Dave Nicolai says it’s been an abnormally cool spring. “Really cold temperatures have really slowed that growth and availability.” He encourages farmers to wait until alfalfa stems are two inches or taller with a rule of thumb that if stem counts are over 55 stems per square foot […]
A recent analysis suggests the USDA’s selection process was flawed when it relocated two of its research agencies to Kansas City in 2019. The Government Accountability Office says the USDA’s decision to move the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture wasn’t consistent with an evidence-based approach. Courtney LaFountain, Assistant Director for GAO’s Center for Economics, tells Brownfield USDA didn’t factor in potential costs related to the […]
A cold, wet spring has farmers like Rob Tate checking the forecast several times a day. The southeast Minnesota corn and soybean grower tells Brownfield despite unseasonably cool conditions he was able to work some ground until an inch and-a-half of rain fell over the weekend. “I look at my phone app several times a day to see what the weather forecast is doing, (sometimes) it changes a little bit, […]
A dairy economist says rising costs are expected to limit herd expansions despite $25 milk. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield farmers are likely to rely on more productive cows to increase profitability rather than grow their herd in the current environment. “Really trying to squeeze as much value out of each pound of feed and each pound of milk as you possibly can,” he says. “I think going forward […]
