At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were mixed on position squaring ahead of Friday’s On Feed numbers from the USDA. The report, overall, looks bearish. June live cattle closed $1.47 lower at $138.42 and August live cattle closed $1.20 lower at $140.37. May feeder cattle closed $.97 lower at $163.87 and August feeder cattle closed $.45 higher at $176.90. It was a quiet Friday for direct cash […]
A South Dakota farmer says it’s dry, but they’re planting small grains. Mike Cronin’s family farms near Gettysburg in central South Dakota. He says his son wrapped up planting small grains Thursday. “We’ve got, I don’t know, probably 18-hundred acres of spring wheat in and then he was going to plant about 400 acres of oats.” Cronin says there is some hope for rain in the forecast. “It looks like […]
With more unfilled jobs than available workers, employers in the ag sector are taking their recruiting on-campus. Mariah Giraud Mariah Giraud is an employment specialist with Synergy Cooperative in northwestern Wisconsin. She tells Brownfield students can finish the semester and go into sales, driving, or a number of other opportunities. “We’re always a little short on staff, especially seasonal positions. That’s always harder to fill, getting somebody to come out and […]
The USDA’s latest Cattle on Feed report is extremely bearish, with both On Feed totals and Cattle Placed well outside the top-end of pre-report expectations. University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says that could lead to a very interesting last half of the year. “Drought has certainly made us want to place cattle in feedyards earlier than normal,” he says. “It makes me wonder, are we going to run out of […]
A cattle producer in southwest Iowa is struggling to find help. Seth Watkins of Clarinda says finding people who want to work in agriculture isn’t easy right now. “Finding help for anyone isn’t easy, so that’s on the top of my mind.” He tells Brownfield he’s doing everything he can. “Right now the biggest is just constantly communicating (to find) people who maybe have a job in town but like […]
The second day of the Missouri FFA Convention took place Friday in Columbia. Day two of the Missouri FFA Convention kicked off with a trade show where FFA students are getting the chance to explore career opportunities. St. James FFA student Elijah Barnett, who was attending the career fair, tells Brownfield his FFA chapter has grown his interest in pursing veterinarian medicine… “It taught me different breeds of animals; different […]
A mid-Michigan farmer says this year has been ideal for maple syrup production. Sarah Zastrow tells Brownfield the season started in late February. “Because there was such fluctuation in the temperature, you get a lot of sap in those years,” she says. “When it’s freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw—that’s when maple syrup really thrives, and it gives it a really good flavor.” Zastrow says adding maple syrup production has […]
The USDA is awarding nearly $800 million in projects to support climate-smart infrastructure. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement as part of Earth Day, saying the grants are part of the many ways the agency is addressing climate change, bringing safe water and renewable energy to people in rural areas. A breakdown of the funded projects can be found here. ...
May corn closed at $7.93, down 6 and 1/4 centsMay soybeans closed at $17.16, down 32 and 1/4 centsMay soybean meal closed at $458.80, down $10.10May soybean oil closed at $83.26, up 176 pointsMay wheat closed at $10.65 and 1/2, down 2 and 1/2 centsApr. live cattle closed at $142.45, down $1.65June lean hogs closed at $118.77, up $1.60May Class III milk closed at $24.55, down 2 centsJun. ...
