An agronomist says farmers should take advantage of the less-than-ideal spring weather to go over their planters. Scott Rowntree is a field agronomist for Pioneer in southern Wisconsin. He tells Brownfield it’s a good time to check things beyond the usual grease fittings. “Raise that planter up and go behind each row unit. Move it side to side and up and down. You might need to replace the bushings on […]
Feeding America says inflation and phasing out pandemic food-assistance programs will likely worsen the hunger crisis. Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer with Feeding America, tells Brownfield a majority of food banks – 85 percent – are seeing higher or equal demand for food assistance compared to the previous month. “That is a staggering reflection of just how severe the problem of hunger is in the United States and how […]
Across the Corn Belt, cloudiness is increasing in advance of an approaching cold front, while a few rain showers are developing from the Mississippi Valley westward. Midwestern conditions are largely not conducive to planting activities and other spring fieldwork, due to cool soils, wet fields, or a combination of both. On the Plains, hot, breezy weather in Oklahoma and Texas is causing further deterioration of winter wheat, as well as […]
The University of Wisconsin River Falls college Farm Bureau chapter is exposing everyone on campus and the community to the opportunities available in agriculture. Serenity Hetke is a senior from Ladysmith, Wisconsin, and is the present Campus Farm Bureau chapter president. “This is a great way to meet students where they’re at that possibly have no experience in agriculture and they can just come by and see what agriculture is […]
Adverse weather conditions are making it difficult for farmers to make burndown herbicide applications. Ron Geis is an Iowa-based market development specialist for Corteva Agriscience and tells Brownfield it’s been windy and wet this month. “Of course getting the crop planted into the ground can be difficult, as well as getting some good timely herbicide applications made. But I think that speaks really strongly to having a good two-pass program […]
An extension agronomist says despite some variability across the state, the one word to describe conditions in South Dakota is “dry.” Jonathan Kleinjan with South Dakota State University tells Brownfield spring wheat growers in the central part of the state are chasing moisture. “Some guys called me a couple weeks ago and wanted to know how deep they could plant it because they were worried about getting the moisture to […]
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle ended the day mostly higher watching corn and waiting for direct business to develop. June live cattle closed $.77 higher at $136.57 and August live cattle closed $.80 higher at $138.17. May feeder cattle closed $.02 lower at $171.45. There was a light direct cash cattle trade in the South on Tuesday. Deals were at $140 to $141 live, $1 to […]
An agronomist says farmers are under additional pressure this year with the slow start to the growing season and ongoing supply chain concerns. UPL Technical Services Rep Lynn Justesen says those challenges make the timing for fungicide and herbicide applications even more critical. “If we don’t get it sprayed right the first time, we never do as good coming back and cleaning up fields,” he says. “But if we don’t […]
A Central Kansas cattle producer says the drought is squeezing feed supplies and higher commodity prices are leaving him with few solutions. “I’ve got a lot of neighbors running out of feed. “We don’t have any grass growing.” Keith Miller, who farms and raises cattle in Barton County, tells Brownfield he usually takes his pairs to pasture in mid-April, but this year he’s waiting. “We can get them out […]
