Brownfield

An extension fertilizer specialist points to soil fertility best management practices (BMP’s) as farmers look to cut down on crop input expenses. Fabian Fernandez with the University of Minnesota says nitrogen is essential for good yields, but costs are eating into returns. “Certainly farmers are looking at ways to still get high yields but try to minimize how much nitrogen they will need to apply. So there are some strategies.” […]

Conditions were cooler and drier in Ohio last week, according to the USDA’s first weekly crop and weather report for 2022. Fifty-four percent of the winter wheat crop is in good to excellent condition. Three percent of oats are planted, in line with the one- and five-year average. The average temperature was 7.8 degrees below normal for the state. Topsoil moisture and subsoil moisture are both 98 percent adequate to […]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle closed lower watching corn and waiting for direct cash business to develop.  June live cattle closed $.92 lower at $134.92 and August live cattle closed $0.70 lower at $136.20. May feeder cattle close $3.65 lower at $162.47 and August feeder cattle closed $2.25 lower at $174.10. It was a very atypical start to the week for direct cash cattle trade.  There […]

An ag economist says a benefit of rising interest rates could be a decline to land prices and rents. “I think it’s really important for farmers to watch the inflation rate because it’s an indicator of where interest rates are going.” Carl Zulauf with Ohio State University says the ratio of farm land prices to rents has an inverse relationship with interest rates and any significant rate increase will likely […]

In its first weekly crop and weather report for 2022, USDA says cold weather and saturated soils limited fieldwork throughout the state last week. Seventy percent of the winter wheat crop is in good to excellent condition. The average temperature was 40.6 degrees, 6.7 degrees below normal for the state. Statewide precipitation was 0.7 inches, 0.4 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture is 97 percent and subsoil moisture is 95 percent […]

May corn closed at $7.50 and 1/2, up 15 and 1/2 centsMay soybeans closed at $16.02 and 1/2, up 19 and 1/2 centsMay soybean meal closed at $455.10, up $5.10May soybean oil closed at $72.34, up 114 pointsMay wheat closed at $10.10 and 1/4, up 25 and 3/4 centsApr. live cattle closed at $138.00, down 65 centsMay lean hogs closed at $109.30, down $3.87Apr. ...

Michigan State University’s wheat breeder is encouraging farmers to use multiple varieties to spread their risk. Eric Olsen tells Brownfield that using different maturing crops each year allows growers to extend fieldwork and the length of harvest. “You can spread that out over a couple of days instead of having to cover 500 to 1,000 acres in one day,” he says. Olsen is excited to see success in pre-harvest sprout […]

A north-central Iowa farmer about to embark on the 2022 growing season calls this year “very uncertain.” Denny Friest of Radcliffe says recent rains have brightened his outlook. “But subsoil moistures are still not where they need to be. We need timely rains because the threat of drought is still very true.” Friest serves as vice president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and tells Brownfield farmers are concerned about […]

Brownfield’s Rhiannon Branch is joined by Glen Semple, vice president of commercial lending at Farm Credit Illinois and author of Farm Credit Illinois’ INTEREST-ing Times series, and Jackie Martinie, chief credit officer at Farm Credit Illinois. Glen and Jackie outline how interest rates have fluctuated over the years, the Fed’s forecast for raising interest rates, and how these changes will affect farm families and the farm economy. Tune in for […]