Agriculture

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- or above-normal temperatures across most of the country, with the greatest likelihood of hot weather covering California and the eastern Gulf Coast region.  Cooler-than-normal conditions will be confined to parts of the Northwest and upper Midwest.  Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation in the Northwest and much of the eastern half of the U.S. should contrast with drier-than-normal weather from California to the […]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle ended the day mixed and feeders were lower, watching corn and the direct cash markets.  June live cattle were unchanged at $131.50 and August feeder cattle closed $.60 lower at $165.20.  It was a quiet Thursday for direct cash cattle trade activity with ust a handful of deals reported.  It looks like the bulk of the week’s business has wrapped up, however, some […]

Ag leaders are calling for improved shipping infrastructure in the Mississippi River basin to make U.S. ag exports more competitive and lower food costs. Port of South Louisiana CEO Paul Matthews said a key project is deepening sections of the lower Mississippi River by five feet, reaching a depth of 50 feet so larger barges can enter the port. “That is an impact of more than $15.5 billion with a […]

Dairy research that was developed to increase exports became very useful during the COVID pandemic. Dr. John Lucey is the Director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Research.  He tells Brownfield there has been a focus on extending the shelf life of cheeses to allow U.S. cheesemakers to move more products overseas without the product spoiling or performing poorly. “Think about the shelf life that might be needed […]