A North-Central Illinois farmer hopes the planting pace picks up in his area soon. Jim Campion says, “It’s cold and damp and it’s been really slow going.” Campion raises corn and soybeans north of Peoria in Stark County. He tells Brownfield farmers are trying to locate fields that are ready. “There’s been a lot of beans get planted here in the last three-to-four days,” he said. “People seem to be […]
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle closed lower and feeder cattle were higher watching corn, and direct cash business develop. June live cattle closed $1.12 lower at $133.90 and August live cattle closed $.67 lower at $136.35. May feeder cattle closed $.609 higher at $157.95 and August feeder cattle closed $1.45 higher at $170.40 Another relatively quiet day for direct cash cattle trade. While the bulk of the week’s […]
The Ranking Member of the House Ag Committee says it’s about time the committee has reviewed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the farm bill which he says has been unchecked for the past four years. Congressman Glenn GT Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, shared his frustration in Thursday’s hearing. “My Democratic colleagues have already drawn a line in the sand that this program will not be touched in the next […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt says more infrastructure investments are needed in the Midwest to keep its ag products competitive globally. Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri is calling for more investments in shipping infrastructure in the Mississippi River basin to make the transportation system as efficient as possible. “That just allows us to be that much more competitive,” he said. “One of the things I said here today was, if you’re […]
An ag economist says inflationary pressures will likely impact all of the agriculture well into the future. Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield for some grain farmers this season might be incredibly profitable, but it’s not likely to last. “This year it may turn negative perhaps this fall or next year as costs continue to rise,” he shares. Ehmke says increasing costs of labor, materials, fuel, fertilizer, and more quickly […]
The director of Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is continuing to meet with food and agriculture businesses to identify ways to improve supply chains. During stops in Grand Rapids Wednesday, Gray McDowell told Brownfield the tours are about building food security and finding ways to support local food systems. “We’re an agricultural powerhouse here in this state and we’ve got so much diversity, but a lot of it […]
May corn closed at $8.16, up 1/2 centMay soybeans closed at $17.06 and 1/2, down 20 centsMay soybean meal closed at $440.20, down $10.80May soybean oil closed at 90.60, up 280 pointsMay wheat closed at $10.74, down 6 centsApr. live cattle closed at $138.50, unchangedJune lean hogs closed at $110.97, up 62 centsMay Class III milk closed at $24.60, up 29 centsJun. ...
Southern Indiana farmer Ben Kron says planters are still parked because of wet and cool conditions. “We’re finally getting some days around low- to mid-70s, but nighttime temperatures are still cool and a couple of nights ago we had a frost warning,” he says. Kron tells Brownfield things are looking up. “It looks like in the 10-15 day forecast nighttime lows are going to start moving up. That will help […]
Dairy farmers saw a slight increase in prices in 2020 while keeping milk production gains in check. The USDA reports 2021 milk production increased 1.3 percent to 226 billion pounds, while marketings were up 3.5 percent to $41.8 billion. Farmers earned an average of $18.54 per hundredweight during the year, up slightly more than two percent from 2020. Dairy economist Tanner Ehmke with CoBank tells Brownfield high feed costs continue […]
