Agriculture

The Illinois General Assembly passed a state budget over the weekend that includes $750,000 for the Illinois Department of Agriculture to hire more state veterinarians. Illinois Beef Association Executive Vice President Josh St. Peters tells Brownfield they’ve worked closely with other state ag groups on this effort as animal diseases like Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever remain a top concern for livestock producers. “Today, the Illinois Department […]

The 94th Iowa FFA Convention is underway in Ames. Avery Hanaway of the Independence FFA Chapter says she values the family atmosphere FFA provides. “You may not realize it at first, but FFA is really small. It seems huge, but it’s really small. We kind of all know each other, you meet someone at an event and then you see them again later. Or even like when you get to […]

Producers are slightly more optimistic about their farms’ financial performance, according to the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. But, Purdue University’s Jim Mintert says farmers surveyed don’t expect commodity price strength to offset record high ag input costs. “That’s reflecting the concerns people have about input costs because commodity prices in corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton all look very positive,” he says. “…It looks like 2022 should be […]

Northwest central Ohio farmer Patty Mann says cool conditions have limited fieldwork in April. “It’s been cold and windy and not real pleasant. We’re not that terribly wet,” she says. “If we had a couple of 70-degree days and some wind we could dry out pretty quickly and we’d like to get to spraying some burndown on corn stalks that will be going to beans first opportunity we get.” She […]

The USDA’s Foreign Ag Service has reported another huge sale of corn to China.  This marks China’s second recent purchase of more than 1 million tons of corn.  Of that, nearly 750,000 tons is marked for delivery during the current marketing year.  The balance is set for delivery during the 2022/2023 marketing year.  The USDA’s next set of supply and demand numbers comes out May 12th.  ...

April is National Soyfoods Month and Missouri Soybeans is celebrating by touting the many health benefits of soy for human consumption. Outreach and education director Baylee Siegel says that while many people think of soy’s use as an ingredient in livestock food or new uses, soy is high in protein, promotes cognitive function, and helps lower cholesterol. Siegel says that Missouri Soybeans and local partners plan to educate throughout the […]

Corteva Agriscience Enlist field specialist Steve Snyder recommends a program approach to controlling weeds that involves different herbicide sites of action and an effective postemergence plan. He tells Brownfield the Enlist system allows for a lot of options so farmers can tailor the tank-mix partner to fit their weed spectrum. ...

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack during a Wisconsin dairy farm tour Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack will be working from home for a while.  Vilsack tested positive for COVID-19 Friday after experiencing mild symptoms.  USDA says Vilsack is fully vaccinated and had tested negative both before and after his recent trip to Mexico, but Mexican officials have been notified and contact tracing has begun to minimize the spread of the virus. ...