Agriculture

The Russian attack on Ukraine is reverberating through seemingly all markets, including organic.  Illinois organic grain farmer Dave Campbell says the Black Sea region sent ripples through the market after reports of organic grain fraud surfaced in 2015. “Ukraine and that are, so there was a lot of that grain coming in that wasn’t really Certified Organic.” Speaking to Brownfield Friday at the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) […]

The 2022 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale held during the Illinois Beef Expo averaged $4,372 on 46 lots, the third highest average in the sale’s history. A yearling Angus bull consigned by Murphey’s Genetics of Illiopolis took the top spot, selling for $8500 to Lukack Cattle Company of Streator. Two bulls sold for $7000 each; one consigned by Kramer Farms of Farina sold to Thomas Downey of Putnam, the other […]

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live cattle were lower ahead of Friday’s On Feed numbers, feeder cattle were higher on the lower corn.  April live cattle closed $.37 lower at $141.92 and June live cattle closed $.30 lower at $138.30.  March feeder cattle closed $.92 higher at $160.02 and April feeder cattle closed $.95 at $164.75.  It was a relatively quiet week for direct cash cattle trade.  Friday ended with […]

A global fertilizer expert says recent events have dampened his optimism for a decrease in fertilizer prices this spring. Josh Linville with StoneX tells Brownfield up until this past week, record high fertilizer prices were starting to ease. “We actually had been seeing fertilizer prices come off. Prices of phosphate had come off a little bit and prices of urea had come off a pretty decent chunk.” But he says […]

A $1.4 billion one-time investment in Michigan agriculture aims to make major improvements in infrastructure, food distribution, and other areas of one of the state’s largest industries. “We will shorten the supply chain channels, making sure we have secure, safe, and nutritional food available for all.” State Senator and bill sponsor Roger Victory tells Brownfield part of the funding is earmarked for needs in rural communities which aren’t equipped to […]

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a former Chief Ag Negotiator for the US Trade Representative is keeping a close eye on food inflation and consumer reactions around the globe. “I’m watching China very closely because they are the biggest player on the block in agriculture these days across the board.” Gregg Doud now serves as the Vice President of Global Situational Awareness for Aimpoint Research. He tells Brownfield 4th quarter […]

A dairy economist says U.S. milk production was way below expectations along with New Zealand numbers for January. “The supply situation just keeps getting worse.” Nate Donnay with StoneX says the real breakdown of milk production in the U.S. came in the form of milk per cow. “January was down 42 pounds, that’s a record deviation from trend,” he says. While some analysts speculate reduced production is tied to feed […]