USDA’s annual dairy product report confirms an incremental decline in butter and powder products last year while cheese and ice cream increased. Total cheese production totaled more than 14 billion pounds, more than two percent from 2021 with Wisconsin producing a quarter of the nation’s cheese. Italian and American cheese both made up slightly more than 40 percent of the production mix. Butter production was slightly more than two billion […]
Soybeans were mixed. Soybeans had an up and down day on follow through fund liquidation against oversold signals, with periodic influence from the losses in bean meal and gains in bean oil. The near-term supply remains very tight and domestic demand continues to be strong, but slow export demand is a big bearish factor. The market is controlled by Brazil, with their record harvest nearly complete. The USDA’s attaché in […]
The president of the South Dakota Farmers Union says he would like to see his state pass a right to repair law. Doug Sombke says it was difficult to make progress in South Dakota during the 2023 state legislative legislative session, because there were other priorities. “We didn’t have all of our asks set, but what Colorado has done now is a good precedent.” On Tuesday, Colorado became the […]
Western Iowa farmer Kevin Ross says drought will be a concern again this growing season. “I’d say we’re still dry,” he said. “We did pick up some nice rains here in the last week and a half.” But he tells Brownfield, “We are going to need more. We’re definitely not at a full profile, or wet or soggy by any means. As we get into the growing season, we really […]
A state senator from northern Missouri says the senate’s state budget proposal of $50 billion makes several investments in agriculture. Rusty Black from District 12 tells Brownfield there’s $43 million proposed for a new veterinary lab and hospital at the University of Missouri in Columbia. “The diagnostics lab at MU is one of the better ones in the United States with the fact they’re ranked that way,” he says. “They […]
It has taken more than a decade for one young farmer to make her way back to the family farm full-time. Elaine Palm grew up on a sheep farm in West Branch, Michigan, and knew since her first job after college that’s where she needed to end up. “My last summer in D.C., I was driving home about every three weeks to help with hay harvest, and I just knew […]
A cow/calf operator in eastern South Dakota says from cattle markets to crops he’s optimistic about 2023. Todd Wilkinson tells Brownfield this year is off to a better start than he could have expected. “I think we’re going to have a bang-up year,” he says. Wilkinson, who is also president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the outlook right now for cow/calf producers is impressive. “They are enjoying prices […]
Syngenta Crop Protection plans to collaborate with Biotalys to research and commercialize new biocontrols for a wide range of pests and diseases. Biotalys Chief Business Officer Patrick McDonnell tells Brownfield the technology crosses protein-based solutions in healthcare into agriculture. “It’s an antibody source, we call it an agrobody in the case of agricultural uses and it performs in a novel way that can address many needs in the market,” he […]
U.S. ethanol production declined sharply last week. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 967,000 barrels a day, a drop of 57,000 on the week, but up 4,000 on the year. That week-to-week decline can be tied to seasonal maintenance. Iowa State University says returns for the average Iowa plant remained firmly in positive territory. The Renewable Fuels Association says demand signals were friendly as the industry prepares for […]
