The U.S. cattle herd grew slightly over the past year, signaling continued slow expansion. The USDA says the total cattle inventory on July 1st, 2026, was up slightly from July 1st, 2025 at 94.2 million head, including year-over-year increases for beef and milk replacement heifers. The supply of all heifers weighing 500 pounds and heavier […] The post Cattle inventory report implies gradual rise in numbers appeared first on Brownfield […]
An ag economist says the soybean market has been finding some recent support from exports. Jim McCormick with AgMarket.Net says that’s due to recent purchases from China. “It looks like China continues to fulfill its obligation to buy beans,” he said. “They made a commitment to buy 12 million tons of new crop beans and […] The post China commitments offer support for soybean futures appeared first on Brownfield Ag […]
Governor Jim Pillen has signed a bill that establishes new safeguards to protect agriculture and critical infrastructure from foreign entities . “Securing Nebraska is not just about border security or law enforcement, it’s about protecting our food supply. It’s about our power grid. It’s about our water. It’s about our communications network.” Speaking with reporters […] The post Nebraska enacts new protections for agriculture, critical infrastructure appeared first on Brownfield […]
A dairy lender at Farm Credit Services of America says a strong beef-on-dairy sector continues to create new market opportunities for farmers. Tim Van Hofwegen says many producers benefited from another source of income in 2025. “A lot of that was driven by the value of the beef on dairy calves plus the value of […] The post Beef-on-dairy boosting returns and capturing more value for dairy producers appeared first […]
A central Illinois farmer says he’s already considering the impact that high fertilizer prices are going to have on his operation in 2027. Thomas Perkins, who raises corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and cattle in Effingham County, says he’s not optimistic of any major input cost relief before decisions need to be made. “Most of the […] The post 2027 fertilizer decisions already weighing on some farmers’ minds appeared first on […]
An ag meteorologist says he’s optimistic that the ongoing drought in the Western Corn Belt could improve over the next several months. Brian Fuchs with the National Drought Mitigation Center says conditions are slowing changing in western Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota. “We’ve seen a good start to the southwestern Monsoon season, and that has […] The post Monsoon moisture, El Niño offer hope for WCB drought recovery appeared first […]
An American Farm Bureau Federation official says financial challenges are extending beyond major row crops. John Newton, AFBF vice president of public policy, says specialty crop producers are facing many of the same cost and market pressures. “It doesn’t matter if you are planting corn or planting strawberries, your input costs have increased dramatically.” A […] The post Specialty crop growers feeling the squeeze financially appeared first on Brownfield Ag […]
Only about a third of the funding allocated for USDA’s Assistance for Specialty Crop Producers Program has been distributed ahead of the August 7th deadline. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles tells Brownfield, “One of the biggest challenges for specialty crops overall is eligibility.” “A number of the farms that should be getting relief are […] The post National Potato Council says USDA specialty crop assistance has limited access appeared […]
Cash dairy prices were down Friday to end the week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was down $0.01 to $0.68. One sale was reported at that price. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.0625 at $1.6075. Two sales were recorded ranging from $1.5975 to $1.6075. Cheese barrels were unchanged at $1.63. No sales were recorded. Butter was down $0.0025 to $1.5075. Forty sales were reported ranging from $1.49 to $1.5075. Nonfat dry milk was up $0.0025 to $1.4025. Sixteen sales were reported ranging from $1.3950 to $1.4025. The post Cash dairy prices down Friday to close out the week appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.
