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 […]
Soybeans were lower on profit taking and technical selling. Export sales were up on the week, but lower than average, and soybean meal was also down on profit taking. Soybean oil notched another round of highs on commercial buying linked to the tight globally of and strong demand for vegetable oils. Indonesia is restricting exports of both crude and refined palm oil and Ukrainian exports of sunflower oil have all […]
Following hearings in both the US House and the Senate on the price imbalance in the cattle markets, there are still a lot of questions that remain unanswered. After more than 9 hours of hearings that spanned two days, Ethan Lane with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says what happens next is still unclear. “We know they’re planning to mark up the Special Investigator bill, versions of it, on both […]
