Twenty-one farms in northern Indiana have reported Egg Drop Syndrome Virus. Denise Derrer Spears, public information director with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, describes some of the signs of the rare virus. “Producers will see a drop in egg production and when the eggs are produced, they will have no shell or very thin shells,” she says. And, Derrer Spears, says the virus is more common in brown-egg […]
Northwest central Ohio farmer Patty Mann says grain market volatility has kept her on her toes. “Wow what a ride it’s been pretty much all winter long and with the challenges across the world, the volatility we’re seeing is unprecedented,” she says. “It’s good to see some bigger numbers as far as commodity prices are concerned.” She tells Brownfield a profit and loss projection factoring in high input costs and […]
Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture says the state is ready to provide aid to farmers and ranchers impacted by the recent wildfires. Steve Wellman tells Brownfield the main service that’s currently available is the state’s Hay Hotline. “Producers with hay available for sale can go on that website and enter their information and the hay that they are offering for sale,” he says. “Anybody interested in purchasing hay can access that […]
Photo courtesy Nebraska Department of Agriculture The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a flock of 1.7 million laying hens in Dixon County (northeast Nebraska). This is the sixth confirmed case of HPAI in the state. The flock will be depopulated, and the farm has been placed under quarantine with a 6.2-mile control zone established around the affected premises. If producers notice symptoms of HPAI […]
Farmers and ranchers in South Central Nebraska are still assessing the damage from a wildfire that tore through the area last week. “It’s pretty devastating for everyone. That’s for sure.” Time Lowe tells Brownfield the fire started near one of his farms last Thursday morning and destroyed fields of corn and bean stover, pasture land and several pivots. “The stubble is gone. The fertilizer is gone. There’s nothing but bare […]
A leader on biofuels policy in Congress says momentum for an E15 summertime waiver really began to build two weeks ago. Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig tells Brownfield House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked for ideas on how to lower fuel prices. “And this was one of the ideas that we put forward (and) I put it forward. I bet I’ve talked to more Democrats in the last two weeks about what […]
Parched soils are being replenished by heavy rains in parts of southeast Minnesota. Gary Prescher farms in Faribault County and tells Brownfield storms brought one to two inches of rain to his area Wednesday. “Folks in my neighborhood were starting to wonder again if it was going to be a repeat of say 2012 (because) we’ve been extremely dry since last spring.” He says the latest rainfall is soaking in […]
Iowa is one of several states in the Upper Midwest where soils remain too cool to begin planting. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist Meaghan Anderson says soil temps across most of the state were hovering in the low 40’s before the latest warmup. “We have had the 60 (and) 70 degree air temperatures, but they will drop back down later this week and next week. And then hopefully we’ll […]
An ag economist says he expects a tight supply chain situation to get worse by harvest this year. “The outlook is maybe as bleak, if not bleaker than what we’re currently dealing with,” said the University of Missouri’s Ben Brown. Brown says strong demand for ag products, despite elevated costs, combined with a shortage of shipping containers and labor are making a tight shipping situation worse for the ag supply […]
