A Western Corn Belt farmer says 2022 is shaping up to be one of the driest planting seasons on record. Don Batie grows a variety of crops in South-Central Nebraska. “Since November in our area, I don’t think we’ve had more than one rain over a tenth-of-an inch. According to the long-term records, we’re like the 129th driest year in 130 years.” He tells Brownfield drought and high winds have […]
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green says he’s optimistic UNL will receive full funding for an on-campus USDA research facility. He tells Brownfield UNL has secured $31 million of the $120 million for the center that will focus on precision ag and innovation. “We know that we have funding yet to come and yet to be appropriated. We have full support of the USDA and have support in Congress we […]
According to a new study, sales of plant-based protein have grown in recent years, but they haven’t reduced consumer spending on animal protein products. Healthy Living: Click here for more information. ...
Limited availability and rising prices of commercial fertilizer have many farmers choosing manure to provide nutrients for their crops. Abe Sandquist with Natural Fertilizer Services says a lot of it is because of the shortage. “But the other part is people are realizing it has a ton of value,” he says. “Way more value than the fertilizer that we’re buying from Ukraine. It’s just that we’ve never been able to […]
Northwest central Ohio farmer Patty Mann says she was able to secure most of her ag inputs ahead of the planting season. “The dealer we buy chemicals and fertilizer from was proactive in his buying and we signed a contract for the fertilizer we’d be using in 2022 back in December,” she says. “As soon as we locked in prices, he started filling up his bins.” She tells Brownfield some […]
A dairy economist says the latest USDA dairy reports don’t add up. Nate Donnay with StoneX says when analyzing the total number of milk components produced in February’s production report compared to dairy product production numbers, there’s a gap. “The biggest anomaly here is on the cheese production—58 million pounds higher than forecast, up 6.3 percent from last year,” he says. Donnay says that miscalculation could come from late reporting […]
The Michigan Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Upper Peninsula. A backyard flock in Menominee County along the Wisconsin border was detected with an isolated case the virus. It’s the third confirmed case in domestic birds in the state. The department is encouraging backyard and commercial poultry owners to use extreme caution and follow strict biosecurity measures to protect their animals […]
President Biden is expected to lift summertime restrictions on E15 during a stop in Iowa today. The White House says the President will speak this afternoon at a POET ethanol plant west of Des Moines about steps the administration is taking to lower energy costs. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor anticipates Biden to lift what she calls “outdated restrictions” on E15 for the 2022 summer driving season, saying the move […]
Across the Corn Belt, warm weather prevails in advance of an approaching storm system. Tuesday’s high temperatures will reach 70 to 80°F or higher throughout the southwestern Corn Belt, extending northward into parts of Iowa and eastward into Illinois. Meanwhile, rain showers are spreading across the upper Midwest. On April 10, topsoil moisture rated surplus ranged from 40 to 60% in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, keeping fieldwork at a […]
