An Illinois farmer says with so many variables at play, it is hard to take a solid stance on the right to repair debate. Ron Kindred tells Brownfield they spent a lot of time discussing the topic during a soybean grower caucus at Commodity Classic. “If you restrict it too much, then are you restricting innovation? But we think it is important that farmers can repair their equipment as long […]
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says he expects another strong year for U.S. ag export sales. “We had a record year for exports last year – $177 billion – we expect to break that record this year.” Vilsack says USDA will conduct trade missions to the United Kingdom in June, Philippines in July, Kenya in October and Spain in November. “There are a whole heck of a lot of people at […]
A commodity partnership is leading an effort to strengthen conservation practices by establishing 30 million acres of cover crops by the end of the decade. “I think we’re going to blow by that goal, I really do. There’s lots of interest.” John Johnson with Farmers for Soil Health says it’s a farmer led, farmer funded initiative. “This isn’t EPA saying doing this. This isn’t NRCS suggesting we do it. It’s […]
An ag trader says limited stocks and geopolitical uncertainty are setting dry bean growers up for a solid marketing year. Matt Stawowy with Michigan-based Steele & Company tells Brownfield, however, as grain markets continue to remain volatile, growers have yet to finalize some planting decisions. “Under traditional demand outlooks, we are going into the next growing season with a need and an appetite for dry edible bean acres,” he says. […]
The head of the Midwest Cover Crops Council says rainfall can be a dividing factor for farmers in the region to adopt the conservation practice. Senior program manager Anna Marrow tells Brownfield the increasing drought in the western Midwest can make it difficult to establish cover crops. She says the farmers who can sometimes have to do so through irrigation but are finding more than just soil health benefits. “Some […]
Farmers will begin receiving Census of Agriculture surveys later this year. Nathanial Warenski is the Indiana state statistician with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. “We conduct the Census of Agriculture every five years,” he says. “We’ll be conducting it for the year 2022 and we’ll mail it out in December to make sure we get a count of all the agirulcutre that happened (this year). we send it out to […]
Across the Corn Belt, warmth continues to build northward, as Tuesday’s high temperatures should reach 60°F or higher along and southwest of a line from South Dakota to Ohio. Cool weather prevails, however, from eastern North Dakota to Michigan. Minor lowland flooding continues in parts of the southern Corn Belt, including the Wabash River along the Indiana-Illinois border. On the Plains, warm, dry weather prevails, except for lingering cold conditions […]
Adam Schindler says sorghum, sometimes referred to as milo, has been part of his farm’s crop rotation since the ‘60s because of its resource conservation properties. Schindler – vice chairman of the U.S. Sorghum Checkoff board – tells Brownfield Ag News his southcentral South Dakota farm doesn’t get much rain. “Milo naturally uses less water and has been [sustainable] for decades,” said Schindler, during the recent Commodity Classic in New […]
Missouri farmers and ranchers deal with stress on a daily basis but when natural disasters strike the mental stresses mount. In this Managing for Profit on Brownfield, Rachel Jones, Manager of Trauma Informed Care with the Department of Mental health, recaps our series. Jones says rural resiliency is very important in overcoming the mental health effects of natural disasters. To learn more, visit: dmh.mo.gov. ...
