An extension grain marketing economist says for all the buildup caused by the government shutdown, the latest USDA supply and demand numbers landed with a thud. Ed Usset with the University of Minnesota tells Brownfield the release of two months of information was rather anticlimactic. “We were all worked up over apparently nothing. The changes …
Category: Ag News
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Feb 08
Beef is healthy and safe to eat
Beef is a healthy choice but some consumers say they’re concerned about antibiotics and hormones. They shouldn’t be. Continue reading Beef is healthy and safe to eat at Brownfield Ag News.
Feb 08
Cold a challenge for calves
Missouri’s Director of Agriculture says the cold weather has been a danger to new-born calves and other livestock. Chris Chinn tells Brownfield it’s common for farmers to take extraordinary measures to see that calves are kept as comfortable as possible. “I’ve seen many pictures on social media here in the last two weeks of farmers …
Feb 08
USDA report confirms Illinois record crop yields
The USDA supply and demand report released Friday confirmed record average yields in Illinois for both corn and soybeans in 2018. Soybeans averaged 65 bushels per acre, up from 58 a year ago. Corn averaged 210 bushels per acre, compared to 201 in 2017. Todd Hubbs with the University of Illinois says with reports of …
Feb 08
Soybeans up, corn down after USDA numbers
Soybeans closed modestly higher on short covering and technical buying, following a muted initial response to the USDA reports. The USDA confirmed record soybean production, higher quarterly stocks, and higher U.S. ending stocks, with a lower U.S. export projection. Those were mostly cancelled out by the department lowering production estimates for Argentina and Brazil and …
Feb 08
Illinois farm family supports Trump despite trade uncertainty
An Illinois farm family says the impact of trade disruptions are hurting, but they still support President Trump’s actions. “He’s finally putting his foot down. The easiest way to squeeze any country is food and that hurts quick and hurts hard. It just sucks that we are at the bottom end of the totem pole.” …
Feb 08
Indiana dairy farmer says challenges continue in the industry
A northeastern Indiana farmer says there are many challenges facing the dairy industry. Andrew Kuehnert works on his family’s sixth generation dairy farm in Allen County. He says the main issue dairy farmers are facing is financial stress. “What farmers are getting paid right now is very minimal for what it could be and it’s …
Feb 08
More milk good for farmers, not industry
An ag economist says what’s best for individual farmers isn’t exactly what’s best for the dairy industry today. Kevin Dhuyvetter with Elanco Animal Health tells Brownfield if dairy farmers aren’t making incremental milk growth, they’re falling behind. “What that means is if I’m not doing some of those things to keep getting better and better …
Feb 08
Organic dairy expansion possible with partnerships
One of the nation’s largest organic dairy farmers says growth is still possible in the sector given the right partners. Texas dairy farmer Donald De Jong manages conventional and organic dairy farms that encompass more than 23,000 milking cows and 50,000 acres. He tells Brownfield the organic sector is feeling the same pressures as conventional. …
Feb 08
“Minimum wage increase will be detrimental to Illinois agriculture”
The Illinois Farm Bureau says with the already struggling ag economy, an increase in the state’s minimum wage would be detrimental to farmers. “We are opposed to the minimum wage increase to $15. An over 86% increase in the minimum wage, we feel this is very high and very detrimental to agriculture.” Kevin Semlow, Farm …