Category: Ag News

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Wisconsin Dairy Task Force meeting

Brownfield’s Larry Lee will cover the Wisconsin Dairy Task Force meeting in Oshkosh on December 13, 2018. Continue reading Wisconsin Dairy Task Force meeting at Brownfield Ag News.      

Former Ag Secretary Bergland passes away at 90

The man who was President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of Agriculture has died.  Bob Bergland was 90 years old and passed away Sunday in his hometown of Roseau, Minnesota. Before becoming the Secretary, Bergland was a farmer and a Congressman for three full terms and resigned early in his fourth term to become Secretary of Agriculture.  …

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Soybean export inspections stay slow

The USDA says soybean export inspections as of the week ending December 6th continue to trail expectations. Wheat came out at 418,460 tons, down 56,020 from the week ending November 29th, but up 63,833 from the week ending December 7th, 2017. Just over halfway through the 2018/19 marketing year, wheat inspections are 10,999,794 tons, compared …

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Hope for better pork prices in 2019

There’s some cautious optimism surrounding pork prices in 2019. Minnesota Pork Producers CEO David Preisler says various projections point to better days for pig farmers. “Feed costs, and then also with the futures market offers, if we look at the next 12 months it offers a slight profit on average.  We’re under water right now.” …

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NFU’s Johnson concerned about grain data sharing

A farmer organization is concerned about how improper use of technology might hurt farmers when it’s time to sell what they grow. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson tells Brownfield the announcement by grain traders Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, and Cargill to use integrated data technology has the potential for collusion, which would …

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Study: Women in ag say there has been progress but challenges remain 

Women in agriculture around the world say that although there has been progress, there is still gender discrimination in the ag industry, according to a study by Corteva Agriscience. Krysta Harden, senior vice president of external affairs and chief sustainability officer, says more than 50 percent of women surveyed in the U.S. and nearly 80 …

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Hemp can diversify operations as farmers face a down farm economy

Mark Boyer is the first Indiana farmer to grow industrial hemp in a production setting since World War II. The northwestern Indiana farmer was able to grow hemp this year through a research agreement with Purdue University. “This past growing season I was able to secure a permit to grow for-research industrial hemp on my …

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Pork cutout props up hog futures

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, cattle futures closed mixed ahead of widespread direct cash business.  Contracts were pressured by less than stellar weekly export sales totals and weakness in the stock market.  December live cattle closed $.05 lower at $117.80, February live cattle closed $.27 lower at $121.52, and April live cattle closed $.15 higher …

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Beef board will spend more on producer communications

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the one dollar per head national beef checkoff, has increased its budget for producer communications in 2019. Board chair Joan Ruskamp of Nebraska says they haven’t done a very good job of communicating “the great story of the checkoff”. “What concerns me, as I’ve watched thing unfold around our …

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Farmers Union official hopes farm bill provides ‘stability’

A vote on the 2018 farm bill is expected next week. National Farmers Union senior vice president of public policy, Rob Larew, says passage of the bill should help provide some certainty for farmers at a time when it is badly needed. “Even though we don’t expect to see dramatic changes—and we would certainly prefer …

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