Farm News

Dry fall posing challenges for cover crop seeding

Friday, October 25

An agronomist says the dry fall has made seeding cover crops a challenge. Ryan Gentle, who covers Illinois with Wyffels Hybrids, says some farmers timed it right. “If you’re early enough to do it, like maybe after silage early on, and we caught that... Read More.

Ava Bullard- National Winner in Diversified Horticulture, Entrepreneurship/Placement

Friday, October 25

Ava S. Bullard began her Supervised Agricultural Experience by growing 10 types of flowers in beds around her family’s home and making bouquets. In three years, Bullard’s cut flower operation and sales had grown to cover more than 32,000 square feet and 20 kinds... Read More.

Michigan announces specialty crop investments

Friday, October 25

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced $2.5 million will fund 23 specialty crop projects this year. Director Tim Boring tells Brownfield the Specialty Crop Block grants support the long-term viability of the sector. “I think this grant program in particular... Read More.

More investments being made into rural energy

Friday, October 25

Rural electric cooperatives are receiving a second round of funding from the USDA to help upgrade rural energy systems. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says projects will be funded by the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program. “The projects that we’ve announced to date will... Read More.

Syngenta partners with Taranis on AI-driven precision service

Friday, October 25

Syngenta and Taranis are partnering to help farmers use artificial intelligence to make agronomic decisions. Syngenta digital ag solutions marketing manager Meade McDonald says the collaboration has the potential to revolutionize farming using the power of AI-driven precision. “This service will enable retailers to... Read More.

Export uptick brings hope to grain markets

Friday, October 25

There’s some hope among farmers the recent uptick in corn and soybean export sales will improve prices. Bryan Biegler farms in southwest Minnesota. “It’s been nice seeing this little bump coming up here, certainly going to need a little higher prices just to cover... Read More.

Plenty of pumpkins from the nation’s top producer

Friday, October 25

A University of Illinois Extension educator says it was a good growing season for the nation’s top pumpkin producing state. Nathan Johanning tells Brownfield… “Both types of pumpkins are very prevalent, although we raise at least 80%, if not more, of the processing pumpkin.” ... Read More.

Cash dairy market mixed at end of week

Friday, October 25

Cash dairy prices were mixed Friday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey remained unchanged at $0.6025, where it’s been for much of the week. No sales were recorded. Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.02 at $1.90. No sales were recorded. Cheese barrels were... Read More.

Alternative crop protection strategies for specialty crop growers

Friday, October 25

Helping growers identify alternative crop protection strategies. In this episode of Managing for Profit, Ariana Torres, a Purdue University ag economist says the HortCalculator is a first of its kind research tool. The post Alternative crop protection strategies for specialty crop growers appeared first... Read More.

FFA SAEs preparing members for their future careers

Friday, October 25

Photo courtesy of the National FFA Organization. An FFA program is setting up students for career success. Supervised Agricultural Experiences are projects that help students to apply their classroom learning to real-world scenarios. Gracie Sprague, a member of the Genoa-Penta FFA Chapter in Ohio,... Read More.

Near-seasonal weather for most; widely-scattered showers exits the eastern Corn Belt

Friday, October 25

Across the Corn Belt, scattered showers from the Great Lakes region into the middle Mississippi Valley are causing temporary fieldwork delays. However, precipitation is generally light and fleeting, with no significant effect on the evolving Midwestern drought that has promoted the fastest U.S. soybean... Read More.

UNL study shows no compaction when grazing in fall or early spring

Friday, October 25

A long-term grazing study conducted by the University of Nebraska found no significant signs of compaction when grazing corn residue in the fall or early spring. Mary Drewnoski is a beef specialist with UNL… “What we did find is that we see... Read More.