Farm News

Conserving Good Soil

Monday, September 23

Robert Alpers, a Prairie Home farmer, says farmers should gradually apply conservation farming practices such as planting cover crops. He also tells Brownfield that turning soil is a good measurement of success and will preserve productivity for generations. The post

Economist says no big surprises in latest Cattle on Feed report

Monday, September 23

A livestock economist says there still aren’t clear signs the cattle herd is growing. Scott Brown says beef cow slaughter for August dropped 22 percent from year-ago levels. “But if you asked me to give you January 1 beef cow inventory, I would probably...

Corn Seed Selection Questions

Monday, September 23

Before making a seed purchasing decision, Corteva Agriscience Enlist Field Specialist Scott Jungman says there are several questions a grower should ask. He gives Brownfield answers to weed control, pest management, and yield potential need to be sought. The post

Hillsdale County sparking ag career interests

Friday, September 20

Community leaders in southern Michigan are encouraging students to consider a career in agriculture. Scott Welden tells Brownfield 11 schools came to his farm in Hillsdale County this week to learn about the diversity of job opportunities. “It wasn’t that long ago that there...

Waiting on a market bounce that never came

Friday, September 20

Jeff Pape is one of many row crop farmers facing some difficult marketing decisions as harvest gets going. “Kind of interesting talking to people that market ahead like I typically do, and just not having enough marketed this year is probably my only complaint...

Milk production rose slightly in August

Friday, September 20

Milk production rose slightly in August. USDA says production totaled 18.1 billion pounds, which was one-tenth of a percent more than August of 2023. USDA also revised the July figures down to 18.2 billion pounds, down three-tenths of a percent from a year ago. ...

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: September 20, 2024

Friday, September 20

Dec. corn closed at $4.01 and 3/4, down 4 centsNov. soybeans closed at $10.12, down 1 and 1/4 centsOct. soybean meal closed at $317.40, down $2.50Oct. soybean oil closed at 42.16, up 41 pointsDec. wheat closed at $5.68 and 1/2, up 3 centsOct. live...

Cash cattle business develops Friday

Friday, September 20

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures were mostly higher, watching direct business develop and waiting for the USDA’s Cattle on Feed report, which was out after the close. October live was up $2.50 at $182.47 and December was $2.07 higher at $183.20....

Ernst calls out Senate Ag Committee leadership over farm bill delays

Friday, September 20

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst says the lack of progress on the farm bill leads her to believe another extension is coming soon. “In the Senate, the democrats’ priorities have completely shifted away from working on the farm bill to focusing on digital commodities and...

Down day for corn, soybeans on harvest pressure

Friday, September 20

Soybeans were modestly lower on fund and technical selling, but still managed a modestly higher weekly finish. The trade was watching harvest activity ahead of widespread rain delays in parts of the region. Early yield results have been mixed, maybe a little disappointing in...

August cattle placements down 1%

Friday, September 20

Placements of cattle into U.S. feedlots during August were down slightly on the year. The USDA says those placements were 1% lower than last year at 1.975 million head, with a significant number of those cattle weighing between 700 and 900 pounds, starting to...

Corteva announces Pairwise partnership

Friday, September 20

Corteva Agriscience says it’s partnering with tech company Pairwise to help advance climate resilience in agriculture. Tom Greene, senior director and global leader for Corteva Catalyst, says the company’s $25 million equity investment will expand the reach of gene editing to a wide variety...