Author: staff

The American Farm Bureau Federation is seeking entrepreneurs to apply online by June 9 for the 2026 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Now in its 12th year, this national business competition showcases U.S. startup companies developing innovative solutions to challenges faced by America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. The overall winner of the competition will receive $100,000 in startup funds, the runner-up will be awarded $25,000, and two additional business owners who advance to the final four round will receive $10,000. “This competition supports incredible entrepreneurs who are making sure agriculture is ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” said…

At the market close, July corn was up 8¼¢ at $4.88¾ per bushel. May soybeans increased 16¼¢ at $10.29 per bushel. Jamey Kohake, Senior Risk Manager with Pinion said there was solid trade in row crops after the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report was released by the USDA, “Kind of firmed the beans up more than it did the corn. You throw in a sharply lower traded U.S. Dollar as well, you’ll be selling quite a bit of short covering into soy products.” You can read more about the WASDE report here. “The key going forward is…

Today, USDA released the April 2025 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. 2024/2025 U.S. Ending Stocks While the average trade expectation was for USDA to reduce 2024/2025 U.S. corn ending stocks, the agency went even lower than expected. Concerning soybeans and wheat, the trade expected increases in ending stocks. USDA defied expectations for soybeans by going lower, and took wheat ending stocks higher than the average expectation. 2024/2025 Global Ending Stocks Concerning 2024/2025 global corn, soybean, and wheat ending stocks, USDA was not too far off from the average trade expectation for each. For corn and wheat, USDA…

By Ryan Hanrahan The Associated Press’ Huizhong Wu reported that “President Donald Trump raised the tariff on Chinese imports to 125% on Wednesday, hours after China boosted the duty on American goods to 84% in an escalating battle that threatens to disrupt trade between the world’s two largest economies.” “Citing a lack of respect, Trump set China apart from other countries. He said in a social media post that he is pausing his so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on many other trading partners because they had responded by reaching out for talks rather than retaliating,” Wu reported. “The tit-for-tat hikes between the…

Despite U.S. per capita-milk consumption falling significantly in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultural, Americans are consuming a record amount of dairy in butter and cheese — products made from milk fat. In a new study, a team led by researchers at Penn State demonstrated that supplementing dairy cattle feed with 15 percent whole cottonseed can increase milkfat concentration and yield. Whole cottonseed, which is high in unsaturated fatty acid and protein that cows need to produce milk fat, is a byproduct of processing cotton for fiber. “Dairy farmers are paid for fat and protein today because…

By Philip Blenkinsop and Xiuhao Chen BEIJING/BRUSSELS, April 9 (Reuters) – China will impose 84% tariffs on U.S. goods from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced, its finance ministry said on Wednesday, firing the latest salvo in a global trade war sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries took effect earlier on Wednesday, including massive 104% duties on Chinese goods. The European Union is also preparing its own retaliatory measures for later on Wednesday. Trump’s punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession and wiped trillions of dollars off the market…

For years, Kelly Lozensky found himself on a treadmill. He was purchasing more and more inputs to increase yields, only to find himself heading down a path toward decreasing profitability.  Before overhauling his system, Lozensky farmed 7,500 acres of rented land with his wife, DeAnna, in north-central North Dakota. They grew all-GMO crops of corn, soybeans, canola, and sunflowers along with spring wheat, barley, and flax. Necessity drove their decision to overhaul their system. “Something had to give,” Kelly Lozensky said. “We were borrowing a lot of money just to purchase inputs.” At the end of each year, they were…

By Sybille de La Hamaide and Michael Hogan PARIS/HAMBURG, April 9 (Reuters) – European Union counter-tariffs on U.S. goods starting next week are set to halt a large flow of U.S. corn to Europe and raise costs for buyers chasing alternative supplies of the feed grain, traders and industry representatives said. Grain market reaction has been restrained so far with traders unsure if a barrage of tariffs, including tit-for-tat U.S. and Chinese duties, will stay in place or be removed following negotiations. The EU will impose a 25% duty on corn (maize) from April 15 in response to U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs.…

May corn closed up 5¢ at $4.74 per bushel. May soybeans ended the day up 20¢ at $10.12¾ per bushel. May wheat contracts also closed up. CBOT wheat was up 2¼¢ at $5.42¼ per bushel. KC wheat was up 6½¢ at $5.68. Minneapolis wheat was up 7¾¢ at $6.08¾. “It was another choppy day of trade, with commodity futures seeing both sides of unchanged,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “A technical bounce and pre-WASDE short covering provided early market support, as did early gains in the outside markets.” Tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT, USDA is expected to…

President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on higher reciprocal tariffs for most U.S. trading partners, offering a temporary reprieve in his ongoing global trade conflict. The pause excludes China, which will now face a staggering 125 percent tariff rate — effective immediately — following what Trump called a lack of “respect” for global markets. The move is a dramatic shift in Trump’s trade policy and comes after more than 75 countries reportedly reached out to the U.S., expressing willingness to negotiate. “These countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way,” Trump said in a statement posted…