Author: staff

Just a couple of weeks removed from the National FFA Convention, the moment of becoming the National FFA President still hasn’t entirely sunk in for Thaddeus Bergschneider of Illinois. “I still can’t believe that a curly-haired freshman in high school who struggled to imagine himself on a big stage is now standing here,” he said, reminiscing the journey that brought him to the moment he was called on stage in his dad’s old FFA jacket. Students from Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, California, Georgia, and Wisconsin were elected by National FFA Delegates to serve as 2024-25 National FFA Officers. They were selected…

Much has been made of Benjamin Holt’s contributions to the development of the crawler tractor. For good reason, as Holt pioneered a great many early advances that made his Caterpillars some of the most popular crawler tractors of their time. Often overlooked, however, is the engineering and business genius of Clarence Leo Best and his Tracklayer tractors. Best is often given begrudging acknowledgement by some historians as being little more than a fierce rival of Holt’s prior to the creation of Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925. Bear in mind, however, that Caterpillar Tractor was created by an equal merger of…

Like pieces of a puzzle, each part of Alan Eck’s farm operation interconnects to create a bigger picture. The 32-year-old has found success by balancing an array of commodities across Queen Anne’s County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  “Diversity was kind of a necessity,” Eck says. “I couldn’t sit around and wait for a grain check each fall. I needed to have those cash flows to keep the bills paid.”  Slow Expansion As many young farmers, access to capital has challenged Eck. He got his start bailing hay on his family farm and renting chicken houses in a nearby town. With…

I recently took an exciting ride in a spendy vehicle, the kind that comes with a price tag well into the six figures. A Bentley? A Rolls Royce? A Dragon spaceship? Nope. It was my neighbor’s combine. Modern combines are a marvel of high technology. Their cabs feature multiple touch screens, automated steering systems, and doodads that monitor grain yields and moisture. I wouldn’t be surprised if it could also whip up a cappuccino. The cabs are heated and air conditioned, with a comfy seat that cushions the operator like a baby in a cradle. It has all the comforts…

Having the right kind of welder in your farm shop can save time and money on repairs and fabrication. The tried-and-true stick welder, while still useful, has paved the way for MIG welders and even TIG welders. All three have their place, as you’ll read in this article, and general techniques and safety precautions are important for any type of welding.   MIG Welding  6 Tips for Better MIG Welding Results MIG (metal inert gas) welding, also known as FCAW (flux-cored arc welding), is the popular choice for many farmers because of its ability to produce clean welds on a variety…

AGDAILY Bites Biologists identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat. Rising temperatures could reduce crop yields by as much as 16% for every 1 degree Celsius of seasonal warming. Understanding thermotolerance is a promising strategy to address climate adaptation. AGDAILY Discussion By studying tomato varieties that produce fruit in exceptionally hot growing seasons, biologists at Brown University identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as the molecular mechanisms that make the plants more heat tolerant. The discovery, detailed in a study in Current Biology, could inform…

Marketing consultant The Directions Group has released a report titled Farm Bill Programs and the Role of Crop Protection Tools, exploring the consequences of losing access to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, for U.S. agriculture and federal policy. The analysis reveals how such a loss would affect key areas of the farm bill, including crop insurance, conservation, nutrition, and commodity programs. By leveraging open-source research and economic modeling, the report underscores the ripple effects that glyphosate restrictions could have on farmers, consumers, and the environment. Glyphosate plays a critical role in modern farming, enabling practices like no-till farming and cover…

What Happened As of two Sundays ago, 91% of the corn and 94% of the soybean crop in the top 18 growing states was harvested, according to the USDA weekly Crop Progress report. For many, attention will now focus on marketing. If storage was not an option or bushels were sold for harvest delivery, re-owning on paper is a consideration. Why This Is Important Generally, prices are low during the harvest season, so the likelihood of a price recovery post-harvest may be higher than any other time of year. A simple explanation is that prices tend to reach a low…

Health officials in British Columbia have reported the first presumptive case of H5 avian influenza in a human in Canada. The case involves a teenager from the Fraser Health region, who is currently receiving care at B.C. Children’s Hospital. Laboratory tests conducted at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control returned a positive result for the virus, though further confirmatory testing is being conducted at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. According to the report, officials are investigating how the teenager was exposed to the virus, believed to be linked to contact with an animal, and are working to identify any…

Today the USDA released the 33rd Crop Progress report of the 2024 growing season. Corn Crop Progress According to the report, as of Nov. 10, 95% of the 2024 corn crop in the top 18 corn-growing states was harvested. This was up from 91% a week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 84%. Soybean Crop Progress The USDA said as of Nov. 10, 96% of the soybean crop in the top 18 growing states was harvested. This was up from 94% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Winter Wheat Progress According to the report,…