Author: staff

By Ryan Hanrahan Just a few days into the New Year, the trend in layoffs at agriculture-related companies is continuing, with John Deere announcing layoffs at its Ottumwa, Iowa, plant and Bridgestone-Firestone announcing it is offering buyouts at its agricultural tire plant in Des Moines. Agriculture Dive’s Nathan Owens reported that “as crop farmers struggle with income declines, agricultural equipment manufacturers have actively reduced production in an attempt to align inventory levels with customer demand. Deere, AGCO, and others are expecting challenging conditions through at least the first half of 2025.” Deere & Co. Layoffs Owens reported that “Deere &…

Consider a commercial-grade vacuum that is not only more powerful but also offers myriad advances such as quieter operation, better filtration systems, and undercarriages that make transporting them across floors easier. Before heading out to compare vacuums, do some Internet searching to pare down your shopping list. The market for shop vacs is huge. Also, prices for commercial-grade vacuums can start at around $250 and soar to over $1,200 in short order. Don’t shop only for horsepower When rating vacuums, don’t get overly impressed with canister size and horsepower ratings. A canister has little to do with its performance. True,…

When it comes to hay production, most of the intense labor happens when it’s time to harvest. With up to four passes through the field required just to cut, rake, bale, and move alfalfa, and four to five harvests during a typical season in the Midwest, producing hay isn’t for the faint of heart. Hay has the potential to bring good money that makes it competitive with other crops, University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension forage professor emeritus Bruce Anderson says, you just have to take the right management steps and hope for accommodating weather. Here are seven steps to help you…

When should a grower consider tire or wheel conversion on their machinery? While there may not be a “one size fits all,” there are some options to consider when selecting the right size and type of tire. Different operations will require different sets of tires for the same equipment, says Norberto Herbener, OE Applications Engineer for Trelleborg Wheel Systems. An example of this is with sprayers, where during crop applications “skinny” tires are used to reduce crop damage, and large flotation tires are used for broadband application without a crop standing. Rolling Circumference Index A Rolling Circumference Index (RCI) chart…

Resourceful farmers love to share their tips, tricks, and innovations, and there’s no better showcase of that innovation than these ideas submitted to All Around the Farm in Successful Farming magazine. These farmer-submitted ideas include creating a clamp for your worktable, a makeshift vice when you need an extra hand during welding, and a way to prevent accidental burns.  Welding Table Clamp In 50 years of fabrication, this is probably the handiest tool I’ve made for my shop, and it gets used daily. I took a 1x1x2-inch steel block and drilled a hole for a 1/2-inch bolt to slide through.…

All Around the Farm is a collection of farmer-submitted farm shop ideas, repair and maintenance tips, and numerous ways to save money, time, or effort. When what you have just doesn’t to the trick, you become the inventor and adapt, modify, or improvise from spare parts or whatever is laying around. Here are some DIY tool tips and tricks for your tool chest. 1. Removable Shop Vise Have you ever needed to work at your shop bench, but the vise was in the way? Or perhaps you needed the vise in a different location in your shop or in the…

Deciding where to install an overhead welding boom, Herb Walter looked to the 6-inch I-beam near the 14-foot overhead door of his Odessa, Washington, shop. He saw he could put a pipe support against the beam (which is near the overhead door) and make a jib boom for working both inside and outside the building. Slides 20 Feet A Miller remote unit with a spool roll travels the length of the boom on a dolly, another component he built. It will roll the feeder and welding stick all the way to the end of the boom. A brace on the…

March corn ended the day up 14½¢ at $4.70½ per bushel. This was the highest daily close in over six months and higher than last week’s close by nearly 20¢. March soybeans closed up 26¼¢ at $10.25¼ per bushel. This was the highest daily close for the contract in nearly two months and 33½¢ higher than last week’s close. While March wheat contracts ended the week higher, they ended the day mixed. CBOT wheat ended the day down 3¼¢ at $5.30¾ per bushel. KC wheat ended the day up 1½¢ at $5.51¾ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat ended the day up…

California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones has implemented a statewide ban on dairy cattle and poultry exhibitions to help contain the spread of H5N1 avian influenza. The ban will stay in effect until the outbreak is brought under control.  H5N1 avian influenza has become widespread among dairy cows and domestic poultry (commercial and backyard flocks) in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in December due to increasing detections. “Due to the continued spread of H5N1 bird flu in California, the State Veterinarian has implemented a ban on all California Poultry and Dairy Cattle Exhibitions at fairs and…

The Biden Administration’s long-awaited 45Z tax credit guidance on the production of renewable biofuels was released Friday, 10 days before the administration hands over power to president-elect Donald Trump. The interim guidance is not a full-scale proposal, as there is little mention of agricultural practices in the document, per Agri-Pulse. One main omission the article cited was the lack of guidance over feedstocks. The tax credit originated from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) with greenhouse gas emissions at least 45% lower than petroleum-based jet fuel are eligible for 45Z credits. The Department of the Treasury…