Author: staff

A number of agricultural organizations — including the National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, the Consortium for Common Food Names, and the National Sorghum Producers — have expressed strong support for President Donald Trump’s nomination of Julie Callahan to serve as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. All four organizations — NMPF, USDEC, CCFN, and NSP — have called on the U.S. Senate to confirm her without delay The Chief Agricultural Negotiator plays a pivotal role in representing American agricultural interests in international trade agreements. Gregg Doud, current president and CEO of NMPF…

During the first two decades of the twentieth century, engineers threw their rule books out the window in search of a tractor that would meet the growing need for a lightweight machine that could run down rows. Out of the myriad unusual — if not downright outlandish — configurations that emerged from this period, the most predominant design was the motor cultivator. That concept, first introduced by the Universal Tractor Manufacturing Company in 1914, launched an era when motor cultivators were all the craze. Within a few years, quite a number of companies were selling a motor cultivator. While a…

Every time Fred Below and Connor Sible meet with Illinois farmers, they get the same question. “What’s the story with these biologicals? Do they work?” The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign crop scientists and Illinois Extension specialists are happy to share what they know about the natural growth stimulants, informed by dozens of trials and published research. But with new products constantly being added to the market — and a muddled regulatory landscape — it’s not always clear what farmers are even asking. “We do a lot of extension talks, and we started to notice a disconnect. Farmers and companies call…

On Thursday, President Donald Trump nominated Julie Callahan to serve as the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The agricultural industry had been urging the Trump administration to make such a nomination. Just last week, more than 40 agricultural associations sent a letter to Trump pressing him to “expeditiously nominate” a negotiator. Callahan has been with the Office of the USTR since 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her most recent position was assistant USTR for agricultural affairs and commodity policy, a position she held since 2020. Agricultural groups have responded to Callahan’s nomination…

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he has persuaded soda manufacturer Coca-Cola to switch to using cane sugar in its flagship Coke product, which would replace the current sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” the president wrote on Truth Social. The move to cane sugar would align U.S.-made Coke with its counterpart sold in other countries and would please Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has had…

As yields get larger and harvesting time narrows, the new Brent Avalanche model 3298 — with 3,150-bushel capacity — is the largest-yet Brent Avalanche grain cart. The cart is capable of filling up to three semi loads of grain, minimizing harvest bottlenecks. It also features a pivoting auger design, which Avalanche grain carts have included since 1998.  Unloading Features With an unloading speed of up to 1,000 bushels per minute, the cart can also be configured with optional right- or left-hand unloading to meet farmer preferences.  The low-profile, dual-auger design offers easy filling and the steep-sloped hopper handles high-moisture grain…

Since its first detection in poultry, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 has been notorious for high mortality in birds. However, the virus’s leap into dairy cattle marks a critical shift. In spring 2024, a large dairy farm in Ohio experienced a severe HPAI H5N1 outbreak after introducing cows from an affected Texas farm. What followed was a cascade of health deterioration and financial loss, giving scientists a rare opportunity to analyze the virus’s pathophysiological and economic footprint in cattle. Out of 3,876 cows, 777 (20 percent) developed clinical signs including fever, respiratory symptoms, inappetence, and –most alarmingly — mastitis with…

As of 9:05 a.m. CT, December corn was down less than a penny at $4.23½ per bushel. November soybeans were up less than a penny at $10.20¾ per bushel. September CBOT wheat was down 3½¢ at $5.37¾ per bushel. September KC wheat was down a penny at $5.21¾ per bushel. September Minneapolis wheat was down 2¢ at $5.97½.  This morning, Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor at Total Farm Marketing, discussed a corn pollination issue: “For corn, [there is] news of potential pollination issues in some locations. ‘Tight tassel wrap’ has seemed to make traders put a pause on the sell…

By Ryan Hanrahan Politico’s Marc Heller reported earlier this week that “the loss of topsoil on American farms is threatening the country’s food supply and demands a new commitment to conservation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday.” “At a policy roundtable at the Capitol, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted farm conservation as a key part of the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement and pointed to the recently enacted tax cut and spending law as a big step in keeping the country’s best farmland from eroding away,” Heller reported. “‘Our farms today…

According to the latest Crop Protection Network map, positive cases of tar spot have been reported in 26 counties so far this growing season. First reported in the Corn Belt in 2015, the disease has been confirmed in Iowa since 2016. Now all 99 Iowa counties have a history with the disease. This season tar spot has also been confirmed in neighboring Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York have reported positive cases as well. Weather During the week ending July 13, Iowa farmers experienced on and off rain. State Climatologist Justin Glisan called it…