Author: staff

Production estimates were placed at record levels for Brazil and Argentina’s winter soybean crops ahead of the 2024/2025 growing season. In December, a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) predicted a soybean output of 169 million metric tons (mmt) for Brazil, a 10.4 percentage point increase in forecast from 2023/2024. Argentina’s predicted output was up to 52 mmt — a jump of 7.86 percentage points from the 2023/2024 forecast. Since the report came out Dec. 10, the condition of each country’s crops have been clouded by shifting weather. Dry Heat in Argentina Dry conditions…

Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson was reelected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in dramatic fashion on Friday as the 119th Congress got underway. Johnson eventually secured the necessary 218 Republican votes after a couple representatives changed their position before the final tally. Kentucky representative Thomas Massie was the lone GOP member to vote against Johnson. This was not a surprise as Massie has been outspoken about his lack of support for Johnson. Johnson became Speaker for the first time in October 2023, ending three weeks of vacancy in the role after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Agricultural industry…

What Happened With futures currently trading near $4.40, 2025 corn prices are not all that attractive. Yet, when compared with the price of soybeans (trading near $10 on November 2025 futures), farmers are considering the idea of planting more corn acres as opposed to soybeans just to pay the bills. Is it a good idea to defend $4.40 when there are two growing seasons (Southern and Northern hemispheres) ahead of final production for 2025? Time will tell. Is there a best tool or strategy to use? We’ll explore several as the calendar flips to a new year. Why This Is…

By Ryan Hanrahan American Ag Network’s Jesse Allen reported Thursday that Sam Kieffer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said that “once the new Congress is sworn in (today) on Jan. 3, they’ve got to get to work right away. ‘They need to get back to the business of doing a Farm Bill.’” “‘We’ve been kicking the can down the road for the better part of two years,’ Kieffer said,” according to Allen’s reporting. “‘Congress also has to deal with expiring tax provisions before the end of 2025. Not to mention, there’s a number of…

We bring you some of the best farm photos from the week this Friday, Jan. 3, 2025! Want to get listed in this weekly feature? Be sure to hashtag your Instagram pics with #agdaily.

For many families, farmland is more than property — it is a legacy. Yet, the complex issue of heirs’ property threatens this inheritance, particularly in rural communities across the Southeastern United States. To tackle this challenge, American Farmland Trust’s Women for the Land team hosted a Learning Circle at Clark’s Produce in Tar Heel, North Carolina. This gathering brought together over 30 farmers, landowners, and community leaders to tackle a critical issue: Heirs’ Property. With a blend of education, peer-to-peer learning, and actionable insights, the event shed light on a challenge that threatens farmland preservation and generational wealth. What is…

March corn is down 6½¢ this morning. March soybeans are down 16¼¢. March wheat contracts are also lower this morning. CBOT wheat is down 11¼¢. KC wheat is down 9¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 6¢. This morning, USDA released the weekly U.S. Export Sales report. Concerning corn, soybean, and wheat export sales reported for the 2024/2025 marketing year, The Brock Report said: “Weekly export sales reported this morning were underwhelming across the board, with marketing year lows in both soybeans and wheat. Corn net sales for the week ended Dec. 26 came in at 777,000 metric tons, down 44% from…

Robert Gordon of Wellington, Ohio, had a small tire machine but wanted something that could handle multiple-sized tires and was easier to operate.  Gordon built a bead breaker using 8-inch “H” beams for the main horizontal support frame and the adjustable vertical back support. He used a 4-inch hydraulic ram with a 16-inch stroke and supported it with two ¼ x 4-inch channel irons and a  ½ x 8-inch back plate. For power, he tied into a tractor hydraulic pump that had been turned into an electric-powered pump.  He manufactured the breaker bar attachment at the end of the hydraulic…

The start of the New Year is the perfect time to begin the planning processes needed to set your operation up for success in 2025. To help you launch new plans, we reached out to three experts for their tips on managing finances, marketing, and crop insurance costs. Finances “January is a good time to review the past year and get all of your income and expenses accounted for and tallied up,” said farmer-rancher Pete Burgard, senior vice president of Merchants Bank at Rugby, North Dakota. The family-owned independent bank in the state’s north-central area primarily serves farmers and ranchers.…

By Ryan Hanrahan Supply Chain Dive’s Alejandra Carranza reported in mid-December that “with less than a month before the International Longshoremen’s Association’s contract with the United States Maritime Alliance is set to expire, shippers want to know: Will there be a strike?” “A major development in the prolonged negotiations occurred (in December) when President-elect Donald Trump voiced his support for the ILA’s stance against automation at the ports following a meeting with union leadership,” Carranza reported. “That hasn’t yet led to a new contract, with concerns over another strike growing as the Jan. 15 expiration date for a tentative deal…