Author: staff

1. Grains, Soybeans Lower in Overnight Trading Grain and soybean futures were all lower in overnight trading amid disappointing export sales and calls for favorable weather in U.S. wheat growing areas.  Export sales of wheat fell to 100,300 metric tons in the week that ended on March 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report late yesterday. That’s down 65% from the prior four-week average.  Japan bought 72,000 metric tons from U.S. inventories, Nigeria purchased 53,400 tons, and the Philippines bought 29,800 tons, the agency said.  Corn sales dropped 31% week over week to 1.04 million metric tons. …

A new study identifying genetic factors contributing to bovine tuberculosis susceptibility could represent an important step in the fight against the disease in cattle, and the zoonotic threat it poses to humans. Researchers at University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh, and ETH Zurich have identified several key genes and pathways involved in the bovine response to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle. Bovine TB remains a serious issue in many countries around the world, including in Ireland, and surveillance and control programmes impose a significant financial burden on national exchequers. Human TB is the world’s…

According to data compiled by the Successful Farming team, more than 1,400 acres of Illinois farmland are set to be auctioned in April 2025. Listings range from single tracts of 25.5 acres to a multi-parcel auction of 200 acres. Here’s a closer look at the farmland expected to change hands across 13 Illinois counties. Pike County Peoples Company The largest Illinois farmland auction of the month is set to take place in Pike County where three tracts of land totalling 200 acres will be available for sale in-person or online on April 8, 2025. Adam Crist, a land broker and…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a significant shift in its Rural Development programs, marking a departure from previous practices. In a move that is generating considerable attention, the USDA has decided to remove Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) factors from its grant application and evaluation process. This change will directly impact key rural funding programs, such as the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant and the Community Connect Grants, which provide crucial support to underserved rural communities across the country. This major policy change was outlined by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, signaling a fundamental pivot away from the…

For the past three years, rainfall has been lacking across the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, leaving the area drought-stricken and prone to wildfire. Warren Cude, a third generation commercial cow/calf and commercial sheep operator in Fort Stockton, Texas, said rainfall has been sparse across the region throughout the last three years. The most recent rain on his operation fell during the first weekend of September 2024.  Wildfires a Big Concern “Our biggest scare right now is wildfires,” Cude said. Although the dry weather has limited the amount of grass that could burn, Cude said there are cedar trees that could…

At 8:30 a.m. CT, May corn was down 5¾¢ at $4.44¼ per bushel. May soybeans were down 5¼¢ at $10.11½ per bushel. May wheat contracts were also lower. CBOT wheat was down 10½¢ at $5.21½ per bushel. KC wheat was down 15½¢ at $5.50¾. Minneapolis wheat was down 9¼¢ at $5.79¼. “Grain and soybean futures are lower across the board at the end of early trade, with wheat futures leading the way lower under pressure from forecasts for needed rain in the U.S. [hard red winter] wheat belt and slow export demand,” said The Brock Report about the overnight trading…

The latest innovation from Diamond Mowers delivers precision, power, and reliability in one compact package. The new Mini Brush Cutter Pro X is engineered to provide stand-on users — from farmers and construction contractors to landscapers and land management professionals — with another tool for their equipment toolbox. This versatile attachment transforms a stand-on or stand-behind track loader into a powerful land-clearing tool that tackles trees, cuts through dense brush, and grinds stumps to ground-level, empowering operators to take on a broader range of tasks and jobs. “This attachment is engineered specifically for the mini skid steer market and adds…

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, March 27 (Reuters) – U.S. beef sales to China have taken a dive, U.S. government data showed on Thursday, after Beijing allowed the expiration of registrations that had permitted exports from hundreds of American meat facilities. A tit-for-tat tariff dispute has also raised duties on U.S. meat and other goods shipped to China, making the products less attractive to Chinese buyers. The spat adds new strains to relations between the countries that had already reached historic lows in recent years. China has not renewed export registrations for U.S. beef facilities that expired on March 16, though it updated registrations for pork and…

1. Soybean Futures Slightly Higher Overnight Soybean futures were modestly higher in overnight trading as analysts expect the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lower its forecast for planted acres from a February forecast.  Area planted with beans this year likely will be estimated at 83.762 million acres in the upcoming Prospective Plantings report from USDA, according to a Reuters poll.  That’s down narrowly from the February outlook for 84 million acres.  Corn plantings will probably be forecast at 94.361 million acres, according to analysts, up from the previous projection for 94 million.  Wheat will be sown on 46.475 million acres,…

By Jeff Beach Summit Carbon Solutions is asking North Dakota judges to dismiss appeals in different legal challenges to its five-state carbon capture and storage project. Attorneys for Summit and North Dakota landowners argued a Summit request for dismissal in a Burleigh County Court on Tuesday. Landowners have appealed the legality of the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s order granting Summit permission to pump carbon dioxide into underground sequestration sites in Mercer, Oliver, and Morton counties. Summit also has filed motions to dismiss appeals related to the North Dakota Public Service Commission’s pipeline route permit. Summit is attempting to move carbon captured at ethanol…