Author: staff

According to Mexican news sources, John Deere has announced plans to invest $55 million in a new manufacturing plant in Nuevo León, Mexico, despite threats from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to impose significant tariffs on companies moving production to Mexico. The facility, which will focus on producing construction machinery, is expected to begin operations in 2026. According to El Economista, Gecimar Morini, John Deere’s manager for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, confirmed the plans, emphasizing the company’s long-term commitment to the region. “The company seeks to continue to invest in the country and is committed to sustainability, urban development…

Teachers who have classrooms that are enrolled in the Discover Dairy or Adopt a Cow program are eligible to apply for one of 80 grants available to fund a field trip to a local dairy farm. Grants will be up to $500 based on the type of field trip planned. Funds from the grant can assist in covering the cost of busing, the farm tour itself, lunch, or a dairy treat. There are up to 40 grants designated specifically for Pennsylvania classrooms. Farm tour field trip grant applications must be submitted online by January 15, 2025. “There’s no better way…

No more than nine years after his creation of the famous Model T car, Henry Ford responded to the vehicle needs of farmers, tradespeople, and transporters with a small vehicle capable of carrying a 1 ton payload. In true farm boy fashion, Ford created the Model TT truck, a vehicle retaining the Model T cab and engine (to save cost) but riding to work on a heavier-duty frame capable of carrying a 1 ton payload. Introduced the same year as Ford’s first tractor, the Fordson, the Model TT followed the lead set by the tractor as being affordable to a…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the tech sector’s newest innovations and will likely impact every industry. Beyond just a buzzword, this technology may be on your farm soon. Artificial intelligence is loosely defined and can mean anything from machine learning to large language model (LLM) generative AI. Machine learning is already used in agriculture, such as on John Deere’s See and Spray system, using cameras to identify weeds to spray and obstacles to avoid.  Chances are, you have already heard of generative AI, and can already use it on multiple different web platforms and devices — Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s…

AFBF and other industry coalition members achieved a crucial win yesterday that will help farmers across the country. In a case before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, several agricultural and business organizations challenged amendments to federal regulations intended to strengthen protections for migrant agricultural workers under the H-2A visa program. The amendments, implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor, prohibit employers from discriminating against workers engaged in organizing activities or refusing mandatory meetings and grant workers the right to have representation during certain investigatory interviews. The plaintiffs argued that the DOL exceeded its authority by…

Coming off an extremely fast-paced corn harvest that produced average to slightly above-average yields, Wisconsin now seems primed for a great winter wheat crop. Here’s what the USDA had to say for the last week of Crop Progress reporting, along with some final thoughts from a Wisconsin agronomist. ‘Tremendous Harvest Season’ The Badger State is reaching the end of corn harvest earlier than usual. Corn for grain was 97% harvested the week ending Nov. 24, the USDA said in its Wisconsin Crop Progress and Condition report. That’s significantly ahead of 83% last year and the five-year average of 82% but…

By Gus Trompiz and Naveen Thukral PARIS/SINGAPORE, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Chicago wheat futures edged lower on Wednesday as a technical bounce from the previous session petered out in the face of improving crop prospects in major production zones worldwide. Corn and soybeans ticked up as the markets assessed the possible impact of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs against major trading partners when he takes office on Jan. 20. A drop in the dollar <.DXY> and a rise in crude oil <LCOc1> lent some support to grains as participants adjusted positions before Thursday’s closure for the U.S. Thanksgiving…

1. Soybeans, corn higher in overnight trading Soybean and corn futures were higher in overnight trading on continued signs of demand for U.S. agricultural products.  Exporters sold 454,090 metric tons of corn to Mexico, part for delivery in the 2024-2025 marketing year that started on Sept. 1 and some for delivery the following year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report yesterday. That follows sales last week of 198,000 tons of soybeans to an unnamed buyer, a separate sale of 198,000 tons to China, 135,000 tons of the oilseeds to an unknown destination and 133,000 tons of soymeal…

Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig launched a campaign on Monday to be elected the Democratic leader on the House Agriculture Committee, joining two other candidates, California Rep. Jim Costa and Georgia Rep. David Scott, currently the ranking member. Costa and Craig say they will defend SNAP and climate funding in the new farm bill and carry a Democratic message to rural America, a weak spot for the party. “Right now, I worry that too many rural Americans don’t trust that Democrats have their best interests at heart,” said Craig in a letter to House Democrats. “It’s my mission to work with…

By Julie Ingwersen and Karl Plume CHICAGO, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Exporters have shipped soybeans from the busiest U.S. grains port at the fastest rate in nearly four years after rain raised water levels in the Mississippi River, government data showed. Some 60% of U.S. soy exports depart from Gulf Coast terminals that draw supplies from barges traveling south on the Mississippi, the country’s most important grain waterway. Heavy rainfall across the central United States brought relief to Gulf Coast grain shippers after the Mississippi fell to near-historic lows during peak export season for a third straight year. Deeper waters…