Author: staff

Ahead of 9 a.m. CT, May corn was down 5¼¢ at $4.56½ per bushel. May soybeans were down 7½¢ at $10.26¾ per bushel. May wheat contracts were mixed. CBOT wheat was down 1¼¢ at $5.39¼ per bushel. KC wheat was up 6¢ at $5.71¼. Minneapolis wheat was up less than a penny at $5.94¼. “Today is being called ‘Liberation Day,’ as the U.S. is set to impose reciprocal tariffs on trade partners with existing tariffs on American goods,” said Cole Raisbeck, commodities broker at Kluis Commodity Advisors. “President Trump is scheduled to address the nation from the White House’s rose…

Alan States runs a mixed fleet. There’s automatic technology on his Case IH 7250 combine he can’t find anywhere else, and his Fendt Momentum planter handles the terraces without skipping rows.  Whether it’s personal preference or simply iron availability, chances are, you’re also running a mixed fleet. With so many farm management information systems (FMIS) available, keeping track of your fleet during the season and data management at the end of the year can become a headache.  Since returning home from the Vietnam War in 1972, States has grown his mostly one-man operation in Logan, Kansas, to 10,000 acres. He’s…

Take look at these three farmland transactions that transpired in December 2024 and January 2025. 161.62 acres in Sioux County, Iowa Date: Dec. 12, 2024 Price: $21,800 per acre Corn Suitability Rating Index (CSR2): 94.7 A highly productive 161.62-acre farm in northwest Iowa was sold through an online-only auction, closing at an impressive $21,800 per acre. The final sale price totaled $3,523,316. The auction saw strong interest due to its prime location and exceptional soil productivity. Featuring 156.94 acres of quality cropland, the property was well suited for investors and farm operators. The level to gently rolling land had been…

What Happened Have you ever said you will sell if the market reaches a certain level, then didn’t follow through? You are not alone. It is easy to wish for a higher price and tell yourself what you are going to do. Without a pre-planned strategy, however, you are unlikely to follow though. Why? You are human, which means you digest information. While your instinct may nag you to sell when prices reach your target, you are also processing the rationale as to why the market is rallying, and this usually trumps your original thoughts.   Are you lacking discipline? Maybe.…

On March 31, Brazilian meatpacker JBS announced a $100 million investment plan to build two factories in Vietnam, aiming to expand its presence in the region and strengthen its position in the global market. JBS has over 600 operations on five continents, including the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. In the United States, JBS employs over 70,000 people. The new plants in Vietnam will produce beef, pork, and poultry, primarily using raw materials imported from Brazil to supply the Vietnamese market and other Southeast Asian countries. While the investment aligns with Vietnam’s socioeconomic development goals, JBS’s expansion may spark…

On March 31, two days before President Trump’s “Liberation Day,” when he is expected to announce reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins made her first official visit to Iowa. The impending tariffs and the impact on farmers were key topics that came up repeatedly as the new secretary made her way across the No. 1 state for corn, hogs, eggs, and ethanol production and No. 2 for soybeans. “President Trump’s plan focuses on balanced trade deals, increased market access for U.S. exports, addressing unfair trade barriers, holding bad actors accountable, and increasing the strength of America…

The Female Producer Panel, always a popular event at the annual Women in Agribusiness Summit, has been announced. This year’s Summit will be held September 22-24, 2025, in Orlando, Florida.  Tim Brennan of the nonprofit Farm Foundation will moderate the panel, delving into topics such as agritourism, collaborating with industry partners, creative on-farm solutions, and technical and vertical integration models. The following panelists will join him on stage: Cheri De Jong oversees 27 family-owned agricultural businesses for AgriVision Farm Management and also serves as CFO and co-owner of one of the largest family-operated organic dairies in the U.S., Natural Prairie…

Farmer sentiment declined in March as concerns over agricultural trade and farm policy weighed on producers’ outlook for the future. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer fell 12 points to a reading of 140, down from 152 a month earlier. Contributing to the weakened sentiment in March was a 15-point drop in the Index of Future Expectations to 144 and the Current Conditions Index falling 5 points to 132. This month’s survey was conducted between March 10 and 14. The drop in sentiment was influenced by falling crop prices since mid-February, along with increasing uncertainty surrounding agricultural trade and…

After a dry winter, with some parts of the state receiving just trace amounts of rain, some Texas growers are hopeful for an average crop year as corn and sorghum begins to emerge. According to the Texas Crop Progress report for the week ending March 30, rainfall ranged from trace amounts up to 15 inches, with the Lower Valley and South Texas regions receiving the most rain.  Along the Gulf Coast Scott Frazier Scott Frazier, a corn and grain sorghum grower in Nuecex County, Texas, said planting began in mid-February. The planting season didn’t start off too dry, “but every…

President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order on March 27, 2025, excluding numerous federal agencies and subdivisions from coverage under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, ending collective bargaining with federal labor unions. He cited national security concerns. The executive order expands upon Executive Order 12171, originally issued in 1979, which allowed for the exclusion of certain federal agencies engaged in intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work. The new directive determines that Chapter 71 of Title 5, U.S. Code, and Subchapter X of Chapter 52, Title 22, U.S. Code, cannot be applied to specified agencies and subdivisions in…