Author: staff

At the close on Wednesday, March corn was up 6¼¢ at $4.90¼ per bushel. March soybeans closed down 15¾¢ at $10.27¾ per bushel. March wheat contracts were also lower. CBOT wheat was down 2¾¢ at $5.74¼ per bushel. KC wheat was down 1¼¢ at $5.91½ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat was down 3½¢ at $6.14¾ per bushel. April live cattle ended the day down 28¢ at $195.73 per hundredweight (cwt). March feeder cattle closed up 20¢ at $264.98 per cwt. April lean hogs ended the day up $1.35 at $94.33 per cwt. At a quarter to 4 p.m. CT, March crude…

By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Two Kansas Republicans pitched legislation to safeguard the Food for Peace program by moving management of the international humanitarian aid from the embattled U.S. Agency for International Development to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran recommended the program — initiated by President Dwight Eisenhower, amplified by President John Kennedy and championed by U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — be relocated to USDA. The switch was a response to action by President Donald Trump to dismantle USAID amid allegations the agency was mired in corruption. Elon Musk,…

Georgia Boot has opened up applications for dedicated 4-H members to enter the 2025 Trailblazer program, which allows those selected to share their accomplishments and project journey with the Georgia Boot audience. Georgia Boot will select winners to receive a prize package consisting of two pairs of Georgia Boots, a $350 gift card to a qualifying farm and ranch or hardware store, and Georgia Boot and 4-H merchandise. The prize package is valued at $800. Applications can be found on this web page. As part of the application process, 4-H members are asked to record a short video introducing themselves.…

A group of Midwest egg suppliers are embroiled in litigation over egg prices, with an Iowa company arguing it shouldn’t be forced to disclose its pricing information. A central element of the case is whether a fabricated claim of a bird flu outbreak is to blame for one supplier raising its egg prices and canceling orders. Grand Prairie Foods of South Dakota, which supplies hotels and convenience stores with breakfast sandwiches, is suing Echo Lake Foods, a Wisconsin company that manufactures precooked egg entrees, for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. At the same time, a third company, Oskaloosa Food…

Hesston by Massey Ferguson has launched a small square baler called the SB.1436DB, which produces two rows of bales per field pass — doubling output over a single baler that does 14-by-18-inch bales. This new machine, which debuted on the floor of the 2025 National Farm Machinery Show, is intended to better meet tight harvest windows with minimal costs and maximum productivity. By producing two rows of bales per pass, the SB.1436DB effectively doubles capacity, reducing the need for additional labor, equipment and fuel. The 105-inch pickup width, the widest width in the high-capacity small square baler industry, improves field…

LOUISVILLE — For nearly a decade, a 42-foot-long miniature farm display has anchored the South Wing of the National Farm Machinery Show, fascinating onlookers of all ages. And those looking closely might even realize that the display changes from one year to the next, so no two shows look the same. The miniature is the collaborative creation of Tennessee farmers Colby Counce and Chase Long, and they debuted it at NFMS in the Kentucky Expo Center in 2016.  “ We didn’t realize it was going to be that big of a hit that first year — and neither did the farm…

On the floor of the 2025 National Farm Machinery Show, Kubota Tractor Corp. unveiled its newest cabbed utility tractor: the MX4900. The company said it designed this tractor to be the workhorse expected of a utility tractor, but at a new (lower!) price point in the MX series lineup. “We’re hitting a lot of ‘wish list’ items with the introduction of the MX4900: Not only is it the largest chassis with an HST that Kubota offers, but this model now includes a lower horsepower offering in both a ROPS and Cab machine, placing it at a more competitive price point…

A careful preseason planter inspection is time well spent. “I always tell operators to start at the hitch pin and work backwards,” said Brad Niensteadt, senior lead product specialist at Kinze. Follow this checklist to get your planter ready now.  Meter Maintenance Completely disassemble each meter, regardless of type. After cleaning, examine all the working parts for wear and tear, using the owner’s manuals as a guide. When it comes to finger pickup-style meters, Kevin Kimberley, Successful Farming’s planter doctor, replaces certain parts, such as brushes, belts, and their idlers, yearly. With pneumatic meters, the most challenging issue is removing…

Two days before Christmas, a land auction in northwest Iowa brought an early gift for the owners of a 76.56-acre farm when it sold for a whopping $2,047,980. The farm was split equally into two 38.28-acre tracts and, according to the agent handling the sale, checks all the boxes when a buyer is looking for land. Mark Zomer, one of the owners of Zomer Company Realty and Auction whose company sold the land, wasn’t surprised it brought such a high price. “Really good farms sell really well,” he said. “And this is a good one in our area.” He says…

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined the Federal Trade Commission and four other state attorneys general in a lawsuit against Deere & Company, alleging the agricultural equipment manufacturer has unlawfully monopolized key segments of the agricultural equipment repair market. The lawsuit claims that Deere’s restrictions on repairs have led to inflated costs and unnecessary delays for farmers. “Arizona farmers deserve the right to repair their own equipment without being held hostage by a corporate monopoly,” Mayes stated. “John Deere’s unlawful restrictions not only drive up costs but also create unnecessary delays that hurt Arizona’s farmers. My office is committed…