Author: staff

Last week, John Deere announced a major expansion of its Agriculture & Turf training center and field site near Orlando, Florida. The tractor and construction machinery giant says that the expansions aim to strengthen dealer training and enhance customer support. The expanded facilities will focus on service and sales training, providing virtual and in-person sessions to increase dealer accessibility to new skills and product information across North America. “We know just how important our dealers are to enabling customer success,” said Stephanie Johnson, John Deere’s Training Manager for the U.S. and Canada. “This project is the latest example of John…

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced on Friday that it had “depopulated” the birds from Pure Prairie Poultry Inc. The poultry processor had informed the department of its inability to purchase feed for its 1.3 million broiler chickens, leading to the closure of its processing plant in Charles City. Fearing for the welfare of the animals, the department intervened on October 2, taking control of the care and custody of the chickens located across 13 Iowa farms. On the same day, Pure Prairie Poultry shut down its Charles City facility and laid off its employees. Pure Prairie…

Today the USDA released the 31st Crop Progress report of the 2024 growing season. Corn Crop Progress According to the report, as of Oct. 27, 81% of the 2024 corn crop in the top 18 corn-growing states was harvested. This was up from 65% a week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 64%. Soybean Crop Progress The USDA said as of Oct. 27, 89% of the soybean crop in the top 18 growing states was harvested. This was up from 81% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 78%. Winter Wheat Progress According to the report,…

Top Third Ag Marketing helps farmers become better agricultural marketers with the goal of marketing crops and livestock in the top third of prices. Mark Gold and his team provide AGDAILY.com with the latest information and a look ahead in their audio commentary. Listen here! https://www.agdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Top-Third-Agdaily-2024-10-28.mp3 The post Markets in Minutes: Top Third looks ahead for week of Oct. 28, 2024 appeared first on AGDAILY.

As I sit here reflecting on my week in Indianapolis at the 97th National FFA Convention, I’m filled with excitement for my future in the organization, deep gratitude for my advisors who made this incredible experience possible, and, admittedly, a bit of tiredness from the nonstop activities and fun we had. Although I’ve been involved with FFA for four years, this week was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It ignited a new fire in me to be even more active and to better contribute to my chapter and the FFA community. Walking into the convention, I was instantly surrounded by…

December corn is down 1½¢ this morning. January soybeans are down 8¼¢. December wheat contracts are also down. CBOT wheat is down 6¼¢. KC wheat is down 5½¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 6¢. “It’s difficult to sustain a rally in the corn and soybean markets in the midst of a record harvest when storage is limited and rains are falling in South America, leading to expectations of record crops there as well,” said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at StoneX. “Demand for corn and soybeans has been good lately, as end users seek to increase coverage at what is perceived…

The 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis honored outstanding FFA chapters for their exceptional work in promoting leadership, agricultural education, and community engagement. While all FFA chapters strive to be exemplary, some go above and beyond to showcase true FFA leadership. These chapters are named Model of Excellence chapters and showcase qualities in all categories of growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. Only 10 high school and five middle school chapters are chosen to hold this prestigious title, but just one high school and one middle school chapter can be named the overall national winner. The Signal…

Another presidential election is rapidly bearing down upon us. As in previous elections, polls show that the candidate many Americans prefer is the one named None Of The Above.      Why is this? What is the cause of this widespread voter dissatisfaction? The answer lies in one of the most basic, essential pieces of farm equipment: the manure spreader.      I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “OK, he’s going to launch into some lame analogy about how politicians are always spouting off about this or that and how it compares with the operation of the aforementioned you-know-what slinger.” Well, I’m not.…

The 97th National FFA Convention & Expo, held October 23 to 26 in Indianapolis, culminated in the election of the 2024-25 National FFA Officer Team. Over 70,000 FFA members and supporters gathered to celebrate agricultural education, innovation, and leadership, joined by thousands watching remotely from across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The six FFA members elected to serve for the 2024-25 year come from Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, California, and Georgia — with the excitement from those who’s names were called to the celebration in the audience being visible in the videos that were shared…

By Ryan Hanrahan Agri-Pulse’s Brad Hooker reported at the end of this past week that “Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday directed the California Air Resources Board to accelerate its regulatory review of the E15 blend of gasoline. Newsom said the higher ethanol mix would reduce gas prices while supporting the state’s stringent regulations on tailpipe emissions.” “The governor seized on new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and the U.S. Naval Academy showing that boosting the ethanol ratio from the current 10% to 15% would lower prices at the pump by 20 cents per gallon, adding up to $2.7…