Author: staff

Researchers have discovered that an enzyme can serve as an ideal target for developing new therapeutics against Lyme disease and, most likely, other tick-borne diseases as well. The finding was reported in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States and Europe. Its causative pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi, has evolved unique metabolic pathways to cope with its enzootic life cycle, some of which are specific and ideal targets for developing new ways to treat Lyme disease. In their previous work, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found that…

A little past 8:30 a.m. CT, May corn was up 2½¢ at $4.60¼ per bushel. May soybeans were up 6¼¢ at $10.08 per bushel. May wheat contracts were also higher. CBOT wheat was up less than a penny at $5.43½ per bushel. KC wheat was up 3¢ at $5.72¼. Minneapolis wheat was up 1¾¢ at $5.90¼. On Monday, USDA is expected to release the annual Prospective Plantings report, which will include estimates for 2025/2026 corn, soybean, and wheat acres, and the quarterly Grain Stocks report. “The odds of a market-moving surprise in these numbers are high this year — in…

By Nick Paulson, Gary Schnitkey, and Carl Zulauf The American Relief Act of 2025 authorized $10 billion in economic assistance payments to partially offset economic losses suffered by producers of eligible commodities during the 2024 crop year. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the USDA recently announced the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) application process and the per acre payment rates for each commodity. The FSA has provided an ECAP website that outlines the application process, eligibility requirements, payment rates and other information for producers. ECAP Payments ECAP will provide payments for 22 eligible commodities using a flat rate per payment acre. Payment acres…

By Roberto Samora SAO PAULO, March 24 (Reuters) – Brazilian farmers, who have harvested most of their soybean fields across the nation, are set to produce 165.9 million metric tons in the 2024/25 season, 2.3 million tons less than previously forecast, consultancy AgRural said on Monday. AgRural said that a drought in southern Brazil, impacting mainly Rio Grande do Sul state, has affected the supply outlook in the country, the world’s biggest producer and exporter of the oilseed. Rio Grande do Sul’s crop is now seen reaching 15 million tons, a cut of 3 million tons compared to a February forecast, and fresh…

By Ryan Hanrahan World-Grain’s Arvin Donley reported Monday that “Russia is expressing interest in resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative as part of its discussions with the U.S. on March 24 in Saudia Arabia regarding a potential ceasefire with Ukraine, Reuters reported.” “The deal, which originally was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain out of its Black Sea ports during the Russian-Ukraine conflict, which began in February 2022 and has been fought mostly on Ukrainian soil,” Donley reported. “The deal was signed in the summer of 2022 following five-month blockade of grain exports…

What Happened The first few months of 2025 have provided plenty of volatility for grain prices. Corn, wheat, and soybean futures enjoyed a nearly one-month price rally after the unexpectedly friendly January USDA WASDE report. Then in late February and early March, the selling kicked in due to tariff and trade uncertainty. As of this writing, prices for corn, soybeans, and wheat are back down to the same price points from early January. “Now what?” A client recently asked me. The question reflected sarcasm, philosophical tones, and genuine curiosity regarding how grain prices might trade for the spring and summer…

DAILY Bites Deere denies claims that its repair policies violate competition laws, asserting that its proprietary tools serve legitimate business purposes. The lawsuit centers on Deere’s Service ADVISOR software, which plaintiffs argue restricts independent repair access and increases costs for farmers. The case could set a precedent for right-to-repair legislation and manufacturers’ control over post-sale equipment repairs. DAILY Discussion Deere & Company has formally responded to a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general, rejecting claims that its repair restrictions on agricultural equipment violate competition laws. In a 49-page court filing…

Pro Farm Group’s product, RinoTec Technology has received an approved registration from the Environmental Protection Agency. Discovered and developed by ProFarm scientists, RinoTec is a novel biocontrol agent that demonstrates strong activity against plant-parasitic nematodes, wireworms, whitefly, thrips, mites, lepidopterans, corn rootworm, and other costly foliar and soilborne pests. RinoTec is exempt from residue tolerance requirements, reflecting the EPA’s assessment of its negligible risk to human health and non-target organisms. It will be available for use in products for row and specialty crops, including corn, potatoes, tree nuts, and vegetables, pending state registrations. “Growers throughout the industry will find this…

By Riham Alkousaa BERLIN (Reuters) Bayer was ordered by a jury in the U.S. state of Georgia to pay about $2.1 billion to a plaintiff who claimed the company’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, the plaintiff’s law firms said late on Friday. The verdict, which Bayer said on Saturday it would appeal, is one of the largest legal settlements issued in a Roundup-related case and is the latest setback for the group, among the world’s largest seeds and pesticides makers. Bayer has paid about $10 billion to settle disputed claims that Roundup, based on the herbicide glyphosate, causes cancer.…

The forced closure of 12 California ranches on Point Reyes National Seashore will mark the end of a 150-year era of agriculture in Marin County. Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Resource Renewal Institute, and Western Watersheds Project, challenged the presence of commercial dairies within Point Reyes National Seashore, arguing they were incompatible with conservation efforts. The Nature Conservancy joined negotiations in 2022, seeing the process as a rare opportunity to reshape the future of 28,000 acres of coastal prairie near the Bay Area. Seeking incentives to facilitate a resolution, the organization positioned the agreement as a…