Author: staff

Cowboying in Wyoming has helped this professional winter-sport athlete process trauma and fear. One of the earliest memories Mark Carter has is, as a toddler, getting trampled by one of the wild horses his father was trying to break on the family’s Wyoming ranch. “I’ll never forget that horse coming at me, and I just stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do. And then it just was lights out,” Carter said. Shortly before the incident, a young Carter had been hunting for mice in the hay bales at the opposite end of a feed bunk from where his dad…

March corn is down a penny this morning on the first trading day of 2025. March soybeans are down 5¢. March wheat contracts are also lower this morning. CBOT wheat is down 8¼¢. KC wheat is down 5½¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 5¢. February live cattle are up 55¢ this morning. March feeder cattle are up $2.40. February lean hogs are down 65¢. February crude oil is up $1.64. The U.S. Dollar Index March contract is up to 108.73. March S&P 500 futures are up 20 points. March Dow futures are up 117 points. Published: 9:40 a.m. CT

Farms across the central and eastern parts of the U.S. should be bracing for a coming Arctic blast, which is expected to plunge temperatures 12 to 25 degrees below historical norms. This pattern is poised to make January 2025 the coldest January since 2011 and will bring opportunities for widespread snow and ice and freezing temperatures even into the gulf coast area. AccuWeather meteorologists described that “the severity of the cold air could be dangerous, damaging, and disruptive and is expected to create a big surge in demand for heating, leading to higher energy bills.” Winter yes. A wonderland? Not…

1. No Overnight Trade Due to the New Year’s Day holiday, grain markets are closed until 8:30 a.m. CT this morning. 2. ICYMI: Argentina Exchange Edges Up Corn, Cuts Soybean Planting Estimates In case you missed it, take a look at this news story: Argentina Exchange Edges Up Corn, Cuts Soybean Planting Estimates From the story: BUENOS AIRES, Dec 27 (Reuters) – Argentina’s Buenos Aires Grains Exchange on Friday edged up its corn planting area estimate, while trimming the pegged soybean area for the 2024/25 season. The corn crop is now seen covering 6.6 million hectares, up from a prior…

In the fall of 1960, Gil Tinsey was a senior at Michigan State University (MSU) and Fred Hasen was a junior. They met as members of the Farmhouse Fraternity, which led to a lifetime friendship and a working relationship generally seen only between brothers:  The two have been farming together for more than 60 years. Tinsey, who majored in agricultural mechanization, grew up in the Thumb of Michigan, a stone’s throw from Lake Huron, near Port Austin. Hasen, a dairy major, grew up three hours south of Tinsey in Monroe County, Michigan, near Toledo, Ohio. They both wed during college: Tinsey…

DAILY Bites NIMAXXA bionematicide is the first seed treatment in soybeans to contain three unique biological strains. Soybean cyst nematode is responsible for nearly $1.5 billion in lost yield each year across North America. NIMAXXA will be available to treat soybeans for the 2025 season. DAILY Discussion The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has registered NIMAXXA bionematicide, the only triple-strain bionematicide seed treatment for season-long nematode protection in soybeans and corn, according to its manufacturer, UPL Corp. NIMAXXA, which will be available to treat soybeans for the 2025 season, is effective against the most damaging nematodes, including soybean cyst nematode (SCN),…

No doubt, 2024 was a wild year. Everything seemed to fly in the face of producers and equipment dealers alike. Low commodity prices, high interest rates, high machinery costs, and a bitter presidential race had people on the fence, trying to decide what was the right time to make a move. Used equipment was auctioned steadily, with the usual suspects leading the way. By the end of 2024, the used equipment market felt like a soft bottom had been established, and the used tractor inventory shot up. Inventory Rising The number of used tractors in dealer inventory started to spike…

In a newly posted “undercover” video, animal-rights activist group PETA is accusing farmers working at an operation in New Zealand of abusing sheep, stating that the farm is “literally soaked in” the blood of these animals. The owner of the property is Matt Lauer, the disgraced former host of NBC’s Today show. The video targets the production of ZQ-certified wool, a certification that is listed as adhering to strict standards of animal welfare, environmental sustainability, fiber quality, traceability, and social responsibility. In the one-minute-long video, PETA describes the farm workers as “stepping on a thrashing sheep’s neck, dragging sheep across…

By Ryan Hanrahan CoBank reported earlier this December that “the U.S. continues to benefit from solid economic growth, low unemployment, and moderating inflation. From today’s vantage point, the U.S. economy seems likely to continue on that trajectory into 2025. However, the outlook for the rural economy is more volatile and uncertain. Rural industries are disproportionately exposed to federal policy, and the outcome of the 2024 election cycle promises to bring significant changes in the federal government’s approach to everything from international trade and immigration to energy exploration and rural economic development.” “According to a comprehensive year-ahead outlook report from CoBank’s…

Every Saturday, farmer Liz Graznak and her staff begin their day before dawn, loading a trailer of organic produce, eggs, and flowers. They pull out of Happy Hollow Farm in Jamestown, Missouri, at around 5 a.m. Upon arriving at the Columbia farmers market, the crew sets up the farm’s signature bright orange tents and unloads the day’s offering while hoping a little of it comes back with them. “For 52 days a year, and only four hours on each of those days, I have to make my living,” Graznak said. Graznak spends the morning answering customers’ questions, suggesting items to…