Author: staff

Five of the country’s top corn-growing states reported 25% or less of this year’s crop is out of the ground, according to the latest Crop Progress report published by USDA. Farmers in the other 13 top growing states reported emergence ranging from 27% to 88% for the week ended May 18. USDA said, nationwide, 50% of the corn crop has emerged. Pennsylvania With 17% of the state’s corn crop emerged, Pennsylvania reported the smallest amount of emergence progress. However, this is 7 points ahead of the five-year average. Last year at this time, just 7% of the state’s corn crop…

Today, Nebraska’s Gov. Jim Pillen signed LB246, banning the production, sale, promotion and distribution of “fake meat” in Nebraska. The bill was sponsored on the governor’s behalf by state Sen. Barry DeKay. The legislation comes on the heels of Montana and Indiana enacting their own bans in recent weeks, joining Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. “When I stood in front of a group of producers and ag business owners yesterday and announced my intention to sign this legislation, I was met with applause,” Pillen said. “We need to be willing to protect and preserve our state’s vital ag industry as well…

To remind farmers that help is just a phone call or text away, Sumter County Farm Bureau and Everglades Equipment Group in Florida partnered to put a decal with the 988 suicide prevention and lifeline hotline in every Everglades John Deer cab tractor sold throughout the state. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the United States. “Farmers face everyday challenges that can take a toll on mental well-being,”…

Farmers in Ohio and Pennsylvania are still working to reach the halfway point of their corn planting season. The latest Crop Progress report published by USDA indicated 34% of Ohio corn and 40% of Pennsylvania had been planted by the week May 18. Farmers in the 16 other top growing states have passed the 50% benchmark. Ohio During the week ended May 18, Ohio corn planting progress increased 9 percentage points to 34% complete. That’s significantly behind the five-year average of 48%. Last year at this time 45% of Ohio corn had been planted. Iowa Environmental Mesonet USDA said just…

By Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) – China’s soybean imports from Brazil fell 22.2% in April from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday, as harvest delays, logistics issues and prolonged customs clearance disrupted shipments. China imported 4.60 million metric tons of the oilseed from Brazil last month, showed data from the General Administration of Customs. April soybean arrivals from the U.S., China’s second-biggest supplier, fell 43.7% compared to the year-earlier period to 1.38 million tons, as buyers turned to Brazil for supplies, partly due to tariff uncertainty. Overall soybean imports for April totalled6.08 million tons, the lowest since 2015. For…

In the panhandle of Nebraska, where the beef industry stands as a pillar of the community, local ranchers are extending their support beyond the pastures to embrace foster families through an initiative called Foster Love with Beef. This program ensures that families welcoming new foster children can bond over hearty, nutritious meals featuring locally donated beef.​ Founded by Jessi Grote, a rural nurse, rancher, and mother, Foster Love with Beef was born out of personal experience and a deep-seated desire to give back. Reflecting on her journey, Grote shared how the groundwork for the initiative took shape. “As our long-term…

As of 9:12 a.m. CT, July corn was unchanged at $4.54½ per bushel. July soybeans were up 5¢ at $10.58 per bushel. July wheat contracts were higher. CBOT wheat was up 4½¢ at $5.50½ per bushel. KC wheat was up 4¼¢ at $5.40½. Minneapolis wheat was up 3¾¢ at $6.01½. August live cattle were down 3¢ at $207.83 per hundredweight (cwt) as of 9:12 a.m. CT. August feeder cattle were down 85¢ at $296.65 per cwt. July lean hogs were down 50¢ at $103.05 per cwt. July crude oil was up 15¢ at $62.18 per barrel. June S&P 500 futures…

Kerissa and Charlie Payne are beginning farmers living their dream of raising two daughters on a farm in central Ohio. By conventional measures, their livestock farm, Covey Rise, is a success. Yet, below the surface, the challenge of finding quality affordable child care has kept their business from growing and reaching its full potential. “It feels like we’re always split between keeping the kids safe on the farm, being a good parent, and the needs of the farm,” Kerissa Payne said. The United States has a child care crisis, yet the issue remains largely invisible in the farm sector. For…

In 1985, contaminated milk in Illinois led to a Salmonella outbreak that infected hundreds of thousands of people across the United States and caused at least 12 deaths. At the time, it was the largest single outbreak of foodborne illness in the U.S. and remains the worst outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning in American history. Many questions circulated during the outbreak. How could this contamination occur in a modern dairy farm? Was it caused by a flaw in engineering or processing, or was this the result of deliberate sabotage? What roles, if any, did politics and failed leadership play? From…

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of four articles on the contributions farmers and tractor manufacturers made to winning World Wars I and II. This article originally appeared in Ageless Iron Almanac. Although historians still debate the true origin of the vehicle that is considered to be one of the greatest weapons brought to bear by the U.S. during World War II, there is little doubt that Minneapolis-Moline contributed to the creation of Jeep-like vehicles. Years before American Bantam and Willys-Overland began development of the vehicle affectionately dubbed the Jeep by soldiers, Minneapolis-Moline engineers were experimenting with…