Author: staff

By Cami Koons Farmers in Iowa had a productive week as warmer and drier conditions allowed plenty of time for in-field activities, including finishing up planting and beginning to spray emerged corn and soybeans.  Nearly 80% of soybeans have emerged across the state, which is 10 days ahead of last year’s crop and four days ahead of average pace. Corn acres across the state are 87% emerged, putting the crop nearly a week ahead of last year and one day ahead of the five-year average.  Organic farmers like Aaron Lehman, who farms in northern Polk County, had a slightly slower…

By Henrique Monaco, Joana Colussi, Gary Schnitkey, and Nick Paulson Brazil’s soybean yields have grown faster than those in the United States, though this growth is not uniform across Brazil’s major producing regions (see Farmdoc Daily, Feb. 20, 2025). While trend yields reflect the average rate of yield improvement over time, they do not capture the year-to-year variability that translates into production risk. This variability — measured as percent deviations from trend — offers key insights into the stability and reliability of yield growth. Building on previous analysis of Brazil’s trend yield potential and deviations (see Farmdoc Daily, Jan. 12, 2017), this article…

By Gabriel Araujo SAO PAULO, June 2 (Reuters) – Agribusiness consultancy AgRural raised its forecasts for Brazil’s 2024/25 corn and soybean crops on Monday, citing improved agricultural yields in several states. The country’s total corn production is set to hit 128.5 million metric tons this season, AgRural said, up from a previously estimated 124.8 million tons. Farmers in Brazil’s center-south region had harvested 1.3% of their second-corn areas by last Thursday, the consultancy said, up only 0.4 percentage points from the previous week owing to weather disruption to work in the fields. “It could have advanced at a stronger pace but ended up…

July corn ended the day up less than a penny at $4.38½ per bushel. Today was the first higher close for the contract since May 22. July soybeans closed up 7¼¢ at $10.40¾ per bushel. The contract regained all but a penny of what was lost yesterday. July wheat contracts closed lower. CBOT wheat ended the day down 3¢ at $5.36 per bushel. KC wheat was down 3¢ at $5.36¾. Minneapolis wheat was down 9¼¢ at $6.18. August live cattle ended the day down $1.25 at $209.75 per hundredweight (cwt). August feeder cattle closed down 53¢ at $301.23 per cwt.…

Federal legislation (SB 222) introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) would allow schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program to serve whole and 2 percent milk. According to a statement from the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry supported this legislation via voice vote Tuesday afternoon. For over a decade, the program has been limited to offering only 1 percent and fat-free options, despite the fact that whole and reduced-fat milk remain the most popular varieties in American households. “The Whole Milk for Healthy…

DAILY Bites Farmer sentiment hit a four-year high, boosted by export optimism and easing tariff concerns. Income outlook improved, but fewer producers plan to invest in their operations. Labor concerns rising, with some expecting hiring difficulties due to immigration policies. DAILY Discussion Farmer sentiment improved for the second consecutive month in May, reaching its highest level since May 2021. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose 10 points to a reading of 158, up from 148 in April. Both the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations contributed to the increase, with the current conditions index…

By Cami Koons Small business owners and farmers are already feeling the increased costs and decreased consumer purchasing power resulting from foreign tariffs imposed at the federal level. During a Tuesday press conference in West Des Moines’ historic Valley Junction, local business owners said they placed orders in January for holiday products that are becoming more expensive by the day as manufacturers and even local creators have to increase prices due to the additional tariffs. Val Voicek, the owner of Bing’s, a store in the business shopping district, said one of her best-selling products, Nee Doh, a squishy sensory toy,…

The Institute of Food Technologists has announced the recipients of 95 undergraduate and graduate scholarships totaling over $200,000. The scholarships are courtesy of IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund, which encourages, promotes, and rewards the excellence of students pursuing careers in food science. Since 1985, IFT’s Feeding Tomorrow Fund has awarded more than 2,800 scholarships and over $3 million to food science students across the globe. The Feeding Tomorrow Fund scholarship program, which is one of the largest in the nation for food science students, provides undergraduate and graduate academic scholarships in various areas, including financial need, community college transfer, first-generation college…

DAILY Bites FDA launches Elsa AI tool to improve efficiency and support scientific reviews. Runs in secure GovCloud, protecting internal and industry data. First step in broader AI plans, with future expansions already underway. DAILY Discussion The machines are moving into federal food policy. Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched Elsa, a generative Artificial Intelligence tool designed to help employees work more efficiently. This agency claims that the tool will modernize agency functions and leverages AI capabilities to better serve the American people. “Following a very successful pilot program with FDA’s scientific reviewers, I set an aggressive timeline…

What Happened On Tuesday, May 27, the first trading day after a three-day Memorial Day weekend, cattle futures plunged more than $4 on a story that New World screwworm (NWS) had been found in Missouri cattle. As it appeared this was fake news, the market quickly reversed course. However, the damage was done. Cattle imports from Mexico are currently banned, on recent reports of NWS in the country. While the market reacted to news that turned out to be untrue, it also provided a glimpse as to how quickly prices can deteriorate on unexpected negative news.  Why This Is Important…