Author: staff

By Jacob Orledge The Bank of North Dakota is developing a disaster relief program to help agricultural producers in the state survive the current crisis in the industry.  The program will work with local banks and credit unions across the state to help ag producers refinance their debt, state officials said during a North Dakota Industrial Commission meeting Monday.  “We’re looking at a very sizable ag disaster program given what’s going on with interest rates still high, soybean market, low commodity prices, high input costs from the compound of inflation,” said Don Morgan, CEO of the Bank of North Dakota.…

By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Kansas farm leaders are pushing Congress to get back to work and solve problems facing the agriculture industry, pointing out that a closed government doesn’t mean U.S. lawmakers can’t be in session. “I’m up here in Republic County and there’s a lot of activity going around harvest,” said Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union. “And then, of course, wheat drilling and all that, too, and getting ready to move cattle off of pastures. The work doesn’t stop for farmers. We don’t pause, we don’t shut down. We have to keep going.” Levendofsky,…

An estimated 72% of the corn crop has been harvested nationwide, but how is corn harvest progressing in each of the top 18 corn-growing states? By this point in the growing season, most top states are at least halfway done. Although the USDA hasn’t released a Crop Progress report for a month, five-year averages from the department’s report a year ago provide a benchmark for harvest progress in each state. Less Than Halfway For four of the top corn-growing states, five-year averages for corn harvest progress were less than 50% as of the week that ended Oct. 27, 2024. Progress…

Tens of thousands of FFA members from around the nation poured into the Indiana Convention Center today for the start of the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo. Officially, there were more than 64,000 students who registered. Earlier this week, contests kicked off for qualifying members and teams. Today, the excitement was palpable as members poured into the FFA Shopping Mall and the National FFA Expo. Members tried their hand at operating new technology, learning new skills, and just have a plain good time with vendors, many of whose FFA jackets were nostalgically hung at their booths. The Opening Session…

By Scott Irwin and Todd Hubbs The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been extraordinarily active on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) front over the summer and early fall of 2025. Since June, the agency has released three pivotal decisions that collectively are likely to alter the trajectory of the biomass-based diesel industry in the U.S. The vast majority of biomass-based diesel produced in the U.S. is made up of FAME biodiesel and renewable diesel (farmdoc daily, Feb. 8, 2023). The timing and magnitude of these policy shifts represent one of the most significant regulatory developments for the RFS program in the last decade.…

Companies that reach a century of doing business are uncommon — some sources estimate only 0.5% have what it takes. In 2025, Caterpillar joins Coca-Cola, Harley Davidson, John Deere, and UPS, among others, in the century club. Currently headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caterpillar manufactures construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives at locations around the world.  However, the global company we know today began with two California companies: Holt Manufacturing Company and the C.L. Best Tractor Company. Holt Manufacturing Co. The Holt Bros. Co. was incorporated on Jan. 7, 1892, in San…

By Ashley Murray WASHINGTON — Five Republican U.S. senators joined Democrats Tuesday to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency that triggered steep tariffs on goods from Brazil. The vote came ahead of a major case before the Supreme Court that could decide whether many of the president’s tariffs violate the Constitution. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Maine’s Susan Collins, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, supported a joint resolution in a 52-48 vote. The measure’s passage in the Senate marks a shift from a previous effort in April, when Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to terminate…

By Ella Cao and Naveen Thukral BEIJING/SINGAPORE, Oct. 29 (Reuters) – China’s state-owned COFCO bought three U.S. soybean cargoes, two trade sources said, the country’s first purchases from this year’s U.S. harvest, shortly before a summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. As the two nations battle over trade tariffs, the lack of Chinese buying has cost U.S. farmers billions of dollars in lost sales, after they largely supported Trump in his campaigns for president. Although COFCO’s deal for December-January shipment of about 180,000 metric tons of soybeans was China’s first such buy in months, traders do not expect a significant resumption in demand for U.S. cargoes…

By Carl Zulauf, Gary Schnitkey, and Nick Paulson The high cost to produce U.S. crops remains a topic of concern and key farm policy factor in 2025. This article examines the change in cost by input category since the 2014 farm bill authorized the current set of commodity title programs. Percent increase has been highest for chemicals and machinery and equipment. For chemicals, the increase is more likely due to more use than higher prices. For machinery and equipment, higher prices are the more likely reason. Data and Procedures Each year, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reports a per acre economic cost to plant…

USDA delays, trade rumors, and volatile prices make this fall tricky. Discover proactive grain marketing strategies to manage risk and protect profits. What Happened in the Market Markets and harvest were humming along when the government shut down, halting USDA news traders use to make decisions. We are left with tweets from the president and harvest rumors. The trade is hopeful the government will open near November 1, when government health insurance premiums are scheduled to go up. However, nothing has been decided at the time of this writing.  A dry fall is helping the harvest pace. When it comes…