Author: staff

Not many things in the livestock business are free, but heterosis — the bump in performance from crossbreeding — is one of them. Then, why don’t we take full advantage of it in our commercial beef cattle herds? It’s unfair to paint everyone with that same broad brush, but it is true that the cattle industry significantly lags its biggest competitors, pork and poultry, in capitalizing on heterosis. One industry survey revealed that only about half of beef producers have planned crossbreeding program.  You get confirmation as you drive around many farm neighborhoods and count herds by color. Over 80% are black.…

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the best parts about attending the 97th annual National FFA Convention & Expo is the opportunity for students in agriculture to connect with brands and lay the foundation for future careers. To support this employment pipeline, it’s become common practice for companies to display their employees’ old blue corduroy FFA jackets in their convention booths. Brad Cesal with Bush Hog was one of those, proudly showing off the Michigan FFA jacket from his youth. “I joined FFA as a freshman, and it took me from the back of the class and put me up to the…

By Ryan Hanrahan Agri-Pulse’s Jake Zajkowski reported Wednesday that “political action committees sponsored by farm organizations, agribusiness firms, and electric cooperatives have given nearly $27 million altogether to congressional campaigns in the 2024 campaign.” “House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Pa., topped the list with about $158,000 in donations, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in line to be the lead Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee in the next session of Congress, led all Senate candidates with $101,000,” Zajkowski reported. “Some 66% of the $26.7 million in contributions from 262 ag and food-related PAC contributions has gone to Republicans,…

Do you have one of those rocky fields? If you do, you know the routine. In the spring, pick up anything bigger than your fist and carry it to the field edge or rockpile. That might save breaking a disc blade, or a fertilizer shank, or getting picked up by the combine at harvest and wreak havoc on its insides. Then, after spring through fall tillage and a winter of freezing and thawing, there they are again, thick as ever, or so it seems. What if you had a machine that would pick them up, grind them to dust and…

INDIANAPOLIS — These days, agriculture is open to people from many walks of life, and having deep ties to a family farm is no longer as crucial as it used to be for students who want to pursue ag-related studies in college. “The ag background isn’t as vital anymore” for those going into agricultural, environmental, and life sciences colleges, said Matt Camper, assistant dean of teaching practice and academic programs at Colorado State University. “It used to be that, way back, everybody was farming in some way or another, and so one farmer was maybe feeding 20 or 30 people.…

December corn is up 2¾¢ this morning. November soybeans are up 9½¢. December wheat contracts are mixed. CBOT wheat is up less than a penny. KC wheat is down a penny. Minneapolis wheat is up 1½¢. For the fourth day this week, USDA announced new export sales this morning: Japan is buying 227,600 metric tons of corn for the 2024/2025 marketing year.Unknown destinations are buying 165,000 metric tons of corn and 198,000 metric tons of soybeans for the 2024/2025 marketing year.  USDA also released the weekly U.S. Export Sales report this morning. Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor at Total Farm…

Junior Holstein members are encouraged to apply for the 2024 National Judi Collinsworth Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to support the academic and career aspirations of Junior Holstein members. Two scholarships will be awarded, including one top $1,000 scholarship and a second $500 scholarship. National Junior Holstein members enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college or university who have exhibited their animal at a National Junior Holstein Show during the current show season are eligible to apply. “This is an especially meaningful scholarship because of its dedication to Judi Collinsworth and the way it connects my involvement in showing…

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Strong rains this week in Argentina have given a huge boost to the farming sector after a tough period of drought, “turning the game around” for corn and wheat farmers who had been facing deep losses, the Rosario grains exchange said on Wednesday. The exchange said in a report that between 30 and 90 millimeters of rain fell in the last 24 hours in much of the agricultural core region of Argentina, the world’s third largest corn exporter and a key global supplier of wheat. That had totally changed the outlook…

Kubota Tractor Corporation has announced the launch of the new SVL50x compact track loader, which features a 48-inch-wide frame —  the smallest compact track loader in Kubota’s lineup. It will be available at dealerships beginning in the first quarter of 2025. “With the trend of putting more houses on less land, and the space between lots getting tighter and tighter, Kubota is filling a need in the market for a narrow, cabbed track loader among construction and landscaping professionals,” said Jerry Corder, Kubota product manager, construction equipment. “The new SVL50x gives operators a smaller, feature-packed machine, some of which have never…

Carving pumpkins for Halloween is a fun tradition, but it’s also nice to decorate some that will still look good at Thanksgiving. Here are a few design ideas! Check Mate Buffalo plaid (pictured above) is such a popular pattern, and it’s easy to paint on pumpkins thanks to their vertical lines, which are called ribs. Just paint vertical and horizontal stripes in gray, then apply black paint where those lines intersect. This pumpkin looks lovely in classic black and white, but this technique works on any color pumpkin. Warm Welcome What a lovely way to greet visitors! Simply painting “Welcome”…