Author: staff

For Bud Hagen, General Product Support Manager at HOLT Truck Centers in Texas, the values of agriculture and family have always run deep. With over three decades at Holt and even more time spent around county fairs and show barns, Hagen’s experience reflects the hard work and dedication involved in raising kids in agriculture. Hagen’s journey with youth livestock projects began not with his own children, but when he first met his wife in high school. “She was very active in FFA,” he recalls. “I remember wanting to go to the movies or out on dates, but it always had…

Today, USDA published the seventh Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. Corn Crop Progress As of May 18, 78% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had been planted. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 73%. Half of the corn crop had emerged across the top corn-growing states as of May 18. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 40%. Soybean Crop Progress The USDA said that as of May 18, 66% of the soybean crop across the top soybean-growing states…

John Deere pledges to invest $20 billion in the United States over the next decade, Chairman and CEO John May said during the company’s second-quarter 2025 earnings call last week. The commitment includes expanding manufacturing, supporting workforce development, and upgrading facilities across more than a dozen states. The statement comes as Deere has fielded heavy frustrations from the agricultural sector over moving several pieces of its operation to Mexico. The company says that this planned initiative builds on existing efforts by the company to maintain and modernize its U.S. operations. Since 2019, John Deere has invested $2.5 billion in its…

Dr. Shawn Frehner, a well-known veterinarian in the Las Vegas area, officially died by suicide from drowning at Lake Mead, the Clark County coroner’s office has confirmed. It was the cause most people had suspected. His body was discovered on April 18 near the Boulder Islands within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Dental records confirmed his identity the following day. The coroner determined that Frehner’s cause of death was drowning, with pentobarbital — a barbiturate commonly used in animal euthanasia — also found in his system. The coroner’s office confirmed in an email to PEOPLE that his manner of…

Top Third Ag Marketing helps farmers become better agricultural marketers with the goal of marketing crops and livestock in the top third of prices. Mark Gold and his team provide AGDAILY.com with the latest information and a look ahead in their audio commentary. Listen here! https://www.agdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Top-Third-agdaily-2025-05-12-1.mp3 The post Markets in Minutes: Top Third looks ahead for week of May 19, 2025 appeared first on AGDAILY.

U.S. sales of tractors in all classes dropped 12.3%, while Canadian sales of agricultural tractors grew 3.4% in April 2025 compared to April 2024, according to numbers from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “The April report of slow tractor and combine sales is reflective of the overall softness in the ag economy. Increased input prices, high interest rates, and global trade concerns are leading to farmers taking more of a cautious approach to their capital investments,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of AEM. “With planting season underway, we remain optimistic the ag economy will improve, leading to a…

By Isabel Teles, Ana Mano, Roberto Samora, and Lisandra Paraguassu SAO PAULO, May 16 (Reuters) – Brazil, the world’s largest chicken exporter, confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on a poultry farm on Friday, triggering protocols for a country-wide trade ban from top buyer China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers. The outbreak in southern Brazil was identified at a farm supplying Vibra Foods, a Brazilian operation backed by Tyson Foods TSN.N, according to two people familiar with the matter. Vibra and Tyson did not immediately respond to questions. Vibra has 15 processing plants in Brazil and exports to over 60 countries, according to its website.…

Dan Nerud is a fourth-generation farmer from southeast Nebraska. He serves as a director for the Nebraska Corn Board and Board member for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). Nerud joined me at Commodity Classic to talk about producer groups, farming with family, and mental health.  Listen to the Podcast Subscribe to 15 Minutes With a Farmer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please rate and review us! Meet Dan Nerud The Nerud family farm, which sits around 40 miles southeast of Lincoln, Nebraska, features both dryland and irrigated crops. Dan Nerud, his wife, and their…

Crop intelligence company Taranis likens its new program to working with an accountant on your taxes.  “You could do taxes yourself, just like you could apply for this yourself,” said Sarah Rang, director of marketing at Taranis. “But you may not get the maximum benefit that’s available to you when you’re not working with experts. So we brought in the experts.” Taranis launched Taranis Conservation to help farmers apply for grants through the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  Taranis’ business primarily centers on Taranis Intelligence, which utilizes drone scouting and artificial intelligence to identify…

By Galen Bacharier USDA has just one staffer providing guidance for farmers’ disaster loans across 23 North Carolina counties, a state official said Monday. USDA’s Farm Service Agency is charged with distributing aid after storms like Hurricane Helene wipe out crops. But Emily Gangi, chief deputy for the governor’s Helene recovery office, said they now had a threadbare presence in the region after the White House made cuts. “You heard me right,” Gangi said. “One loan officer for 23 counties.” The agency has closed two local offices, according to Gangi, and cut five staff. And there’s currently a hiring freeze in…