Author: staff

Prices for used semis in agriculture are up about 25% over last year but supply is stable, according to Andy Campbell, TractorZoom director of insights. He said prices may continue to climb through the summer as the market reacts to tariffs and normalizes.  “We saw a peak in April, after the major tariff announcement, because everyone was looking for trucks to transport goods while they were still available,” Campbell said.  Normal price spikes on semis occur in the third and fourth quarters, with increased consumer demand for the holidays, and trucking companies looking for tax benefits at the end of…

By Cami Koons JBS USA announced Wednesday it had reached an agreement to purchase an Ankeny, Iowa, facility, previously owned by Hy-Vee, to build out a ready-to-eat bacon and sausage facility.  According to a press release from the company, the 186,000-square-foot facility will be the largest of its kind in the JBS portfolio and will create approximately 400 jobs, once fully operational. The purchase and required facility enhancements represent a $100 million investment, according to the release. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2026 following capital investments and construction.  The facility was previously the Fresh Commissary, which made…

1. Corn Futures Decline in Overnight Trading Corn futures were lower in overnight trading amid forecasts for record U.S. yield and production and on favorable weather forecasts.  The USDA this week said it now expected corn yield of 188.8 bushels an acre and production of 16.742 billion bushels, both record highs.  That’s up from the previous forecast for yield of 181 bushels an acre and production of 15.705 billion bushels.  Stockpiles at the end of the 2025/2026 marketing year are now pegged at 2.117 billion bushels versus the July outlook for 1.66 billion bushels, USDA said in its report. Conditions…

1. Corn Futures Rise on Signs of Demand Corn futures were higher in overnight trading on signs of demand for U.S. grain.  South Korea purchased 136,000 metric tons of corn for delivery in the 2025/2026 marketing year that starts Sept. 1, the USDA said Thursday. Spain was also in the market, buying 132,000 tons.  Sales of 315,488 tons of U.S. corn to Mexico were reported earlier this week, underpinning prices.  Since the start of the current marketing year last September, exports have been robust for much of the season, USDA data shows.  Corn shipments are now at 64.4 million metric…

By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (Reuters) – A top U.S. oil trade group on Thursday joined a chorus of complaints against a new government proposal to slash incentives for biofuel imports, testing the Trump administration’s resolve to keep the policy in the upcoming months. The mounting criticism puts the White House in the position of having to side with either farmers looking to prioritize domestic supply, or refiners seeking cheaper feedstock — both groups loyal to President Donald Trump. At issue is a proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency in June that would allocate only half as…

By Cassandra Garrison TAPACHULA, Mexico, Aug. 15 (Reuters) – On a scorching afternoon in the rural heartland outside Mexico’s southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border, rancher Julio Herrera calls his herd back from an afternoon of grazing. “Gate! Gate!” he hollers as the cows turn the corner from the pasture and trot instinctively to their corral. He runs his hands under their hooves, feeling for wounds through which the deadly screwworm parasite could burrow inside their bodies. Efforts to protect his herd can only go so far, he says, until Mexico’s government steps up to tackle what he considers the core issue:…

The most recent U.S. drought monitor map showed intensifying short-term rainfall shortages led to expanding and intensifying dryness and drought over much of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, Northeast, and parts of the Deep South, southern Plains, central Arizona, and the central Rockies. U.S. map showing drought conditions with varying intensities. A second consecutive week of moderate to heavy precipitation brought areas of improvement across the northern reaches of the Rockies and Plains and over parts of the central Great Plains. The heaviest amounts — 8–11 inches — drenched areas in southeastern Wisconsin, from central Washington and…

In the USDA Crop Progress report released on Aug. 11, all but three states reported dented corn. Here’s a closer look at the 15 states that reported and the three that have yet to report for that crop growth stage. North Carolina North Carolina is leading the pack with the most dented growth stage being reported at 83%. That was an increase of 12 percentage points since the prior week. The five-year average for this time of year is 59%. North Carolina’s corn was rated 1% very poor, 3% poor, 18% fair, 61% good, and 17% excellent for the week…

The public is anxiously awaiting the release of the second Make America Healthy Again Commission report. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Cathy Burns, president and CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association, discussed the opportunities her group sees in the upcoming guidance, the need for ag labor reform, and when consumers may begin to see higher produce prices caused by tariffs. Plus, Dan Basse, president of Ag Resource Company, discussed the USDA’s bin-busting corn crop projections and China’s lack of soybean purchasing this year. Becky Rasdall Vargas, a senior vice president at the International Dairy Foods Association, also joined…

Corn growers across parts of the Midwest have been reporting an unusual and potentially yield-limiting phenomenon — tassel wrap — and agronomists say it’s worth scouting fields now to assess its impact on pollination. Tassel wrap occurs when the upper leaves remain tightly bound around the tassel during the critical pollination window, explained Dan Quinn, Purdue University Extension corn specialist. Normally, tassels emerge fully and shed pollen in synchrony with silk emergence. When tassels stay enclosed for several days, pollen release may be delayed, sometimes until it’s too late for early silks to be fertilized. The result can be a…