Author: staff

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of American soybeans during the current season through January and has committed to buying 25 million tons annually for the next three years as part of a larger trade agreement with Beijing. Bessent said other countries in Southeast Asia have agreed to buy another 19 million tons of U.S. soybeans, but did not specify a timeframe for those purchases. “So our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns — that’s off the table, and they should prosper in…

INDIANAPOLIS — Every fall, Indianapolis becomes a sea of blue jackets as tens of thousands of students, teachers, and agricultural leaders from all parts of the nation come together for the National FFA Convention & Expo. Beyond the competitions, workshops, and reunions, another critical function happens on the convention floor: bringing FFA members in contact with over 80 universities and colleges, whose future classes will shape the future of agricultural innovation. The colleges recruiting students to carry the future of agriculture forward range from land-grant powerhouses to research-driven institutions from all over the country. I spoke with representatives from Texas…

Ahead of 9 a.m. CT, December corn was down 1½¢ at $4.32½ per bushel. January soybeans were up 4¼¢ at $10.98¾ per bushel. December CBOT wheat was down 6¾¢ at $5.25½ per bushel. December KC wheat was down 8¢ at $5.14¾ per bushel. December Minneapolis wheat was down less than a penny at $5.59¾. “Grain and soybean futures finished early trading mixed, with soybean futures boosted by news China has agreed to make substantial purchases of U.S. soybeans over the next several years,” said The Brock Report of the overnight session. “Soybean futures spent most of the early session lower…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Coffee is harvested cherry by cherry around the world when the fruit turns red and ripe. Though the crop is not grown commercially in the United States, the seed (or “coffee bean”) inside these cherries has unequivocally become a cornerstone of most Americans’ morning routines. Tea, harvested leaf by leaf, follows a similar journey. After being dried, rolled, ground, and quality-checked, it travels thousands of miles before reaching daily drinkers. While America imports about 80 percent of its coffee from Central and South America, some enthusiasts go straight to its crop origin — East Africa. It started…

By Cassandra Garrison MEXICO CITY, Oct. 29 (Reuters) – Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said on Wednesday that Mexico and the United States have not yet set a date to resume Mexican cattle exports amid an outbreak of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite. Berdegue said he spoke to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a video conference and that they had made advances but still did not have a date for reopening the U.S. border to Mexican cattle. “We have made considerable progress, and I am very optimistic,” he said in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s dailymorning press conference. They agreed to test modular mobile plants in Mexico that…

By Anna Kaminski TOPEKA — Blueberries unpicked and dropping from plants in New Jersey, crops left to dry up in North Carolina fields, and understaffed rural Kansas cattle operations are becoming more and more common, and food in the United States is going to waste, according to farmers and agriculture professionals. It is happening in large part because of a labor shortage crisis, they said during a Thursday press call hosted by a coalition called Grow It Here that brought together the topics immigration, government and farming. “It is clear to me that we can either import our workers or…

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…