Author: staff

The past few years have undoubtedly been tough for everyone in the ag sector. Low commodity prices and high costs have slimmed margins for everyone. The equipment sector has seen its share of bumps and bruises. Post-COVID supply caught up with demand, and dealership lots went from bare to crammed full of inventory. Expensive late models, low-hour inventory, and high interest rates slowed the purchasing of new and used equipment.  But 2025 could be when the equipment markets swing in the other direction.  Used Inventory Sales The last quarter of the year historically sees the most significant swing in used…

By Ryan Hanrahan The Des Moines Register’s Kevin Baskins reported Thursday that “John Deere has announced another round of layoffs in the Quad Cities affecting 287 workers, including 80 in Davenport.” “The other layoffs, effective Jan. 3, are of 200 workers at the company’s Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois, and seven at its Seeding and Cylinder operations in Moline, Illinois, the company’s headquarters city,” Baskins reported. “In a company statement KWQC-TV posted on its website, John Deere emphasized the layoffs were not a result of moving production to other facilities but rather due to a sluggish farm economy. Demand for…

By Cami Koons The emerald ash borer, a non-native, wood-boring insect that affects ash trees, has been detected in all Iowa counties, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Thursday.  The metallic-looking green beetle was first discovered in Iowa in 2010 and has made its way westward throughout the state through the inadvertent movement of infected firewood and other ash products.  Emmet County, on the northern border of the state, was the final holdout.  IDALS collected samples of a declining ash tree in Armstrong in early October and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service…

With five new cases, California accounts for 11 of the 25 cases of human infection by the bird flu virus in the United States this year, said the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday. Additional cases were expected among individuals in contact with infected dairy cattle, said the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The risk to the general public remains low, said the CDC. It recommended that people exposed to infected or potentially infected animals wear protective equipment, such as gloves, masks, and goggles. All of the California cases were people who had contact with animals on different farms, said the state…

December corn ended the day down 2¢ and the week down 11¢. This was the second consecutive week the contract closed lower. November soybeans closed down 18¾¢ for the day. Week-over-week the contract was down 35½¢. This was the third week in a row November soybeans closed lower. December wheat contracts closed lower for the day and the week, breaking a three-week streak of higher closes. CBOT wheat ended the day down 16¾¢. KC wheat closed down 15¼¢. Minneapolis wheat was down 12¼¢. “Despite strong export sales, the corn market was pressured by sharp declines in both soybeans and wheat,…

Red flag warnings have been issued throughout the Midwest because of warm, dry conditions and low humidity while the chance for significant precipitation throughout the region looks slim.  The risk for igniting field fires remains high for farmers with wind gusts as high as 45 mph in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota. According to Dennis Todey, director of the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, risk for fire is here to stay. “When harvest is done, that removes one level of risk but our overall potential for fire is still with us,” Todey said.  Most people don’t think of winter as…

There are two types of agricultural track systems – friction and positive drive. Both have benefits and drawbacks, and manufacturers have created different designs of each. I asked four track manufacturers to explain the differences between the two types of track systems and their opinions of each. Here’s what they had to say. CamsoDavid Graden, Operational Market Manager – Agriculture The Friction Drive system is as it sounds. Typically, these are seen in pairs (as opposed to 4 tracks) on a machine. The tracks are elongated and put under tension and, of course, driven by friction. Additionally, the track curves…

DAILY Bites Over 230,000 farms are required to comply with filing Beneficial Ownership Information. Farms structured as either a c-corporation, s-corporation or limited liability company need to pay attention. Failure to file could lead to hefty fines and potential jail time. DAILY Discussion The American Farm Bureau Federation is sounding the alarm as the January 1, 2025, deadline for filing Beneficial Ownership Information with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) looms. According to new analysis from Farm Bureau economists, over 230,000 farms are required to comply with this federal mandate, yet less than 11 percent of…

Two men in Florida have been arrested in connection with a large-scale theft involving a tractor-trailer loaded with around $100,000 worth of frozen poultry. Jorge Lyen Blanco-Diaz, 38, and Raul Bello, 49, face multiple charges, including grand theft of cargo and grand theft of a vehicle, according to authorities who are investigating the case. Numerous news sources note that the theft occurred on Sept. 15, when the tractor-trailer went missing near Old State Road 9 and Northwest 155th Lane in Miami. The truck, valued at $60,000, and the trailer, worth $80,000, were loaded with frozen poultry products worth about $100,000.…

Carolyn Olson, a certified organic corn and soybean farmer in Cottonwood, Minnesota, said the 2024 growing season started off with a wet spring, which made it challenging for some farmers in her area to get their crops planted.  Despite the challenges to get crops in the ground, Olson said the rainy spring was the first time in three years that Minnesota was 100% drought free.  The latest drought monitor map shows that 28% of Minnesota is in D2 severe drought. Forty-three percent of the state is in D1 moderate drought, 25% is abnormally dry, and just 3% is free from…