Author: staff

by Jared Strong A highly transmissible avian influenza recently infected three Clay County duck farms and one chicken-breeding operation in Hamilton County, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Clay County game bird farms have a total of about 17,300 ducks, and one of the sites also has a mixed-species backyard flock of 21 birds. IDALS declined to reveal whether the sites are related or are in close proximity. The Hamilton County flock has about 15,000 chickens. The virus — which is often transmitted by wild, migrating birds and is lethal for domestic flocks — has…

After Wisconsin farmers got their crops in the ground during planting season, drought conditions worsened, reducing yield potential this growing season. As farmers harvest their corn and soybeans, though, they’re reporting better than expected yields. Jonathan Gibbs, a fifth-generation farmer in Fox Lake, Wisconsin, says that better than expected yields is the “theme of the year” for Wisconsin farmers. He says the growing season started off with ample moisture this spring before drying up, making for a “fairly nice planting window.” The dry weather persisted through June and July, Gibbs says. As a result, Gibbs notes that he had some…

Monday’s USDA Crop Progress report shows the 2023 soybean harvest is nearly complete, with corn not far behind. Corn As of Nov. 5, 81% of corn in the top 18 corn-producing states is now harvested, up from 71% the week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 77%.  Soybeans USDA says 91% of soybeans in the top 18 soybean-growing states is harvested, up from 85% the week before and ahead of the five-year average of 86%.  Winter Wheat USDA says winter wheat is 90% planted as of Nov. 5 in the top 18 growing states, up from 84% the…

By Jared Strong A cold and very dry week allowed crop harvest in Iowa to continue at a rate that is more than a week ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 89% of the state’s corn and 97% of soybeans were harvested as of Sunday. “Corn and soybean harvest is beginning to wind down thanks to more agreeable weather, though there is still plenty of farm and field work left to finish up yet this fall,” said Mike Naig, the state’s agriculture secretary. “While statewide drought remains a concern heading into the 2024 growing season,…

XtremeAg farmers reflect on their practices for keeping their crops and mental health strong in the 2023 growing season. Matt Miles – McGehee, Arkansas Matt Miles is a fourth-generation farmer in southeast Arkansas. Miles farms 3,500 acres of corn, 3,500 acres of soybeans, 1,500 acres of cotton, and 1,500 acres of rice. One of the most important subjects among farmers — but definitely one of the most avoided — is mental health. I think because I’m a farmer, I do manual labor, and feel I am responsible to keep this country and many others, fed and clothed, so I can’t…

Louisiana was the first state to wrap up soybean harvest for the week ending Oct. 29, and remains the only state to have finished harvesting soybeans for the week ending Nov. 5, USDA reports. Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, says that heat and drought resulted in some poor yields for the state’s first batch of soybeans, averaging 10 to 12 bushels per acre (bpa). Overall, Strain says the quality of the beans were good, but yields in some parts of the state were in the single digits.  Currently, Louisiana is suffering from the worst…

The U.S. Forest Service proposed a change in regulations on Monday that would allow it to consider requests to inject carbon dioxide beneath the 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Carbon sequestration is a key element in President Biden’s goal of net-zero U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. At present, the Forest Service is barred from authorizing “exclusive and perpetual use and occupancy” of its land by outsiders, a prohibition that would apply to carbon storage, since the gas would remain underground for hundreds of years. The proposed regulation would create an exemption for carbon capture and storage projects.…

Interest rates and inflation will slow in 2024, along with the U.S. economy overall, projected the Agriculture Department on Tuesday in an outline of farm sector conditions in the new year. Farm-gate prices for the three major field crops—corn, soybeans, and wheat—would fall for the second year but remain above pre-pandemic levels while market prices for cattle and hogs go up. Americans would consume an average of 224 pounds of meat in 2024, down by 1.8 pounds this year, chiefly due to the smaller and higher-priced beef supply. Beef cow numbers have fallen for five years in a row, so…

A minority of corn and soybean growers—one in four—say they altered their operations directly because of long-term changes in weather patterns, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. The most common changes were use of no-till planting, a shift in the mix of crops, and increased use of drought-resistant varieties, according to the Ag Economy Barometer. “Dry weather this past spring and summer stimulated discussions among producers about shifts in long-term weather patterns,” wrote James Mintert and Michael Langemeier, who oversee the Barometer, so they asked corn and soybean growers if they explicitly changed farming practices in response to those…

New federal rule seeks to curb ‘deceptive practices’ in poultry production Skip to content