Author: staff

By Cindy Gonzalez SEWARD, Nebraska — A 300-acre regional industrial campus a half hour west of the state capital is adding another major piece: a $186 million milk processing facility that is projected to employ about 70 workers. And it’s not your stereotypical dairy operation. Dari Processing, a fourth-generation company run by the family that owns Tuls Dairies of Rising City, in eastern Nebraska, expects eventually to haul in 1.8 million pounds of cow milk daily. The 240,000-square-foot facility will then process and package shelf-stable milk, which needs no refrigeration. Speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday take a swig of…

By Cami Koons The Iowa Farm Bureau’s latest food and farm index found that the overwhelming majority of Iowa grocery shoppers surveyed are concerned about increases to food prices caused by government regulations.  The annual survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, also found that more consumers are seeking locally grown and produced products.  “At a time when trust in national institutions — from government to media— is at historic lows, the sustained confidence in local farmers speaks volumes about their authenticity and transparency, underscoring the strong bond and mutual respect between Iowa’s farmers and the communities they serve,” said Latoya…

By Ryan Hanrahan Reuters’ Emily Schmall reported that “farmers cut their losses early this year across the U.S. wheat belt, stretching from Texas to Montana. They were choosing to bale the wheat into hay, plow their fields under, or turn them over to animals to graze. In Nebraska, wheat acreage is less than half of what it was in 2005.” “For farmers with crop insurance, damaged or unprofitable wheat fields can still earn revenue. But many agree that chasing insurance payouts is not the best business model,” Schmall reported. “The Great Plains have long been celebrated for the ‘amber waves…

By Promit Mukherjee OTTAWA, June 19 (Reuters) – Canada could increase counter-tariffs on U.S.-produced steel and aluminum if it does not reach a broader trade deal with President Donald Trump within 30 days, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday. Trump increased import duties on steel and aluminum to 50% from 25% earlier this month, prompting industry calls for an official response. Trump’s move could hurt Canada, which is the largest seller of the metals to the U.S. Carney said on Monday he had agreed with Trump that the two nations should try to wrap up a new economic and security deal by July 21. “Canada will adjust…

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, June 19 (Reuters) – Corn yields in some parts of Argentina are surpassing initial expectations for the 2024/25 crop, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday, though it maintained its overall harvest forecast at 49 million metric tons as excessive moisture slowed fieldwork. Many agricultural regions in Argentina, the world’s third-largest corn exporter, are still dealing with overly wet fields following heavy storms that caused flooding in May, delaying harvesting. “Harvesting is progressing with grains above optimal moisture levels, seeking to avoid losses from stems bending or breaking. However, the yields obtained remain in line with…

By Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson BEIJING, June 20 (Reuters) – China’s soybean imports from Brazil surged 37.5% in May from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, as buyers scooped up South America’s bumper crop, while supplies from the United States also rose 28.3%. The world’s biggest soybean buyer imported 12.11 million metric tons of the oilseed from Brazil last month, compared with 8.81 million tons in the same month a year earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. May arrivals from the U.S. reached 1.63 million tons, up from 1.27 million tons a year earlier. U.S. supplies accounted…

Senate leadership is still aiming to have the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate by July 4. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman joined the show to outline the benefits farm country will see in the bill. He also discussed immigration, the MAHA Commission report, and his optimism for passing a complete farm bill this Congress. Plus, Mike Stranz with the National Farmers Union and Tas Smith from the National Cotton Council discussed the extension of the 45Z tax credit in reconciliation, the Buy American Cotton Act, and the MAHA Commission report. Watch the…

By Joshua Haiar and Seth Tupper Over 100 state and local officials from the Midwest and West, including South Dakota, are asking the U.S. Senate to eliminate tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration as part of a federal budget reconciliation bill. Established by Congress and then-President George W. Bush in 2008, the 45Q tax credits incentivize companies to capture carbon dioxide from processes such as ethanol production and sequester it underground, so it doesn’t contribute to climate change by acting as a greenhouse gas. The carbon can also be sequestered as part of enhanced oil recovery, in which pressurized gas pushes…

There’s not much I can add to the story of the Waterloo Boy — it’s been told plenty over the years. Brad Neuhart, a long-time Tractor Zoom auctioneer partner, is selling a really nice one at a collector auction in southeast Michigan this weekend, and that’s a good excuse to revisit why John Deere’s decision to buy their way into the tractor business might’ve been the best call they made in the early 20th century. Waterloo Boy tractor listings on Tractor Zoom Getting Into the Tractor Business If I did try to uncover some new information about the Waterloo Boy,…

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, June 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a potential plan to vaccinate poultry against bird flu for the first time that includes evaluating how it would affect exports, the agency told Reuters this week. The actions advance the government’s assessment of a vaccine after the USDA received proposals on usage from associations representing egg and turkey producers whose farms have been devastated by the virus. Nearly 175 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been culled in attempts to contain outbreaks since 2022 in the nation’s worst animal-health emergency. Losses of egg-laying chickens drove egg…