Author: staff

Cargill RegenConnect — the company’s regenerative ag and soil health initiative — has surpassed 1 million enrolled acres for the 2025 U.S. planting season. Through partnerships with farmers across the United States and beyond, Cargill says they’re helping transform agricultural systems for a more sustainable, food-secure world. Since its launch in 2021, Cargill RegenConnect has given farmers the tools, resources, and incentives they need to implement regenerative practices like low till, no-till, and cover cropping. These practices can help improve soil health, increase water retention, sequester carbon and enhance biodiversity. The nearly 1,500 farmers enrolled in the U.S. program receive…

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has expelled Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) from its membership status following a Nov. 12 vote from the AFBF board of directors. This decision goes into effect Dec. 20.  AFBF attempted to mediate with IFB leadership on Nov. 11, but negotiations proved unsuccessful. Following these negotiations, an email was sent by AFBF President Zippy Duvall to state farm bureau presidents. Duvall announced the decision and placed blame on IFB leadership for allowing the situation to reach this point.  Of the 400,000 estimated Illinois Farm Bureau members, only an estimated 78,000 are farmers. The discrepancy between…

December corn is down 1½¢ this morning. January soybeans are down 4¢. December CBOT wheat is down 8¢. December KC wheat is down 3¾¢. March Minneapolis wheat is down 4½¢. This morning USDA announced new corn export sales:  Mexico is buying 401,357 metric tons of corn for the 2024/2025 marketing year.Unknown destinations are buying 290,820 metric tons of corn for the 2024/2025 marketing year. Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor at Total Farm Marketing, said in the short term she expects grains to trade sideways to lower. She also noted the higher U.S. dollar is weighing on grain prices and creating…

Just a couple of weeks removed from the National FFA Convention, the moment of becoming the National FFA President still hasn’t entirely sunk in for Thaddeus Bergschneider of Illinois. “I still can’t believe that a curly-haired freshman in high school who struggled to imagine himself on a big stage is now standing here,” he said, reminiscing the journey that brought him to the moment he was called on stage in his dad’s old FFA jacket. Students from Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, California, Georgia, and Wisconsin were elected by National FFA Delegates to serve as 2024-25 National FFA Officers. They were selected…

Much has been made of Benjamin Holt’s contributions to the development of the crawler tractor. For good reason, as Holt pioneered a great many early advances that made his Caterpillars some of the most popular crawler tractors of their time. Often overlooked, however, is the engineering and business genius of Clarence Leo Best and his Tracklayer tractors. Best is often given begrudging acknowledgement by some historians as being little more than a fierce rival of Holt’s prior to the creation of Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1925. Bear in mind, however, that Caterpillar Tractor was created by an equal merger of…

Like pieces of a puzzle, each part of Alan Eck’s farm operation interconnects to create a bigger picture. The 32-year-old has found success by balancing an array of commodities across Queen Anne’s County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  “Diversity was kind of a necessity,” Eck says. “I couldn’t sit around and wait for a grain check each fall. I needed to have those cash flows to keep the bills paid.”  Slow Expansion As many young farmers, access to capital has challenged Eck. He got his start bailing hay on his family farm and renting chicken houses in a nearby town. With…

I recently took an exciting ride in a spendy vehicle, the kind that comes with a price tag well into the six figures. A Bentley? A Rolls Royce? A Dragon spaceship? Nope. It was my neighbor’s combine. Modern combines are a marvel of high technology. Their cabs feature multiple touch screens, automated steering systems, and doodads that monitor grain yields and moisture. I wouldn’t be surprised if it could also whip up a cappuccino. The cabs are heated and air conditioned, with a comfy seat that cushions the operator like a baby in a cradle. It has all the comforts…

Having the right kind of welder in your farm shop can save time and money on repairs and fabrication. The tried-and-true stick welder, while still useful, has paved the way for MIG welders and even TIG welders. All three have their place, as you’ll read in this article, and general techniques and safety precautions are important for any type of welding.   MIG Welding  6 Tips for Better MIG Welding Results MIG (metal inert gas) welding, also known as FCAW (flux-cored arc welding), is the popular choice for many farmers because of its ability to produce clean welds on a variety…

AGDAILY Bites Biologists identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat. Rising temperatures could reduce crop yields by as much as 16% for every 1 degree Celsius of seasonal warming. Understanding thermotolerance is a promising strategy to address climate adaptation. AGDAILY Discussion By studying tomato varieties that produce fruit in exceptionally hot growing seasons, biologists at Brown University identified the growth cycle phase when tomatoes are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as well as the molecular mechanisms that make the plants more heat tolerant. The discovery, detailed in a study in Current Biology, could inform…

Marketing consultant The Directions Group has released a report titled Farm Bill Programs and the Role of Crop Protection Tools, exploring the consequences of losing access to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, for U.S. agriculture and federal policy. The analysis reveals how such a loss would affect key areas of the farm bill, including crop insurance, conservation, nutrition, and commodity programs. By leveraging open-source research and economic modeling, the report underscores the ripple effects that glyphosate restrictions could have on farmers, consumers, and the environment. Glyphosate plays a critical role in modern farming, enabling practices like no-till farming and cover…