Author: staff

Creed Caldwell of Parker, Kansas, and Preston Dunn of St. John, Kansas, recently received $1,500 scholarships from the Livestock Marketeers, an organization of livestock marketing professionals. Livestock Marketeers Scholarships go to college-age students interested in pursuing a career in the livestock marketing industry. Image courtesy of the Livestock Marketing Association Caldwell is a fifth-generation commercial cattle producer. His family operates a 150 head cow-calf operation. A member of the National Junior Angus Association, he established his own seedstock Angus operation in 2017 and currently markets bulls as a cooperator with Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, Nevada, Mo. Caldwell plans to grow…

At the market close, December corn was down ¼¢ at $4.11½ per bushel. November soybeans were up 2½¢ at $10.58½ per bushel. “It was a slow, choppy trading session,” Jamey Kohake, senior risk manager with Pinion said, “Funds are still short waiting on harvest pressure. Beans have seen a nice rally on expectations that China is back buying despite no truth to it yet.” Kohake added, “Funds are still short in beans and expecting to break $10 again with probably one of the best bean crops ever seen.”  December CBOT wheat was down 2½¢ at $5.27¼ per bushel. December KC…

An annual crop tour of the Midwest wrapped up yesterday. Crop tour scouts reported record-breaking corn yields across the Corn Belt, despite concerns over some dry conditions and disease pressure, like that of southern rust, in some top states. Here’s a look at the tour results for major corn-growing states, alongside the latest progress and condition ratings from USDA. Ohio Tour Results Ohio was one of the first stops on the tour. “Scouts on the first day of the tour projected the Ohio corn yield at 185.69 bushels per acre (bpa), above the tour’s 2024 average of 183.29 and the…

Six men died Wednesday evening in an incident at Prospect Valley Dairy in Keenesburg, Colorado. Fire crews from the Southeast Weld Fire Protection District were dispatched for a “confined space rescue” but were unable to save the trapped workers. “Crews responded and took appropriate precautions to enter the confined space to perform rescue operations,” Fire Chief Tom Beach told ABC News. “Unfortunately, district personnel recovered six deceased individuals from the space.” The Weld County Coroner’s Office said preliminary findings indicate the men were exposed to a deadly gas, which is believed to be H2S, or hydrogen sulfide — a gas…

Emerging in the Midwest as recently as 2018, the footprint of red crown rot of soybeans is expanding in Illinois, according to an agronomist.  Besides Illinois, the disease has only been confirmed in a few more states. Neighboring Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri have all reported positive cases. Beyond that, Louisiana and Delaware have reported cases of the disease, and Ohio is reporting it for the first time this season. Crop Protection Network Positive Cases in Illinois Of all top corn-growing states, red crown rot has had the largest impact on Illinois historically. The Crop Protection Network’s cumulative case map shows…

A woman in central Florida is suing a dairy after consuming the farm’s milk claiming it made her sick and, ultimately, caused her to miscarry. That statement is one of the worst-case scenarios that could possibly happen to a farmer. We take pride in what we grow and produce, and the idea that someone would be harmed by our farm products is an absolute nightmare. But the devil is always in the details. In this case, the woman purchased raw, unpasteurized milk from an organic market. The container wasn’t subtle: labeled in prominent print, “Not for Human Consumption” (as is…

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows widespread dry and drought conditions, driven by hotter-than-average temperatures and below-normal precipitation across much of the country. There was a range of temperatures with most areas one to five degrees above normal, while isolated areas of California, Minnesota, and North Dakota saw below-normal temperatures. Even warmer temperatures of five to 10 degrees above normal were reported across the High Plains and Midwest, Arkansas, along the Ohio River, central Pennsylvania, and New York. For much of the country, precipitation was mostly near to slightly below normal. U.S. map showing drought conditions. Midwest In the Midwest,…

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, Aug 19 (Reuters) – U.S. health officials gave the Food and Drug Administration the power to quickly authorize veterinarians and farmers to treat or prevent infestations of a flesh-eating livestock pest with animal drugs that may be approved for other purposes or available in other countries, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday. No cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed in the U.S. for decades. However, the Trump administration and livestock ranchers anticipate infestations that could reduce the nation’s cattle herd and lift beef prices, already at record highs. Screwworm, a parasitic fly that eats livestock…

By Leah Douglas and Nichola Groom WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it will heighten scrutiny of some solar and wind projects but stopped short of ending all agency support for clean energy projects on U.S. farms, according to a press release. The release came a day after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on X that her agency would no longer fund wind and solar on productive farmland. Rather, the agency said it will move away from funding larger renewable energy facilities, the Tuesday release said. Wind and solar projects will not be eligible for the agency’s Rural Development Business and Industry Guaranteed…

By Julie Ingwersen NEBRASKA CITY, Nebraska, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Nebraska’s soybean pod count is the highest in at least 22 years, and its corn yield potential is the strongest in four years, scouts said on Tuesday during the second day of Pro Farmer’s annual tour of major grain-producing states. In Indiana, corn yield potential is the highest in the tour’s records since at least 2003, though the average soybean pod count in the state is slightly below 2024 levels. Market players are monitoring the four-day crop tour, which started on Monday and covers seven top U.S. corn and soybean states, for…