Author: staff

What Happened One of the more talked about and anticipated reports published by the USDA is the March Prospective Plantings report. The 2025 report was released last Monday. Throughout the winter, there’s much talk amongst farmers and industry professionals concerning which direction farmers will lean — planting more corn, soybeans, or otherwise. Typically, there is a trade-off between corn and soybean acres. This year proved no different. Corn acres were, as expected, higher than a year ago at 95.3 million, adding 4.7 million. However, the pre-report estimate was 94.3 million. Soybeans lost 3.6 million acres from a year ago, coming…

May corn ended the day up 4½¢ at $4.69 per bushel. May soybeans closed up 9¾¢ at $9.92¾ per bushel. May wheat contracts also closed higher. CBOT wheat was up 3½¢ at $5.40 per bushel. KC wheat was up 2¼¢ at $5.61½. Minneapolis wheat was up 7¢ at $6.01. “The corn market remained bull-spread on Tuesday, with front-end contracts showing strength while the deferred months stayed under pressure,” said the Grain Market Insider newsletter by Stewart-Peterson Inc. “Soybeans ended mixed again, with the front three months posting gains while deferred contracts slipped, signaling continued bull spreading. “Wheat finished in the…

Soybeans are once again caught in the crosshairs of a brewing U.S.-China trade war, as escalating tariffs are creating a challenging environment for American farmers. U.S. soybean exports to China now face a 60 percent tariff — double the rate seen during the 2018 trade war — and analysts warn that figure could rise further if retaliatory measures continue between the two economic powers. The recent flare-up began with President Donald Trump declaring what he called “Liberation Day,” announcing tariffs on over 180 countries, including a sweeping 34 percent tariff on Chinese imports. China quickly responded with its own 34…

As the Trump administration moves forward with sweeping global tariffs, uncertainty is causing concern among dealers and manufacturers about the impact to the agricultural equipment industry. This could include hesitancy among farmers to invest in new machinery, rising demand and prices for used equipment, and some manufacturers pausing on capital investments while others move forward or expand existing plans.  Concern Among Equipment Dealers Agricultural equipment dealers report they are “concerned, but not yet alarmed,” according to a recent study by Tractor Zoom. Of the 25 dealers surveyed, 45% said they believe tariffs will have a negative effect and another 45%…

The Latest To date, more than 168.3 million reported birds have been affected by HPAI since February 2022, with cases found in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Cases slowed down significantly for most of 2024, but have risen since the start of November. Cases have continued to appear in the opening months of 2025. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported 43 new cases of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) over 18 different states in the past 30 days. What Producers Can Do Anyone involved with poultry production, from the small backyard to the large…

The National Corn Growers Association is launching its fifth iteration of the Consider Corn Challenge, a contest in which participants can submit proposals for new uses of field corn that have quantifiable market demand. “Biobased products are a win-win for everyone,” said NCGA Research & New Uses Chair and Kansas farmer Chad Epler. “NCGA is investing in these biobased solutions and positioning corn as the feedstock of choice. To demonstrate our commitment to identifying and developing these new uses we are increasing the prize by $50,000 to a total of $300,000.” Previous winners of the contests have scaled up to…

A Las Vegas veterinarian who came under fire over the weekend after videos surfaced showing a man repeatedly kicking a downed horse has now vanished without a trace, prompting an active search in the Lake Mead area. Dr. Shawn Frehner, a longtime veterinarian and Ohio State University graduate, was identified by many online as the man in the viral footage, which ignited widespread outrage across social media platforms (confirmation of the identity of the person in the video has not been released by law enforcement or other official entities). The video, showing a horse being struck multiple times while lying…

If you’re involved in ag you know how important it is to share it with the rest of the world. But we face some challenges in teaching people about ag. We have a lot of knowledge about ag and so many great things to teach others, but how exactly do we reach those who need to know about it? The secret is in partnerships. Working together never fails to be a great way to expand your reach and make the biggest impact you can. In ag, partnerships are the key to spreading the word to as many people as possible!…

By Ryan Hanrahan NBC News’ Peter Guo reported that “China said Tuesday it will ‘fight to the end’ if President Donald Trump imposes an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods as many countries rush to negotiate trade with the United States.” “If the plan is fully implemented, the total tariffs on goods imported into the United States from China would be as much as 104%. In response, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said China ‘firmly opposes’ Trump’s tariff threats, calling its previous countermeasures ‘entirely justified,’” Guo reported. “…Trump threatened the new 50% duty on China, effective Wednesday, if Beijing does not…

On this episode of the 15 Minutes With a Farmer podcast, Asia Kalcevic shares her experience as a young woman in agriculture and how her family’s eastern Colorado farm uses regenerative farming practices and the latest technology to care for their soil and reduce the cost of inputs. She also highlights the evolving role of social media in promoting sustainable agriculture and the farm’s brand.  Kalcevic joined me for a conversation from the Successful Farming booth at Commodity Classic in Denver. Listen to the Podcast Subscribe to 15 Minutes With a Farmer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen…