Author: staff

Recognizing the role that four-legged friends often play on family farms and ranches, Farm Bureau launched the Farm Dog of the Year contest several years ago — now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Convention. The winner of the 2025 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is Sirius, a 6-year-old Maremma sheepdog owned by Florida Farm Bureau members Jorge and Debbie Garcia-Bengochea. AFBF, with support from Nestlé Purina PetCare, recognized Sirius and a People’s Choice Pup today at its convention. “Farm dogs often play a dual role as both working dogs and companions to farm and…

By Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Frigid temperatures this week likely killed as much as 15% of the winter wheat crop in parts of the U.S. Plains and Midwest, the Commodity Weather Group said on Friday, in an ominous sign for U.S. wheat production. A blast of Arctic air covered much of the United States earlier this week, sending temperatures plunging across key wheat areas that have seen limited snowfall this winter. Without that protective layer of snow, winter wheat was vulnerable to freeze damage or “winterkill” as temperatures fell to or below minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus…

1. Soybeans, Grains Surge in Overnight Trading Soybean and grain futures surged in overnight trading on concerns about production in the U.S. and South America.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month lowered its forecast for domestic soybean output to 4.366 billion bushels on yield of 50.7 bushels an acre.  That’s down from the December forecast for 4.461 billion bushels on yield of 51.7 bushels an acre, government data show.  Stockpiles at the end of the 2024/2025 marketing year on Aug. 31 are now seen at 380 million bushels versus the previous outlook for 470 million bushels, USDA said. …

By Gabriel Araujo SAO PAULO, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Brazil’s soybean harvest for the 2024/25 season had reached 1.7% of the planted area as of last Thursday, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday, the lowest level for this time of year since the 2020/21 cycle. Work in the fields has been affected mainly by excessive rains in top grain-producing state Mato Grosso, where the harvesting pace so far is the slowest ever in the data series starting 2010/11, AgRural said in a statement. Harvesting by Thursday was up from the 0.3% registered in the previous week but well below the…

The scene on Matt Woodward’s farm, north of Freistatt, Missouri, is much like that of any other farm in that southwest part of the state. You see fields of winter wheat and corn, and a few hundred head of cattle. What you don’t see, though, are the miles of drip irrigation tape running beneath 545 acres of those fields. It allows Woodward to maintain a three-way program consisting of wheat, row crops, and cattle. Besides the irrigated land, Woodward manages nearly 1,500 acres of dryland wheat, as well as corn and soybeans, plus pasture for a 200-head cow/calf herd. While…

1. Grains, Soybeans Lower in Overnight Trading Grain and soybean futures were lower in overnight trading amid favorable weather in Brazil and on concerns about demand from China.  Relief may be in store for parts of southern Brazil and Paraguay in the next week, Commodity Weather Group said in a note to clients.  In northern Brazil, dry weather will aid early soybean harvest, but the weather is expected to turn wet again, at least briefly, the forecaster said.  Concerns about demand from China, the world’s largest importer of soybeans, also are weighing on prices this morning.  USDA’s attaché in Beijing…

International Harvester Company’s (IHC) introduction of a torque amplifier now seems like a minor improvement in light of the advanced full powershift transmissions offered on today’s high-horsepower tractors. When IHC’s torque amplifier (TA) came out in 1954, it marked a revolution in transmission engineering. For the first time, farmers could shift a tractor between two gears, not only on-the-go but also under load – without having to use the clutch or throttle the engine down. Boost Draft on Demand The advantages of this maneuver were huge, particularly when tilling. The TA gave farmers the ability to shift a tractor down,…

Kentucky farmer Suzanne Cecil White has always been a go-getter, eager for a challenge. After teaching high school math for 10 years, she returned to Owensboro where her family operates a diversified farm. In 2011, the summer after moving and having her first child, a magazine article inspired a career pivot. She ran a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for 10 years and now manages a dozen greenhouses of vegetables as well as the distributor relationships that get her produce to restaurants and schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. She also has an event venue down the road from the home…

USDA’s latest Milk Production report, released Friday, outlines the nation’s milk production through the end of 2024. Here’s a look at the numbers across the 24 major milk-producing states. November Milk Production Significantly Revised For the 24 major states, USDA revised November’s milk production to 17.3 billion pounds, up from the preliminary production estimate of 17.2 billion pounds. With that revision, November production was down only 0.3% year-over-year. “The November revision represented an increase of 89 million pounds or 0.5% from last month’s preliminary production estimate,” according to the agency. December Milk Production Down Year-Over-Year Milk production across the 24…

Two exceptional college students pursuing careers in agriculture will be awarded $2,500 each this semester from the National Wheat Foundation, with sponsorship from BASF. NWF is encouraged to see such bright and hard-working students with career goals that will benefit agriculture and the wheat industry for many years to come. NWF selected Teagan Macy, a junior at the University of Idaho pursuing a degree in crop science. Macy is the fourth generation from their family farm near Culver, Oregon. She has excelled academically and in extra-curricular activities such as FFA and soil judging. Congratulations, Macy. Ryland Peters, a sophomore at…