Author: staff

When input prices are high and crop prices are low, optimizing every pass across the field helps keep budgets in the black. While nozzle choice and maintenance may seem like small pieces of a weed management plan, they can offer impactful returns.  “If you know you’re using a good product but have weed escapes, your nozzles are definitely an easy thing to look at,” says Austin Weiss, a staff product application specialist at Syngenta.  Common Nozzle Options A fungicide application’s ideal nozzle may differ from a pre-emergence herbicide application’s preferred option. In a perfect world, farmers would optimize their nozzles for each…

The agricultural equipment market stands at a crossroads, grappling with many challenges while presenting opportunities for savvy producers. As we look toward 2025, several factors — including interest rates, commodity prices, and inventory levels — influence the agricultural sector’s purchasing decisions and market dynamics. The agricultural landscape has faced significant hurdles recently, marked by declining commodity prices, high operational costs, and reduced farm income. According to USDA projections, net farm income is expected to drop by nearly 25% in 2024, falling from $155 billion to $116 billion. This sharp decline, driven by decreased cash crop receipts and rising production expenses,…

By Ryan Hanrahan Bloomberg’s Dayanne Sousa and Clarice Couto reported Thursday that “a global push to decarbonize air travel has groups from Big Oil to sovereign wealth funds betting on Brazil to become a top global center for green jet fuel.” “Brazil is becoming a magnet for investment as countries race to grab a share of what promises to be a fast-growing market, with Shell Plc and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Co. considering new sustainable aviation fuel plants in the country. That’s in part because Latin America’s biggest economy is the world’s second-largest producer of ethanol, which can be used…

Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in eight commercial dairy facilities in Cache County earlier this week. Mandatory surveillance of HPAI was put into effect for all dairies in Cache County on October 23, 2024. Initial samples from all Cache County dairies were sent to the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Logan and were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. According to UDAF, positive dairies have been placed under quarantine; no movement of lactating cattle is permitted on or off affected facilities except for cattle going directly…

What happened The 2025 December corn futures contract, as of this writing, is trading near $4.40. The December 2024 contract is trading near $4.14. In theory, this implies that the market is only going to pay farmers 26¢ to hold corn in storage for one year. That does not seem logical. Perhaps more importantly, there seems to be very little financial incentive for farmers to plant corn in 2025.  Unless corn prices rally, we anticipate that farmers will likely reduce acreage, just as they did for the 2024 season when acres were reduced by 3.9 million. If another 2 million…

Image By ungvar, Shutterstock Four finalists have been selected in the 12th annual National Anthem Singing Contest. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association invites the public to vote for the winner beginning today, November 1. The four finalists are:  Anah Higbie: Quenemo, Kansas Jaci Deitrick: Newcastle, Oklahoma  Payton Goodman; Canyon, Texas  Hayden Ladd: Waldron, Michigan  The public can vote for their favorite singer once per day per person through Nov. 15, and the winner will be announced on Nov. 15. The winner will perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” at the Opening General Session of CattleCon25 and will receive round trip…

The Midwest is expected to receive multiple rounds of widespread rain throughout the first week of November. Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois are predicted to see the highest rainfall totals.  Kathy Krafka Harkema, a fourth-generation corn, soybean, and livestock farmer in Eastern Iowa, said that the dry weather pattern has made for a smooth harvest but is posing concerns for soil moisture going into winter. Iowa’s harvest is running ahead of schedule, with 84% of corn harvested and 96% of soybeans harvested, according to the Crop Progress Report released on Oct. 28. Rain in the forecast is relieving some stress…

Strong agriculture leaders are critical to the future of the soybean industry, and the American Soybean Association wants to provide a student interested in agriculture with a college scholarship as they start their education. The Soy Scholarship is a $7,000 one-time award presented to a high school senior who plans to pursue agriculture as an area of study at any accredited college or university in the 2025-26 academic year. The scholarship is managed by ASA and made possible through a grant by BASF Corporation. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s agriculture teachers, researchers, farmers and policymakers. We are thrilled to support future…

Many farmers and rural residents with land or other available resources are thinking of raising sheep. A lot of things need to be considered before you invest in a sheep enterprise. To run a successful sheep enterprise, you’ll want to efficiently produce high-quality lamb and wool that can be profitably marketed. The first step is to evaluate the resources you have available. Then you’ll need to design a sheep production system that will use those resources most efficiently. Take Stock Before diving in and purchasing a flock, make sure to take stock of what you need to be successful —…

December corn is up 4½¢ this morning. January soybeans are up 10¢. December wheat contracts are also higher. CBOT wheat is up 3¾¢. KC wheat is up 3½¢. Minneapolis wheat is up 2¢. Earlier this morning USDA announced export sales to multiple destinations: China is buying 132,000 metric tons of soybeans for the 2024/2025 marketing year.Mexico is buying 781,322 metric tons of corn — 715,800 metric tons for the 2024/2025 marketing year and 65,532 metric tons for the 2025/2026 marketing year.Unknown destinations are buying 198,000 metric tons of soybeans for the 2024/2025 marketing year.India is buying 30,000 metric tons of…