Author: staff

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Recent heavy rainfall across much of Argentina’s agricultural heartland is likely to continue over the next few days and mark an “inflection point” for the current soybean and corn crops, the Rosario grains exchange (BCR) said on Monday. More than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain soaked farmland over the last few days, helping to cement a recovery from drought conditions and a heat wave that hit 2024/25 crops in late January and earlier this month. Argentina is a major grains exporter, with sales from shipments of processed soybeans, corn, and wheat providing…

1. Soybean Futures Decline in Overnight Trading Soybeans were lower in overnight trading on increased concerns about extended trade wars after President Donald Trump said tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go forward.  The president on Monday said the planned tariffs, for which he signed an executive order on Feb. 1 before ultimately delaying implementation, will take effect next week.  Canada was the biggest buyer of U.S. goods in 2022, accounting for about $357 billion in items shipped, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Mexico was the second-largest importer of U.S. products, taking in about $324 billion in goods. …

By Gary Schnitkey, Nick Paulson, and Carl Zulauf Most farmers have completed their 2024 financial statements. Including the recently passed Economic Assistance (EA) payments on 2024, financial statements will significantly improve financial performance. Projections for 2025 likely will result in 2025 income levels close to those of 2024 with EA. Hence, changes in net worth and working capital in 2025 could be close to those that occurred in 2024. Net Incomes on Illinois Grain Farms Illinois grain farms enrolled in Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) had a record net income in 2022 of $506,000 per farm (see Figure 1).…

By Ryan Hanrahan Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported Monday that “key House Republicans are growing increasingly worried that planned cuts to a popular food aid program under the GOP’s reconciliation package could sink hopes for a new farm bill at a time when the party is in a strong position to shape the legislation.” The budget plan that was approved in the US House of Representatives last night “calls for substantial reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as part of $230 billion in agriculture spending cuts,” Yarrow reported. “It’s rankling both swing-district lawmakers with constituents who rely on the aid…

1. Soybean Futures Up Modestly Overnight Soybean futures were narrowly higher in overnight trading amid projections for fewer planted acres and lower ending stocks in the next marketing year.  Area planted to soybeans in the U.S. in the 2025/2026 marketing year that starts on Sept. 1 are now forecast at 84 million acres, the Department of Agriculture said in a report at its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.  That’s down from 87.1 million acres planted a year earlier, agency data show.  Production in the next marketing year is forecast at 4.37 billion bushels on yield of 52.5 bushels an acre, USDA…

If you listen to my buddy Alex (the “4320 guy” in one of my circles of friends), the John Deere 4320 is “hands down the pinnacle of all of the New Generation tractors.” There’s no disputing it; he lays it down as a cold, hard fact. Fair warning: if you ask him why, you’d best have a chair handy, because he’ll have a lot to say. And frankly, after listening to him over lunch one day, I’ve got to admit, he’s got a point. Lots of people talk about the 4320 as a gap-filler, and that’s true — it was.…

To help farmers capture as much crop as possible during harvest, John Deere has released new combine headers, including a three-piece hinge draper reel system and an 18-row corn head with 30-inch spacing.   “Our goal is to ensure John Deere combines are as productive as possible, and that all starts with the header,” said Bergen Nelson, go-to-market manager for harvest equipment. “These headers are built to consistently feed the combine, keeping harvest productive and efficient. We know that how the crop is taken off the field is as important as how the field is left behind, and all that…

John Deere announced updates to the John Deere and Hagie sprayer lineups — upgrades developed to give farmers cleaner fields with less weed competition, and more yield potential. “Application equipment makes an average of three passes over the same field during a growing season,” said Josh Ladd, John Deere go-to-market manager for application. “The updates we are bringing to farmers this season are designed to help them save on input costs and reduce crop damage – two things that help a farmer’s bottom line.” See & Spray Updates See & Spray Select Variable Rate See & Spray technology continues to…

With another growing season quickly approaching, Ryan Gentle’s days will soon be filled with a lot more windshield time as he works fields and visits farmers from as far south as St. Louis to as far north as Galena, Illinois. Gentle is an agronomist based in west central Illinois. A University of Illinois alumnus and former farm kid, Gentle is a contributing agronomist for Successful Farming’s coverage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Progress report. He works for Wyffels Hybrids, with a territory encompassing a large chunk of his home state.  Gentle spoke with Successful Farming about how he…

John Deere announced new planter technologies designed to make planting more efficient, helping farmers get the crop in during tight windows due to weather and other conditions. Three new technologies: seed-level sensing, fertilizer-level sensing, and active vacuum automation, give farmers more information needed to keep planters running.  Seed-Level Sensing  This logistics feature provides farmers a more accurate look at the level of seed remaining in the tank. Currently, farmers estimate time to empty based on previous experience or general visual indicators and often have to stop and manually check remaining seed. Seed-level sensing places a tank sensor that measures the volume of…