Author: staff

Senate leadership is still aiming to have the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate by July 4. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman joined the show to outline the benefits farm country will see in the bill. He also discussed immigration, the MAHA Commission report, and his optimism for passing a complete farm bill this Congress. Plus, Mike Stranz with the National Farmers Union and Tas Smith from the National Cotton Council discussed the extension of the 45Z tax credit in reconciliation, the Buy American Cotton Act, and the MAHA Commission report. Watch the…

By Joshua Haiar and Seth Tupper Over 100 state and local officials from the Midwest and West, including South Dakota, are asking the U.S. Senate to eliminate tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration as part of a federal budget reconciliation bill. Established by Congress and then-President George W. Bush in 2008, the 45Q tax credits incentivize companies to capture carbon dioxide from processes such as ethanol production and sequester it underground, so it doesn’t contribute to climate change by acting as a greenhouse gas. The carbon can also be sequestered as part of enhanced oil recovery, in which pressurized gas pushes…

There’s not much I can add to the story of the Waterloo Boy — it’s been told plenty over the years. Brad Neuhart, a long-time Tractor Zoom auctioneer partner, is selling a really nice one at a collector auction in southeast Michigan this weekend, and that’s a good excuse to revisit why John Deere’s decision to buy their way into the tractor business might’ve been the best call they made in the early 20th century. Waterloo Boy tractor listings on Tractor Zoom Getting Into the Tractor Business If I did try to uncover some new information about the Waterloo Boy,…

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, June 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering a potential plan to vaccinate poultry against bird flu for the first time that includes evaluating how it would affect exports, the agency told Reuters this week. The actions advance the government’s assessment of a vaccine after the USDA received proposals on usage from associations representing egg and turkey producers whose farms have been devastated by the virus. Nearly 175 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been culled in attempts to contain outbreaks since 2022 in the nation’s worst animal-health emergency. Losses of egg-laying chickens drove egg…

President Donald Trump relied heavily on the rural vote for his election, but some of those voters have become increasingly anxious about his actions in recent weeks, especially when it comes to their farmworkers, uncertainty over new trade deals, and the MAHA movement. The Trump team also delivered some good news for farm country in the form of new investments to eradicate deadly screwworm, and favorable blending targets for fuel producers under the Renewable Fuel Standard.  1. Ag Operations on the Hot Seat, but ‘Criminals Come First’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will continue to conduct inspections of ag…

Image by Tractor Supply Company Tractor Supply Company and the Tractor Supply Company Foundation announced that they are donating an additional $1 million in total to charity organizations committed to supporting our nation’s military service members, veterans and first responders. The Company and its foundation made an initial $1 million donation in June 2024 to celebrate the launch of its Hometown Heroes initiative, which brings together the Company’s efforts to support the selfless men and women who serve America under one banner. Tractor Supply launched the second year of its Hometown Heroes initiative yesterday with a Back-to-School Brigade® event in…

Grocery competition is dwindling in rural America as federal funding to rebuild it is on the chopping block. If you live in a small town, you probably have fewer grocery stores than you did 30 years ago — and fewer choices inside them. Independent grocers have disappeared, replaced by big national chains that now decide what’s on the shelves, how much it costs, and who gets to profit. In 1990, the top four grocery chains controlled just 13 percent of nationwide sales. By 2019, the top four retailers — Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Ahold Delhaize — controlled 34 percent of…

At the market close, July corn was down 2¾¢ at $4.41¼ per bushel. July soybeans were down 7½¢ at $10.60¾ per bushel. Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting, said, “Collective trade was evident in [Friday’s] session, as futures were on both sides of unchanged during the session. Fresh news was light going into the weekend, as was trade volume following Thursday’s holiday.” Setzer added weather and geopolitical developments were the market’s main drivers. The wheat markets were also lower at the close. July CBOT wheat was down 7¢ at $5.83½ per bushel. September KC wheat dropped 7¾¢ at $5.78¾…

A coalition of over 200 trade and farm associations, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is sounding the alarm on what they fear could be a repeat of the supply chain chaos seen during the pandemic. In a letter sent Tuesday to federal officials including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Louis Sola, the group urges swift action as shifting tariffs and resumed trade with China put serious strain on the nation’s freight infrastructure. The letter paints a picture of déjà vu: after a steep spike in tariffs earlier this year caused…

Weeds are trying to corner the market on your soil. Left unchecked, a single waterhemp plant can flood your weed seed bank with hundreds of thousands of seeds. Without timely postemergence control and layered herbicide protection, you could be financing next year’s weed takeover.  Postemergence weed control is a balancing act to protect both the yield of this season as well as future productivity. In order to be effective, post applications must be timely, and layered with the right residuals, said Kurt Maertens, technical agronomist for BASF in western Illinois and eastern Iowa. “We can’t give weeds a break, not…