Author: staff

On Thursday, President Donald Trump nominated Julie Callahan to serve as the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The agricultural industry had been urging the Trump administration to make such a nomination. Just last week, more than 40 agricultural associations sent a letter to Trump pressing him to “expeditiously nominate” a negotiator. Callahan has been with the Office of the USTR since 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her most recent position was assistant USTR for agricultural affairs and commodity policy, a position she held since 2020. Agricultural groups have responded to Callahan’s nomination…

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he has persuaded soda manufacturer Coca-Cola to switch to using cane sugar in its flagship Coke product, which would replace the current sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” the president wrote on Truth Social. The move to cane sugar would align U.S.-made Coke with its counterpart sold in other countries and would please Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has had…

As yields get larger and harvesting time narrows, the new Brent Avalanche model 3298 — with 3,150-bushel capacity — is the largest-yet Brent Avalanche grain cart. The cart is capable of filling up to three semi loads of grain, minimizing harvest bottlenecks. It also features a pivoting auger design, which Avalanche grain carts have included since 1998.  Unloading Features With an unloading speed of up to 1,000 bushels per minute, the cart can also be configured with optional right- or left-hand unloading to meet farmer preferences.  The low-profile, dual-auger design offers easy filling and the steep-sloped hopper handles high-moisture grain…

Since its first detection in poultry, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 has been notorious for high mortality in birds. However, the virus’s leap into dairy cattle marks a critical shift. In spring 2024, a large dairy farm in Ohio experienced a severe HPAI H5N1 outbreak after introducing cows from an affected Texas farm. What followed was a cascade of health deterioration and financial loss, giving scientists a rare opportunity to analyze the virus’s pathophysiological and economic footprint in cattle. Out of 3,876 cows, 777 (20 percent) developed clinical signs including fever, respiratory symptoms, inappetence, and –most alarmingly — mastitis with…

As of 9:05 a.m. CT, December corn was down less than a penny at $4.23½ per bushel. November soybeans were up less than a penny at $10.20¾ per bushel. September CBOT wheat was down 3½¢ at $5.37¾ per bushel. September KC wheat was down a penny at $5.21¾ per bushel. September Minneapolis wheat was down 2¢ at $5.97½.  This morning, Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor at Total Farm Marketing, discussed a corn pollination issue: “For corn, [there is] news of potential pollination issues in some locations. ‘Tight tassel wrap’ has seemed to make traders put a pause on the sell…

By Ryan Hanrahan Politico’s Marc Heller reported earlier this week that “the loss of topsoil on American farms is threatening the country’s food supply and demands a new commitment to conservation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday.” “At a policy roundtable at the Capitol, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted farm conservation as a key part of the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement and pointed to the recently enacted tax cut and spending law as a big step in keeping the country’s best farmland from eroding away,” Heller reported. “‘Our farms today…

According to the latest Crop Protection Network map, positive cases of tar spot have been reported in 26 counties so far this growing season. First reported in the Corn Belt in 2015, the disease has been confirmed in Iowa since 2016. Now all 99 Iowa counties have a history with the disease. This season tar spot has also been confirmed in neighboring Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska. Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York have reported positive cases as well. Weather During the week ending July 13, Iowa farmers experienced on and off rain. State Climatologist Justin Glisan called it…

December corn ended the day up 4¼¢ at $4.24 per bushel. November soybeans closed up 18¾¢ at $10.20½ per bushel. September wheat contracts ended the day mostly lower. CBOT wheat closed up 3¼¢ at $5.41¼ per bushel. KC wheat was down a penny at $5.22¾ per bushel. CBOT spring wheat was down a penny at $5.80. Minneapolis wheat was down 1¾¢ at $5.99½.  “After a strong night session, futures started day trade mixed,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “Soybeans were the leader as fresh buying interest surfaced in the complex. This was brought on by a 120,000-metric-ton…

In its latest Crop Progress report, the USDA rated 74% of the corn crop in the top 18 corn-growing states good/excellent. It’s the highest combined percentage for this time of year since 2016. Not all states are experiencing historically high numbers when it comes to the condition of their corn crops. Half the top 18 corn-growing states had good/excellent percentages below the 74% national average the week that ended July 13. Three of those had good/excellent percentages of 62% or less. Here’s a look at the nine states with good/excellent percentages below the national average, beginning with the worst. Michigan…

JAKARTA, July 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald announced a trade agreement with Indonesia that would see Washington lower its tariff rates to 19% from a threatened 32%. The deal includes increased Indonesian purchases of U.S. airplane, energy and farm products to help offset the nearly $18 billion trade balance in favour of Jakarta. Here is what we know about the deal so far: Energy Trump said that the deal includes Indonesia purchasing $15 billion worth of U.S. energy products, without giving specific details. Indonesian state energy company Pertamina said on Wednesday it had signed memorandums of understanding with several U.S. companies to optimise feedstock and…