Author: staff

John Deere has announced the JDLink Boost, a satellite connectivity tool to provide data connection in fields with little or no cellular coverage.  The JDLink Boost takes advantage of the Starlink satellite network established by SpaceX to provide rural farmers with connectivity to use precision agriculture technology.  “JDLink Boost brings a game-changing solution to farmers by streamlining connectivity and providing seamless access to critical data that drives informed decision-making,” said Ryan Stien, go-to-market manager for digital technologies at John Deere. “We’re proud to deliver technology that not only empowers farmers to operate more efficiently and effectively today, but also lays…

DAILY Bites SB-705 bans most agricultural burning to improve air quality. Farmers face high cost for alternatives. Burning reduced from 1 million tons in 2021 to 122,000 tons by 2023 in one area alone. DAILY Discussion The timing could be any more eyebrow-raising as a two-decade-old bill to ban agricultural burning has finally fully gone into effect in California. The long-delayed effort, called Senate Bill 703, officially started last week and bans nearly all agricultural burning in an effort to reduce air pollution. This comes while “California” and “fires” are at the front of people’s minds nationally, as the Eaton…

Brooks Reid considers himself a farmer who pushes the limits and thinks outside the box on his farm in Brunswick, Missouri. Biologicals have found a place in his corn and soybean rotation. “Biologicals interest me because they aid in fertilizer uptake,” the central Missouri grower said. “I believe that’s the key to increased yield.” In a 2024 survey conducted by the Stratovation Group consulting company, “Ag Biologicals: Revisiting Farmer Value, Perception, and Potential,” 45% of all row crop producers say they purchase or use biological products. That is up 8 percentage points from the group’s 2022 survey.  Despite the upward…

Lurking just beneath the crop canopy, waiting to rob yield and wreak havoc, are hidden criminals: herbicide-resistant weeds. As technology has advanced, these weeds adapt to control tactics, often faster than we can respond, making them the “most-wanted” weed species.  Herbicide-resistant weeds are one of the most significant problems facing farmers, costing them time and money, said Isaac Schroeder, division agronomist for Superior Ag, headquartered in southwest Indiana. “Resistance has forced a larger financial investment in a more robust residual program because weeds are a lot easier to control before they emerge,” he said. According to the Iowa State Estimated Costs of…

By Cami Koons The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has confirmed the state’s first 2025 detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza with a case in a multi-species backyard flock in Clinton County.  This follows a series of detections in commercial and backyard flocks across the state beginning in December 2024.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources also reported a resurgence of the H5N1 bird flu in wild birds in the same month.  Avian influenza is listed as a low public health risk according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections to humans have come from direct contact with dairy…

By Roberto Samora SAO PAULO, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Dry weather is limiting soybean development in Brazil’s southernmost state, putting farmers on alert there at the same time as excessive rain is set to disrupt early harvest work in central areas of the country, according to meteorologists. Expectations for the 2025 soy harvest in Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter, are sitting above 170 million metric tons. But output in Rio Grande do Sul, where rains have been scarce, is essential for achieving the target, which would be a record, according to some private consultancies. “Some areas have gone more than…

Corn farmers in Iowa, and across the country, will have “full and fair” access to markets in Mexico after a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, panel found Mexico’s bans on genetically engineered corn were against USMCA commitments.  The U.S. brought forward seven claims under the trade agreement in 2023 and on Dec. 20, 2024, the USMCA panel sided in favor of the U.S. claims, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Under a 2023 presidential corn decree, Mexico initiated a ban on GE corn in dough and tortillas and called for the gradual elimination of GE corn from other food sources…

CHICAGO, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Condition ratings for winter wheat declined during December in Kansas, the top U.S. winter wheat producer, even as dry conditions subsided in parts of the state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. The United States is the world’s No. 5 wheat exporter. The USDA issued its last national winter wheat ratings of the season on Nov. 25, reporting 55% of the U.S. crop in good-to-excellent condition, the highest for that time of year in six years. Over the winter, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service releases monthly reports for select states. The government…

By Ryan Hanrahan The Hill’s Alex Gangitano reported Tuesday that “President-elect Trump on Tuesday refused to commit to not using the U.S. military to gain control of the Panama Canal, after vowing last month to take over operation of the key passageway.” “Trump was questioned during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago about his recently targeting the canal as well as Greenland for possible American expansion and if he would say he would not use the military to gain control of it,” Gangitano reported. “‘I’m not going to commit to that. It might be that you have to do something,’ Trump said. ‘Look,…

By Jeff Beach A group of North Dakota landowners is appealing the state’s approval of an underground carbon storage area for Summit Carbon Solutions, the company attempting to build the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project.  The group represented by Bismarck attorney Derrick Braaten on Thursday filed the appeal in Burleigh County District Court, asserting that the North Dakota Industrial Commission withheld information and violated state law in approving the storage permit plan on Dec. 12.  The permanent underground carbon storage sites in western North Dakota are a key piece of Summit’s planned five-state pipeline network capturing greenhouse gas…