Author: staff

By Ryan Hanrahan Reuters Lisa Baertlein reported Wednesday that “the union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.S. economy.” “The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group, in a joint statement, called the agreement a ‘win-win.’ The deal includes a resolution in automation, which had been the thorniest issue on the table,” Baertlein reported. “‘This agreement protects current…

Syngenta is combining its knowledge of crop biology with the proprietary artificial intelligence methods of Britain-based TraitSeq to identify highly specific indicators of a plant’s cellular state called biomarkers and ultimately development innovative, high-performance biostimulants. When activated, these biomarkers can indicate how well a plant is responding to efforts to boost its health or to block the effects of external, abiotic stressors. Biostimulants are products applied to plants, seeds, or the root environment that enhance natural plant processes, leading to an improved nutrient use efficiency, increased tolerance to abiotic stress or better crop quality. Biostimulants are a vital and growing…

Iowa farmland values fell an average of 3.1% in 2024, according to the 2024 Iowa State University (ISU) Land Value Survey. A separate report from Peoples Co. suggests the factors influencing farmland values in Iowa are also impacting other Corn Belt states. ISU’s survey found the statewide average value for farmland was $11,467 per acre as of Nov. 1, 2024. This was a decrease of $369 per acre from a year prior. When split into high, medium, and low quality farmland, the state average for all three categories also experienced a drop year-over-year. Influencing Factors ISU’s report said survey respondents…

DAILY Bites USDA and ISU scientists used AI to find safer alternatives to bromoform for reducing cow methane emissions. AI models identified 15 promising molecules in the rumen with methane-reducing potential. The study shows AI can speed methane research and support sustainable solutions. DAILY Discussion A new study from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Iowa State University reveals that generative artificial intelligence can help expedite the search for solutions to reduce enteric methane emissions caused by cows in animal agriculture. “Developing solutions to address methane emissions from animal agriculture is a critical priority. Our scientists continue to…

March corn is up a penny this morning while March soybeans are down less than a penny. March wheat contracts are lower this morning. CBOT wheat is down 5¢. KC wheat is down 3¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 3¼¢. “Moderate pressure is being seen in the market this morning, which is not surprising given the lack of interest we are seeing from traders,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “Several markets are closed today for a National Day of Mourning for former President Carter. The ag sector will have an early close today at 1:15 p.m. ET. Given…

Recently, I went on a cross country (more like cross county, I suppose) tractor drive to pick up a new-to-us drill. I think I crossed three counties. It only took about an hour and half to get there. Then pulled the drill back home. I traveled a lot of roads I had never been on before. It’s surprising to me how similar everywhere is. Not the land or the operations, but the evidence of time gone by. People and companies sell us on the idea that we need more to be successful or happy. Build the bigger house, buy the…

By Jennifer Shutt WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats raised concerns Wednesday that Republicans have scheduled a hearing for one of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees before he completed the necessary paperwork and an FBI background check. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich separately criticized the decision, saying it sets a troubling precedent. “Yesterday, the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources noticed a hearing for Governor Doug Burgum to serve as the next secretary of the Interior, without minority consent, as has long been standard practice,” Schumer said during a…

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Rains set to arrive in Argentina in mid-January should bring relief to soybeans and corn in the core farm region hit by a recent dry spell, a climatologist at the authoritative Buenos Aires grains exchange told Reuters on Wednesday. Eduardo Sierra, a meteorological analyst at the exchange, said that according to their model, some 50-75 millimeters (2-3 inches) of rain was expected between Jan. 16 and 22 in the key farm region, where hot dry weather since last month has started to hit crops. “These rains could greatly limit the impact of the dry weather.…

By Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek Jan 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. will rebuild a stockpile of bird flu vaccines for poultry that match the strain of the virus circulating in commercial flocks and wild birds, the Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday, in a sign of the widespread and devastating nature of the nation’s persistent outbreak. The outbreak, which began in poultry in early 2022, has killed more than 130 million commercial, backyard and wild birds in all 50 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths of millions of egg-laying hens pushed wholesale egg prices to record…

By Sybille de La Hamaide PARIS, Jan 8 (Reuters) – More should be done to control the spread of bird flu among animals to avoid more cases in humans, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Wednesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States. Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has spread across the world in recent years, ravaging flocks, pushing up food prices, and raising concerns about a new pandemic. “This situation really highlights the importance of managing risk at the animal source, which is really essential to prevent the spread of bird flu…