Author: staff

As farming communities across the country recover from recent natural disasters, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), along with Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Austin Scott (R-Ga.), announced bipartisan, bicameral legislation they hope will improve access to federal agriculture disaster programs. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits payments to growers with combined farm and nonfarm adjusted gross income above $900,000, which excludes the vast majority of specialty crop growers, such as those growing strawberries in California or apples in North Carolina, from receiving critical disaster relief. The Fair Access to…

The beginning of the end of Echelbarger Hay, LLC landed as a letter at Kim and Justin Hannah’s farm near Greentown, Indiana, early last September. It was from John Deere Financial. It struck Kim as odd. Justin did repairs and field work for Echelbarger Hay – a custom hay business he co-owned with Dustin Echelbarger. Echelbarger lined up the work and handled all finances.  “I called John Deere Financial because it had Justin’s name on it,” Kim Hannah said. The woman who answered described a lien, an unpaid loan, on a tractor the Hannahs no longer owned. According to the…

The first day of spring is nearly a week away, but severe Midwest weather shows no sign of letting up.  Risks for potential severe thunderstorms, high winds, hail, flooding, and even tornadoes are expected to impact the Midwest later this week. There is also a chance for snow in the Northern Plains and into Minnesota on Saturday.   “There’s a tornado threat here, there’s no doubt about that, as well as a chance for hail and high winds,” said David Tolleris, meteorologist and owner of WxRisk, a weather consulting firm. Tornado and High Wind Threat According to data from the National…

U.S. tractor and combine sales did not start 2025 off strong, and those sluggish performances continued into February, according to the latest data released from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. The organization showed that U.S. sales of agricultural tractors declined 17.7 percent in February compared with the same month in 2024, while U.S. sales of combines dropped 48 percent. The biggest change on the tractor side involved 4WD farm tractors, which fell more than 41 percent — and year-to-date, the number is even more dire. “While the recent decline in agricultural tractor and combine sales reflect current market challenges, including…

Not long past 8:30 a.m. CT, May corn was down 7½¢ at $4.62¾ per bushel. May soybeans were down 7¢ at $10.04¼ per bushel. May wheat contracts were also lower. CBOT wheat was down 1¾¢ at $5.55 per bushel. KC wheat was down 2¼¢ at $5.69¾. Minneapolis wheat was down 3¼¢ at $5.94. April live cattle were up 50¢ at $200.05 per hundredweight (cwt). April feeder cattle were up $1.20 at $278.90 per cwt. April lean hogs were up 50¢ at $87.05 per cwt. April crude oil was up $1.18 at $67.43 per barrel. The U.S. Dollar Index March contract…

1. Soybean, Grain Futures Lower Overnight  Soybean and grain futures dropped in overnight trading amid uncertainty over tariffs after President Donald Trump suspended his plan to double levies on steel and aluminum and Ontario rescinded the 25% tariffs it had placed on electricity flowing to the U.S.  Trump on Tuesday threatened to double tariffs on shipments of steel and aluminum to 50%, leading the government of Ontario to pull back on its threat to impose 25% levies on electricity it sends to several northern U.S. states.  Steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. will still face a 25% tariff, which…

1. Corn, Soybeans Gain in Overnight Trading Corn and soybean futures were higher in overnight trading on expectations that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will lower its outlook for inventories of both commodities in a monthly supply and demand report today.  USDA will likely cut its forecast for ending stockpiles of corn in the 2024/2025 marketing year that ends on Aug. 31 to 1.516 billion bushels, according to a survey of analysts by Reuters.  That’s down from the government’s February projection of 1.54 billion bushels.  Soybean stocks at the end of the marketing year probably will be pegged at 379…

By Cami Koons A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in a mixed species backyard flock in Dallas County, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. H5N1 strain of the bird flu has impacted more than 166 million birds in backyard and commercial poultry operations since 2022, and Iowa flocks have been hit harder than any other state, in terms of birds affected.  The latest detection in Dallas County is the fifth detection of the bird flu in Iowa this year. The previous three detections have been in commercial turkey and egg laying facilities.  In late February, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke…

Ryan Hanrahan Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman reported late last week that “President Donald Trump’s slew of tariffs means American farmers may not make that big shift to corn after all. Growers were widely expected to plant the most corn in five years due to tighter supplies. Now levies on some products from Canada, Mexico, and China have shifted a key market indicator in favor of soybeans.” “Corn prices, which had surged earlier this year, erased almost all of 2025’s gain as tariffs threatened to lock growers out of key export markets, leaving bins bursting,” Chipman reported. “Tariffs have also made fertilizers…

What Happened The rapid decline in corn prices over the past two weeks was, by many accounts, not necessarily a surprise. Consider these factors: a convergence of technical and fundamental factors (including a massive buildup of managed money long contracts) and improved weather conditions in South America. The overbought conditions led to multiple chart signals that suggested a potential downdraft for prices. Price sell-offs were not confined to just the corn market. Soybeans, wheat, cattle, hogs, cotton, and milk all experienced steep losses. Announced tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China may have been the tipping point for traders to move…