Author: staff

By Jacob Fischler A spending bill U.S. House appropriators released Tuesday evening to keep the government open into next spring includes a provision to allow sales of a gasoline blend that includes up to 15% ethanol nationwide throughout the year. After years of prohibiting the blend, known as E15, from being sold at gas stations during the summer months, the Environmental Protection Agency this year allowed year-round sales in eight Midwestern states. The provision in the stopgap funding bill would allow E15 sales in all states throughout the year. The provision is a major win for corn producers and their…

Image by Oakridge Farm Supply Harvest is completed, and grain is in the bins, but there’s still work to be done. GSI District Manager Dave Ellis says it’s important for farmers to perform postharvest grain system maintenance. “If they haven’t already done so, now is the time to check their grain bins, dryers, and grain handling equipment,” he said. “Maintenance work following harvest helps prevent preseason replacement, and an ounce of prevention can help save farmers tons of problems next season.” Ellis’ recommendations include: Grain pit: Clean out the grain dump pit to prevent it from filling up with debris…

A patient has been hospitalized in Louisiana with a severe case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (“H5N1 bird flu”) infection. This is the first instance of severe illness linked to the virus in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case on December 13 and announced it today on their website. Since April 2024, there have been 61 reported human cases of H5 bird flu reported in the United States. Partial viral genome data of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that infected the patient in Louisiana indicates that the virus belongs to the D1.1 genotype…

By Stanley Dunlap Georgia U.S. Rep. David Scott of Atlanta will no longer be the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee following the House Democratic Caucus’ vote Tuesday to appoint Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig to the position. Craig, who is entering her fourth term, was one of three House Democrats to be awarded leadership positions Tuesday, completing a post-election shakeup that saw some longtime lawmakers ousted. The caucus voted to make Craig the top Democrat on House Agriculture, Virginia’s Gerry Connolly the ranking member on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and California’s Jared Huffman the ranking member of…

The House of Representatives proposed legislation late Tuesday to fund the government through March 2025. The bill also includes a year-long extension of the 2018 Agriculture Innovation Act, known as the farm bill, plus $10 billion in additional aid for farmers and ranchers. Included in the $10 billion is emergency economic aid that aims to address substantial losses stemming from weather and market challenges, offering critical financial support to the farming community. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson emphasized the importance of this assistance, describing it as a necessary “financial bridge” to help mitigate the current downturn in the…

March corn is down less than a penny this morning. March soybeans are down 14½¢. Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor at Total Farm Marketing, says the Christmas rally may be over for March soybeans, as a head and shoulders chart formation has taken shape. “The Christmas rally only amounted to 25¢ this year, as the good crop weather in South America and 470-million-bushel U.S. carryout continues to weigh on prices,” she said.   She noted the current chart formation indicates March soybeans could go as low as $9 per bushel. “Last year, in hindsight, this formation occurred this time of…

If I take the backroads en route to my gym, I pass a small family-owned nursery. Every November, their outdoor flowerbeds are replaced by rows of proud Douglas firs — sturdy soldiers, alone in their resistance against winter dormancy. I can smell them before I see them — the sharp aroma of piney terpene molecules, released into the air by affronts from axe, spike, and chain. Aromatized violence. One can’t help but wonder if our festivities take a small, seasonal toll on Mother Earth. What’s the greenest option: real trees or artificial? With approximately 25 million to 30 million fresh…

If you’ve done any kind of tractor restoration, you’ve used a power washer or the pressure washer at a car wash. If the tractor had a lot of grease buildup, it’s possible you even used a can of grease remover or oven cleaner to help dissolve the accumulation before power washing. What if there were a better way of handling dirt and grime before, during, and after restoration? Jim Deardorff, owner of Superior Coatings, a sand blasting and painting business in Chillicothe, Missouri, believes steam cleaning is one option for removing years of dirt and grease buildup and preparing metal…

1. Soybeans, Grains Little Changed Overnight Soybean and grain futures were little changed in overnight trading as investors weigh favorable South American weather against signs of demand for U.S. supplies. Rain is expected to spread across growing areas in Brazil and precipitation fell over the weekend in several growing stats including Mato Grosso, Goiás, and Minas Gerais, said Don Keeney, an agricultural meteorologist with Maxar.  Rains will favor northern and far southern parts of the South American country, he said.  “Dryness will continue in eastern São Paulo and eastern Bahia, but moisture should remain favorable elsewhere,” Keeney said in a…

California state agriculture officials ordered the recall of raw milk from a dairy farm in the Central Valley after tests found bird flu virus in a sample from the farm’s bulk tank. The state Department of Food and Agriculture warned against consumption of milk from Valley Milk Simply Bottled on the grounds that it “may lead to infection with this rare, emerging flu virus.” No illnesses were reported. It was the second recall of raw milk products in California in two weeks. Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, began a voluntary recall of all of its raw milk and cream products on Dec. 3 due…