Author: staff

By Ryan Hanrahan Reuters’ Joe Cash, Mei Mei Chu and Xiuhao Chen reported that “China has American agricultural exports in its cross hairs as it prepares countermeasures against fresh U.S. import tariffs, China’s state-backed Global Times reported, raising the stakes in an escalating trade war between the world’s top two economies.” “U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened China with the extra 10% duty set to take effect on Tuesday, resulting in a cumulative 20% tariff, and accused Beijing of not doing enough to halt the flow of fentanyl into America, which China said was tantamount to ‘blackmail,’” Cash, Chu,…

The Latest To date, more than 166.2 million reported birds have been affected by HPAI since February 2022, with cases found in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Cases slowed down significantly for most of 2024, but have risen since the start of November. Cases have continued to rise in the opening months of 2025. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported 110 new cases of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) over 27 different states in the past 30 days. What Producers Can Do Anyone involved with poultry production, from the small backyard to the large…

China has American agricultural exports in its crosshairs as it prepares countermeasures against fresh U.S. import tariffs, China’s state-backed Global Times reported, raising the stakes in an escalating trade war between the world’s top two economies. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened China with the extra 10 percent duty set to take effect on Tuesday, resulting in a cumulative 20 percent tariff. It accused Beijing of not doing enough to halt the flow of fentanyl into America, which China said was tantamount to “blackmail.” “China is studying and formulating relevant countermeasures in response to the U.S. threat of imposing…

Minnesota’s local egg producers are facing pressure from the rising egg prices nationwide and continued threat of bird flu. Many of the area’s egg producers and poultry farmers have raised prices or changed farming practices, as the average cost for a dozen Grade A eggs reached $4.95 last month. In the Midwest, some prices reached $7.47 per dozen, according to USA Today. Windhaven Farm in South Haven is one of several farms in the area that has been facing additional challenges. They already had some protective measures against bird flu from previous years, Alex Green, one of Windhaven’s owners, said,…

I had never been to a Rotary Club meeting, so I didn’t know what to expect. What do Rotarians even do? Are they obsessed with switching around the tires on their cars? Do they track Earth’s spin on its axis? Mike Lamb, editor of the Marshall Independent newspaper, recently invited me to address a meeting of the Marshall, Minnesota, Rotary Club. I had never knowingly interacted with a Rotarian — let alone a group of them — but I’ve never let a trivial matter such as a total lack of experience stand in my way. The lunchtime meal served at…

John Deere has expanded autonomous equipment with the next-generation perception system, an autonomy precision upgrade kit for select tractor models that brings autonomy to tillage work. This system is available as a precision upgrade for model year 2022 and newer 9R and 9RX tractors and model year 2020.5 and newer 8R and 8RX tractors. Select model year 2025 John Deere tractors are autonomy-ready from the factory. “We have been working with test customers for five years to bring an autonomous solution to the market,” said Christopher Murray, John Deere go-to-market manager for embedded technology. “Autonomy helps farmers hit their ideal…

Predators and livestock losses are a long-standing issue for ranchers, but the reintroduction of wolves has escalated tensions in the West. While dramatized conflicts in Taylor Sheridan’s latest episode of 1923 might capture some aspects of ranch life, real ranchers are dealing with very real losses including in the Southwest in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, where gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves have been reintroduced. Recent reports from the New Mexico Stockman highlight increasing concerns over wolf depredation. In Cochise County, Arizona, 22 livestock deaths were suspected to have been caused by wolves, but only four were officially confirmed.…

At the close, May corn was down 13¼¢ at $4.56¼ per bushel. May soybeans closed down 14¼¢ at $10.11½ per bushel. May wheat contracts were also lower. CBOT wheat closed down 8¢ at $5.47¾ per bushel. KC wheat was down 11¢ at $5.62. Minneapolis wheat was down 6½¢ at $5.91¼. “News President Trump is moving forward with tariffs on Mexico and Canada at 25% and China will see another 10% starting tomorrow weighed heavily on today’s session as they threaten trade with our largest partners,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “China has already stated it will place…

According to data compiled by the Successful Farming team, more than 5,600 acres of Minnesota farmland are set to be auctioned in March 2025. Listings range from single tracts of 40 acres to a multi-parcel auction of over 1,800 acres. Here’s a closer look at the farmland expected to change hands across 14 Minnesota counties. Minnesota’s Largest March Farmland Auction The largest Minnesota farmland auction is set to take place in Clay County where 12 tracts of land totalling 1,869.2 acres will be available for sale in-person or online on March 11, 2025. Kevin Pifer, president and CEO of The…

It’s rare to see anything negative posted regarding the National FFA Organization or its state and local chapters. What is far more common, however, is to see the organization still referred to as Future Farmers of America, a name that was officially changed in 1988 — 37 years ago. While this may seem like a minor detail that many of us hashed out while earning our Greenhand Degree, the name change was intentional, meant to reflect the broadening scope of FFA that goes beyond traditional farming. The shift from Future Farmers of America to National FFA Organization was a recognition…