Author: staff

The Iowa Grain Indemnity Fund Board voted Thursday to wind down the assessment on grain sold to Iowa-licensed grain dealers, as well as the participation fees for Iowa-licensed grain dealers and warehouse operators, on September 1, 2025. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Services (IDALS) announced the decision. Created by the Iowa Legislature in 1986 during the farm crisis to provide financial protection to farmers, the Grain Indemnity Fund (GIF) covers farmers with grain on deposit in Iowa-licensed warehouses and grain sold on a cash basis to state-licensed grain dealers. In the case of a failure of a state-licensed…

Top Third Ag Marketing helps farmers become better agricultural marketers with the goal of marketing crops and livestock in the top third of prices. Mark Gold and his team provide AGDAILY.com with the latest information and a look ahead in their audio commentary. Listen here! https://www.agdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Top-Third-Agdaily-2025-04-21.mp3 The post Markets in Minutes: Top Third looks ahead for week of April 21, 2025 appeared first on AGDAILY.

Ahead of 9 a.m. CT, July corn was up 2¾¢ at $4.93 per bushel. July soybeans were down 2¢ at $10.45¾ per bushel. July wheat contracts were mixed. CBOT wheat was down less than a penny at $5.61¾ per bushel. KC wheat was up less than a penny at $5.70¾. Minneapolis wheat was down less than a penny at $6.18¾. At 3 p.m. CT today, USDA is expected to release the weekly Crop Progress report. Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at StoneX, said the report “should show good planting progress for the past week, but that is expected to slow…

By Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) – China’s soybean imports from the United States rose 12% in March from the same period last year, as shipments secured in late 2024 by buyers concerned about the potential for a trade spat between the U.S. and China arrived in port. However, Brazil is expected to dominate the market in the coming months as its harvest season begins. China brought in 2.44 million metric tons of the oilseed from the U.S. in March, according to the General Administration of Customs, or just under three-quarters of total imports. “March arrivals reflect crushers’ precautionary purchases…

Whether it’s the growers he supports or the sales reps he trains, Chad Threewits works hard to see others succeed. Threewits is an agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection covering the state of Indiana. A Purdue University alumnus with a degree in agricultural economics with a focus in agronomy, Threewits has been in this role for 14 years and has 28 years of industry experience. He shares his expertise as a contributing agronomist for Successful Farming’s coverage of USDA’s Crop Progress report.  In this interview, Threewits shares his rich agricultural heritage, the way his background shapes how he trains…

Construction equipment is earning its place on the farm. Tools like skid steers, telehandlers, and excavators have multiple uses that can make jobs faster and easier. Due to the seasonality of construction work, at certain times of the year these machines are widely available at a range of price points. However, buyers should do their due diligence when purchasing a used piece of construction equipment. Construction use is different than farm use, and certain components may wear differently based on how a machine was run. Andy Campbell and Dave Mowitz discuss what to watch for, where to find deals, and…

1. Wheat Futures Decline in Overnight Trading Wheat futures were lower in overnight trading amid calls for favorable weather in some growing areas of the world.  Rain is in some weather models toward the end of the week for parts of the U.S. southern Plains where hard red winter wheat is growing.  The area has been dry in recent weeks with 55% of Kansas, the biggest producer of winter wheat in the U.S., was suffering from drought conditions in the seven days that ended on April 8. That’s down from 59% the week prior, but up from 25% three months…

Recent threats of drastic cutbacks in federal funding for agricultural conservation programs have prompted me to recall a campaign I worked on at Successful Farming many years ago, “Conservation on Your Own.” The idea, which was developed in cooperation with a colleague at USDA, involved promoting eight conservation practices that farmers could accomplish more or less without any outside financial or technical support.  The do-it-yourself practices in the “Conservation on Your Own” package of stories and video production featured detailed steps for managing (and measuring) crop residue, establishing contour buffer strips, planting field windbreaks, maintaining cropland terraces, and more. The…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago intercepted three shipments of the dangerous veterinary sedative xylazine on April 12, stopping the drug from making its way into American communities. The seizures were made by CBP’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team at an air cargo facility, where the powder-filled packages, all arriving from China, raised immediate suspicion. The packages were headed to three separate addresses — one in Cleveland and two in Philadelphia. Officers flagged the shipments for inspection and used a handheld elemental isotope analysis tool to confirm their instincts. The device quickly identified the powder as xylazine, a sedative…

The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Thursday released final actions related to Section 301 fees on Chinese-made vessels arriving at American ports, making significant changes from the initial proposed actions. The National Corn Growers Association had called for USTR to consider the impacts that the fees would have on farmers and provided suggestions for improvement. While direct impacts on agriculture are still being determined, the final proposal is a step in the right direction to mitigate impacts on shipments of commodities, which directly impact corn growers, say agricultural leaders. “Our concern all along has been that any…