Author: staff

Our agricultural industry has found itself in the crosshairs of a national debate, and the outcome will drive the livelihoods of all United States citizens for years to come. The U.S. agricultural industry has been heavily dependent on immigrant labor; any shifts in this workforce would ripple through the economy in ways that affect both workers and employers. In spite of this, the new U.S. administration took a firm stance on mass deportations, and these policies have significant implications for the agricultural industry, particularly its workers. What will happen to these people, their families, the U.S. agriculturalists they work for,…

Tom Vilsack, who served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Obama and Biden administrations, has been selected by the World Food Prize Foundation as its next CEO. Vilsack will take the reins of this organization known its prestigious international food award on March 1. Vilsack’s appointment builds on his longstanding relationship with the foundation, where he served on the Council of Advisors and Board of Directors, helping to shape its mission and initiatives. In addition to his tenures with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa and has been involved with several organizations…

Shortly after the market opened at 8:30 a.m. CT, March corn was up 3¾¢. March soybeans were up 4¢. March wheat contracts were also higher. CBOT wheat was up 4¾¢. KC wheat was up 2¾¢. Minneapolis wheat was up 4¼¢. “The stock market was hit with heavy selling pressure yesterday,” said Bob Linneman, commodities broker at Kluis Commodity Advisors, during the overnight session. “If that continues, will we see more money flow to the grain market? The funds are already holding a rather large net-long position in the grains for this time of year.”  This morning, USDA announced South Korea…

By: Lauren Cross | Investigate Midwest The latest data from the CDC and USDA shows the continued devastating effects of bird flu outbreaks across the United States — with Iowa, the nation’s leading egg producer, suffering substantial losses. Since November 2023, more than 12.1 million poultry birds have been affected in Sioux County, Iowa. On Jan. 17, health officials in Georgia, the nation’s leading state for chicken production, announced it was suspending poultry sales after detecting bird flu, for the first time, in flocks designated for commercial sale. This recent development is not yet reflected in the CDC and USDA databases used…

By AJ Dome GARDEN CITY — Kansas mental health experts want rural residents to be aware of available resources as they work to enhance mental health services across more of the state. NAMI Kansas executive director Sherrie Vaughn said she and her staff are preparing for a rural mental health summit on April 9 in Kiowa, a community of about 900 people in south-central Kansas, to bring the conversation about mental health care to more rural and frontier areas. The summit is a continuation of the nonprofit agency’s Standing in the Gap series that began in 2023 in Dodge City. NAMI…

March corn ended the day down 4½¢ at $4.82 per bushel. March soybeans closed down 10¾¢ at $10.45 per bushel. March wheat contracts also closed lower. CBOT wheat was down 8½¢ at $5.35½ per bushel. KC wheat was down 6¼¢ at $5.53¼ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat was down 9½¢ at $5.85¾ per bushel. “Corn, soybeans, and wheat were not immune to the losses in several markets today as a general ‘risk off’ attitude was abundant to start the week,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “This started overnight with big losses in the world tech market, and this…

The Facebook photo caption read something like: “You think we’re having a winter? This is what a real winter looks like! Photo was taken in 1979.” The picture was of a bulldozer trying to clear snow from some railroad tracks. I say “trying” because the situation looked hopeless. Towering drifts on both sides of the tracks made the dozer look like a toy. The snowbanks nearly reached the tops of the trackside utility poles. The winter of ’79 is burned into my memory for a couple of reasons. First is that it’s among the coldest and snowiest winters I’ve ever endured. Second…

Life can take unexpected turns, as shown by 69-year-old Minnesota FFA alumnus Mark Koehn, who traveled from the northern U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico on a 1940 Farmall “M” tractor, tracing a path far from his earlier days as a hog farmer. Along what has been called the Agri-Cruise Across the States, Koehn raised awareness for FFA members and alumni, inspiring countless individuals with his dedication to community and farming education. Koehn spent the first 20 years of his professional life as a hog producer. “At that time, it was a large-scale hog producer. Now, it would be considered…

Farmers are true problem-solvers and inventors. These smart, practical fixes for fencing issues were featured in All Around the Farm in Successful Farming magazine where farmers share their tips, tricks, and innovations. Resourceful ways to manage fencing issues, repair, and maintenance on fence lines and gates all around your farm. 1. Farmer-Built Trailer Keeps Fencing Tools and Materials Together Varel Bailey and son, Scot, of Anita, Iowa, have put a lot of miles on the frame of a retired auger wagon. They dropped the frame then modified it for carrying fencing tools and materials. “The post caddies are like giant…

Deere & Co. faced a setback in its legal battle against AGCO Corp. and Precision Planting LLC as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a jury verdict that AGCO did not infringe on Deere’s patents related to high-speed agricultural planting technology. The patents in question, U.S. Patent Nos. 8,813,663 and 9,699,955, cover advanced systems for planting seeds efficiently. The legal dispute originated when Deere alleged that AGCO’s SpeedTube and vSet2 products infringed on its patents. Deere claimed these systems utilized similar methods of capturing and delivering seeds during planting. However, the jury found otherwise on Jan.…