Author: staff

U.S. sales of tractors in all classes dropped 11.3% in December 2024 compared to the same time last year, according to numbers from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “December’s sales of Ag tractors and combines follow patterns we saw throughout 2024 which reflect softness in the market,” says Curt Blades, senior vice president at AEM. “While the year has been marked by high interest rates and uncertainty throughout the overall ag economy, AEM is looking forward to the potential in 2025, and will continue to advocate for policies focused on positively impacting the industry.”  December finished 2024 by continuing…

Agriculture is nothing new for Carl and Betsy Long of Coudersport, Pennsylvania. While both grew up in the dairy industry, it took creativity, tenacity, and flexibility to grow a successful row crop operation of their own. “It’s a totally different beast when you have a crop farm,” Betsy says. “There were the day-to-day tasks on the dairy, whereas we have different seasons based on planting and harvest.”  Today the couple farm about 2,600 acres in north-central Pennsylvania with their three children, Mark, Emmett, and Colette. Although potatoes are the main crop, they also grow green beans, seed oats, wheat, corn,…

Germany’s agricultural sector is grappling with the confirmation of its first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in nearly 40 years. Authorities announced Friday that the disease was detected in a herd of water buffalo near Berlin, prompting swift containment measures. The outbreak has led to severe restrictions on Germany’s meat and dairy exports outside the European Union, per the World Organisation for Animal Health guidelines. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly infectious viral ailment affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. While it poses no direct risk to human health, it can cause significant economic disruption due to its potential…

March corn ended the day up 6¢ at $4.76½ per bushel. March soybeans closed up 27¾¢ at $10.53 per bushel. March wheat contracts also closed higher. CBOT wheat ended the day up 14¼¢ at $5.45 per bushel. KC wheat ended the day up 9¼¢ at $5.61 per bushel. Minneapolis wheat ended the day up 9¼¢ at $5.93½ per bushel. On Friday USDA released several reports, including the Crop Production 2024 Summary — where corn and soybean yield and production estimates were pegged lower than the average trade expectation — and the January World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report,…

Five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan will headline his 16th Farm Tour in 2025, but with a new twist on schedule and location. For the first time ever, Bryan will head to the West Coast for three Farm Tour shows in California (Merced, Fresno, and Kern counties) scheduled for May 15, 16, and 17, 2025. These concerts land just ahead of the 2025 season finale of ABC’s American Idol, where Bryan will serve as a celebrity judge for an eighth year alongside Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood. Special guests will be announced at a later date. Traditional Farm Tour…

During our long, chilly winters — when it’s so cold outside that you wish you had stored your brass monkey someplace warm — a guy has no excuses and no choice but to tackle those indoor chores that he’d put off last summer. Numerous such chores present themselves. Chief among mine recently were replacing our bathroom and kitchen faucets. Both were still functioning, but both had, over the years, acquired unsightly surface deposits of whitish minerals. Professional plumbers call these deposits “hard water crud.” I tried to remove the deposits with vinegar and with powerful chemicals purchased at the home…

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/2025/01/top-third-agdaily-2025-01-13.mp3 The post Markets in Minutes: Top Third looks ahead for week of Jan. 13, 2025 appeared first on AGDAILY.

John Deere has announced the JDLink Boost, a satellite connectivity tool to provide data connection in fields with little or no cellular coverage.  The JDLink Boost takes advantage of the Starlink satellite network established by SpaceX to provide rural farmers with connectivity to use precision agriculture technology.  “JDLink Boost brings a game-changing solution to farmers by streamlining connectivity and providing seamless access to critical data that drives informed decision-making,” said Ryan Stien, go-to-market manager for digital technologies at John Deere. “We’re proud to deliver technology that not only empowers farmers to operate more efficiently and effectively today, but also lays…

DAILY Bites SB-705 bans most agricultural burning to improve air quality. Farmers face high cost for alternatives. Burning reduced from 1 million tons in 2021 to 122,000 tons by 2023 in one area alone. DAILY Discussion The timing could be any more eyebrow-raising as a two-decade-old bill to ban agricultural burning has finally fully gone into effect in California. The long-delayed effort, called Senate Bill 703, officially started last week and bans nearly all agricultural burning in an effort to reduce air pollution. This comes while “California” and “fires” are at the front of people’s minds nationally, as the Eaton…

Brooks Reid considers himself a farmer who pushes the limits and thinks outside the box on his farm in Brunswick, Missouri. Biologicals have found a place in his corn and soybean rotation. “Biologicals interest me because they aid in fertilizer uptake,” the central Missouri grower said. “I believe that’s the key to increased yield.” In a 2024 survey conducted by the Stratovation Group consulting company, “Ag Biologicals: Revisiting Farmer Value, Perception, and Potential,” 45% of all row crop producers say they purchase or use biological products. That is up 8 percentage points from the group’s 2022 survey.  Despite the upward…