Geopolitical impacts on the global fertilizer supply is expected to continue. While some plants are cutting back due to high natural gas prices, StoneX Group Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville says others are restarting. “There are production plants talking about…

The United States is investing nearly $3 billion to help address global food insecurity. President Joe Biden also spoke about the importance of providing relief to those in need. “We’re calling on all countries to refrain from banning food exports…

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the sale of up to 10 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November. This is part of President Biden’s effort to address high energy costs related to the…

One of the world’s largest fertilizer companies plans to shut down production at its Belgian plant. Norway-based Yara blames the sky-high natural gas prices across Europe.  Last month, Yara said it planned to cut ammonia production by 65 percent and…

The White House special envoy on supply chain issues, Stephen Lyons, is confident union railroad workers will ratify the new labor contract. The tentative agreement was reached September 14, but at least one union is threatening to go on strike…

Eighty-two percent of U.S. farm household income now comes from off the farm. A study conducted by the University of Missouri and commissioned by CoBank identified reliable income as the top reason for off-farm employment. Health and retirement benefits were…

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee is scheduled to begin a two-day meeting on Tuesday. The meeting is expected to end with another increase in interest rates. Analysts are forecasting another 75 basis point increase. If that happens, it will…

In early September, Columbia Grain International acquired the Grafton Farmers Co-op Grain Company in Grafton, North Dakota. “We look at this as a very lucrative position to be in, because it really accents our business operation at Crystal and Minto,…

The nominee for Chief Ag Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Doug McKalip is still awaiting Senate confirmation. More than 100 U.S. agriculture groups and companies sent a letter to Senate leadership this past week, asking them…

In the last week, dry conditions worsened across the Dakotas and Minnesota. The majority of North Dakota went from abnormally dry to moderate drought. Abnormally dry conditions are getting more widespread in northeastern South Dakota compared to the previous week.…

Attracting and keeping good help on the farm can be a challenge. Minnesota Senator Tina Smith says being providing workers good housing options should not add to the difficulty. “For many years, USDA helped provide low interest mortgages for rental…

Farmers were especially nervous about a possible frost/freeze in mid-September, but nerves are not as bad following the widespread cool temps as the calendar gets closer to October. Near Walhalla, North Dakota, PROSEED agronomist Karmen Hardy does not think the…

During a September board meeting, the North Dakota Grain Growers Association decided to not rejoin the National Association of Wheat Growers. In an e-mail sent Wednesday, the Grain Growers said they are willing to work with NAWG for the good…

Geopolitical impacts on the global fertilizer supply is expected to continue. While some plants are cutting back due to high natural gas prices, StoneX Group Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville says others are restarting. “There are production plants talking about…

Demand remains a concern for grain traders. Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting President Mike Zuzolo says we are beginning to see the impacts of a much stronger dollar on U.S. export sales. “This is the second or third piece of…

Grain traders are watching yield reports closely. Northstar Commodity Chief Analyst Mark Schultz says early soybean yield reports coming to his office have been disappointing. “If I have to look at what we have in parts of some farmers from…

Basis bids at the six regional grain elevators followed by the Red River Farm Network are reflecting seasonal harvest bids. Spring wheat bids range from 50 to 98 cents under the December Minneapolis futures contract. Corn basis ranges from 30…

It can be difficult to pull the marketing trigger with the volatility seen in the grain markets. Advance Trading Commodity Research Analyst Brian Basting says farmers need to protect margins. “In the history of corn and soybean prices, we haven’t…

The Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rates by 75 basis points and said more interest rate increases will be needed to deal with inflation. The next meeting for the Fed is November 1-2.

The United States is investing nearly $3 billion to help address global food insecurity. President Joe Biden also spoke about the importance of providing relief to those in need. “We’re calling on all countries to refrain from banning food exports…

It can be difficult to pull the marketing trigger with the volatility seen in the grain markets. Advance Trading Commodity Research Analyst Brian Basting says farmers need to protect their margins. “In the history of corn and bean prices, we’ve never…

In early September, Columbia Grain International acquired the Grafton Farmers Co-op Grain Company in Grafton, North Dakota. “We look at this as a very lucrative position to be in, because it really accents our business operation at Crystal and Minto,…

Attracting and keeping good help on the farm can be a challenge. Minnesota Senator Tina Smith says being providing workers good housing options should not add to the difficulty. “For many years, USDA helped provide low interest mortgages for rental…

Geopolitical impacts on the global fertilizer supply is expected to continue. While some plants are cutting back due to high natural gas prices, StoneX Group Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville says others are restarting. “There are production plants talking about…

The Northern Crops Institute hosted an eight-day in-person Grain Procurement Management for Importers course, which ended Wednesday. There were over 30 participants from 13-plus countries. Time was spent at NCI and NDSU’s Commodity Trading Room. Topics also included  U.S. Grain…

The Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council have named a new executive director. Ashley Kohls previously served as the executive director of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association. Most recently, she was the vice president of…

The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance is hosting its inaugural Identity Preserved International Summit in Hawaii. The meeting will be held in January during the peak shipping season. The group said Hawaii is centrally located for attendees from the United…

USDA has awarded over $500 million in loans and grants to provide high-speed internet to rural areas. Thirty-two projects in 20 states received the funding, including the Halstad Telephone Company for a fiber network in North Dakota’s Traill County. BEK…

In the last week, dry conditions worsened across the Dakotas and Minnesota. The majority of North Dakota went from abnormally dry to moderate drought. Abnormally dry conditions are getting more widespread in northeastern South Dakota compared to the previous week.…

Farmers were especially nervous about a possible frost/freeze in mid-September, but nerves are not as bad following the widespread cool temps as the calendar gets closer to October. Near Walhalla, North Dakota, PROSEED agronomist Karmen Hardy does not think the…

During a September board meeting, the North Dakota Grain Growers Association decided to not rejoin the National Association of Wheat Growers. In an e-mail sent Wednesday, the Grain Growers said they are willing to work with NAWG for the good…

Harvest for Rugby, North Dakota farmer Steve Fritel is rolling along. “It’s coming along well. The wheat and canola are wrapped up and we’re about halfway through the dry bean harvest. At this point, things are going good. We’re pleased…

Rock and Roll Agronomy owner Jason Hanson says harvest has been variable depending on crop. “Barley harvest was good all around. That crop usually handles a little less rainfall later on. Wheat has been average to slightly above average, but…

Asgrow Dekalb Technical Agronomist Derek Pruitt thinks most of the crop won’t be impacted by the week’s cold temperatures too much. “There’s still some pretty green beans out there, but I think for the most part on soybeans, we’re looking…

American Crystal Sugar Company’s sugarbeet growers harvested more than 10 percent of the sugarbeets so far. General agronomist Joe Hastings says pre-pile has been going well. “Sugar content is coming up one percent per week. At pre-pile, we’re hanging around…

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was found in a back yard chicken flock in Ward County. The detection triggers suspension of poultry/bird events in Ward and its adjoining counties.

JBS has hired its first global chief sustainability officer. Jason Weller spent time  as the chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Most recently, Weller worked on the Truterra agricultural carbon credit program at Land O’Lakes.

The Swine Health Information Center, the Pork Checkoff and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research are funding a new wean-to-harvest biosecurity program. The research program will focus on a significant biosecurity gap in U.S. swine production. This initiative will…

JBS will pay $20 million to settle a price-fixing lawsuit. A federal judge in Minnesota has approved the settlement. Legal action is still pending against Hormel and Tyson Foods. A database company, Agri Stats, is also charged with sharing confidential…

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board will invest $38.5 million in beef checkoff activities in the 2023 fiscal year. That’s down from nearly $39 million this past year. The budget, which is subject to USDA approval, includes $9.4 million for promotion. There’s…

In the 24 major dairy states, milk production in August totaled 18.2 billion pounds. That’s up 1.7 percent from last year. South Dakota milk production is up a whopping 14.5 percent with an additional 22,000 cows added to the dairy…

USDA’s supply/demand report shrunk the projected corn supply, influencing the price of feed moving forward. However, there is room for optimism. “We’ve had a big issue with drought in the last two years and we’ve had a record beef cow…

The nominee for Chief Ag Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Doug McKalip is still awaiting Senate confirmation. More than 100 U.S. agriculture groups and companies sent a letter to Senate leadership this past week, asking them…

The United States is investing nearly $3 billion to help address global food insecurity. President Joe Biden also spoke about the importance of providing relief to those in need. “We’re calling on all countries to refrain from banning food exports…

During a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing, South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson cited a recent farm bill roundtable event in his state. Johnson said farmers and ranchers questioned the significant turnover amongst NRCS staff and the inability to provide the necessary…

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the sale of up to 10 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November. This is part of President Biden’s effort to address high energy costs related to the…

South Dakota Senator John Thune, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Montana Senator Jon Tester have introduced legislation to study the effectiveness of biochar. Biochar is a carbon-rich material made from biomass. This bill would create a…

Republican members of the House Agriculture Committee have sent a letter to EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, raising new concerns about the Waters of the United States rule. The lawmakers are upset with regulatory actions taken by the…

Minnesota representatives Michelle Fischbach, Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer and Brad Finstad are looking for more information from the Biden Administration on its 30×30 plan. Republican lawmakers sent a similar request more than a year ago and there has been no…