Endangered Species Act Restrictions Restored
The Biden Administration has made changes to the Endangered Species Act, repealing language that was added during the Trump years. Biden reinstates blanket rule protections for species listed as threatened and stops any consideration of the economic impact of listing…
Agricult-HER: Julie Peterson
Peterson Farms Seed can trace its roots to the farm crisis of the 1980s and the scab issue that devastated the region. From those humble beginnings, Peterson Farms Seed is now the largest independent seed company in the region. PFS…
Precision Livestock Technology at Work
NDSU Extension hosted a discussion on grazing technologies Thursday in Valley City. A similar event is planned for Tuesday in Menoken. “The purpose of the discussions is to highlight some of those technologies that are new and not a lot…
Where Have All the Acres Gone?
The big takeaway from USDA’s Planting Intentions Report was the acreage numbers that were down from last year. RCM Director of Risk Management Steve Wagner wants to know where they went. “It begs the question, last year we had 253.8…
Planting Season Par For the Course
Peterson Farms Seed Lead Agronomist Rick Swenson says that it’s business as usual with the planting season just around the corner. “We’re not really seeing any big fluctuations in any one thing,” Swenson says of seed sales preceding the planting…
Where Did Those Acres Go?
Acreage numbers were down in the USDA Planting Intentions Report. “With the Prospective Plantings Report, the government will usually find something to surprise us and they did it again,” said Steve Wagner, director of risk management, RCM. “The tribe was…
Agricult-HER: Rachel Arneson
Halstad, Minnesota farmer Rachel Arneson will take over operations on her family farm fully in 2024, but that path was not always the vision. It wasn’t until after earning a master’s degree in anthropology that Arneson returned to the farm…
H & P Report Released
In Thursday’s USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, the March 1 inventory was 74.6 million head. That’s up one percent from a year ago, but down two percent from last quarter. The December-February pig crop was nearly two percent above March…
NAMA to Present Its Highest Honors
The National Agri-Marketing Association has announced its annual award winners. Todd Frazier, vice president of U.S. marketing, Corteva Agriscience, is the 2024 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. Brian Torrey, who is the advertising and marketing communications manager for John Deere,…
A Normal Planting Date Anticipated
Soil moisture levels got a boost from the last blast of winter weather. Syngenta Crop Protection Agronomy Service Representative Aaron Kromann believes it also pushed back the planting season. “I’d expect planting conditions and timing to be about average,” said Kromann.…
The Last Word
The Prospective Plantings Report is USDA’s best acreage guess before most planters begin to roll. USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer said weather remains the wild card. “Weather always has the last say, right? When we think about a lot of things…
Positive ROI for Lamb Checkoff Investment
A new study on the national lamb checkoff program highlights its return-on-investment. Texas A&M University conducted this research. It found an average return of $16.60 for every dollar invested in promotion. The activity in the rest of the meatcase also…
Layoffs Coming at John Deere Waterloo Operations
John Deere is laying off more than 300 employees at its Waterloo operations. This layoffs take effect at the end of April. In a statement, Deere officials said each factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs…
Endangered Species Act Restrictions Restored
The Biden Administration has made changes to the Endangered Species Act, repealing language that was added during the Trump years. Biden reinstates blanket rule protections for species listed as threatened and stops any consideration of the economic impact of listing…
H & P Report Released
In Thursday’s USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, the March 1 inventory was 74.6 million head. That’s up one percent from a year ago, but down two percent from last quarter. The December-February pig crop was nearly two percent above March…
The Last Word
The Prospective Plantings Report is USDA’s best acreage guess before most planters begin to roll. USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer said weather remains the wild card. “Weather always has the last say, right? When we think about a lot of things…
Surprise, Surprise
The big surprise in the flurry of USDA numbers was with corn acreage. USDA is forecasting corn at just over 90 million acres. That’s down 4.6 million from last year and is 1.7 million acres below the average trade guess.…
Where Have All the Acres Gone?
The big takeaway from USDA’s Planting Intentions Report was the acreage numbers that were down from last year. RCM Director of Risk Management Steve Wagner wants to know where they went. “It begs the question, last year we had 253.8…
Next Up For Markets: U.S. Weather
The USDA planting intentions and stocks reports didn’t bring huge market-moving numbers to the trade, but Total Farm Marketing Market Advisor John Heinberg says the data did have some impact. Corn acres were friendly to the market coming in on…
Farmers to Cut Back on Acres
Global Commodity Analytics President Mike Zuzolo doesn’t think USDA’s acreage number is too far out of line. “I think what we can glean from this is that between the bean-corn ratio, the crop insurance base price and the cost of production…
Where Did Those Acres Go?
Acreage numbers were down in the USDA Planting Intentions Report. “With the Prospective Plantings Report, the government will usually find something to surprise us and they did it again,” said Steve Wagner, director of risk management, RCM. “The tribe was…
NAMA to Present Its Highest Honors
The National Agri-Marketing Association has announced its annual award winners. Todd Frazier, vice president of U.S. marketing, Corteva Agriscience, is the 2024 Agribusiness Leader of the Year. Brian Torrey, who is the advertising and marketing communications manager for John Deere,…
A Normal Planting Date Anticipated
Soil moisture levels got a boost from the last blast of winter weather. Syngenta Crop Protection Agronomy Service Representative Aaron Kromann believes it also pushed back the planting season. “I’d expect planting conditions and timing to be about average,” said Kromann.…
Positive ROI for Lamb Checkoff Investment
A new study on the national lamb checkoff program highlights its return-on-investment. Texas A&M University conducted this research. It found an average return of $16.60 for every dollar invested in promotion. The activity in the rest of the meatcase also…
Layoffs Coming at John Deere Waterloo Operations
John Deere is laying off more than 300 employees at its Waterloo operations. This layoffs take effect at the end of April. In a statement, Deere officials said each factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs…
Endangered Species Act Restrictions Restored
The Biden Administration has made changes to the Endangered Species Act, repealing language that was added during the Trump years. Biden reinstates blanket rule protections for species listed as threatened and stops any consideration of the economic impact of listing…
Syngenta Group FY23 Sales Drop 4%
The Syngenta Group reports full year sales of $32.2 billion, down $1.2 billion or four percent year-over-year. Sales were impacted by the destocking phenomenon when crop protection distributors and retailers drastically reduced inventories. That was in reaction to an inventory…
Veg or Grain?
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is reportedly considering changes to food groups, including the reclassification of potatoes as a grain. USDA has responded, saying this advisory committee does not have the authority to make that change. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group…
A Normal Planting Date Anticipated
Soil moisture levels got a boost from the last blast of winter weather. Syngenta Crop Protection Agronomy Service Representative Aaron Kromann believes it also pushed back the planting season. “I’d expect planting conditions and timing to be about average,” said Kromann.…
The Last Word
The Prospective Plantings Report is USDA’s best acreage guess before most planters begin to roll. USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer said weather remains the wild card. “Weather always has the last say, right? When we think about a lot of things…
Surprise, Surprise
The big surprise in the flurry of USDA numbers was with corn acreage. USDA is forecasting corn at just over 90 million acres. That’s down 4.6 million from last year and is 1.7 million acres below the average trade guess.…
Agricult-HER: Julie Peterson
Peterson Farms Seed can trace its roots to the farm crisis of the 1980s and the scab issue that devastated the region. From those humble beginnings, Peterson Farms Seed is now the largest independent seed company in the region. PFS…
New Soybean Genetics at NDSU
While North Dakota ranked fourth in planted acres of soybeans in 2023, total production ranked ninth. NDSU Soybean Breeder Carrie Miranda says her research is looking at ways to increase yields for early-maturity varieties. “That way we minimize their risk…
Where Have All the Acres Gone?
The big takeaway from USDA’s Planting Intentions Report was the acreage numbers that were down from last year. RCM Director of Risk Management Steve Wagner wants to know where they went. “It begs the question, last year we had 253.8…
Planting Season Par For the Course
Peterson Farms Seed Lead Agronomist Rick Swenson says that it’s business as usual with the planting season just around the corner. “We’re not really seeing any big fluctuations in any one thing,” Swenson says of seed sales preceding the planting…
H & P Report Released
In Thursday’s USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, the March 1 inventory was 74.6 million head. That’s up one percent from a year ago, but down two percent from last quarter. The December-February pig crop was nearly two percent above March…
Positive ROI for Lamb Checkoff Investment
A new study on the national lamb checkoff program highlights its return-on-investment. Texas A&M University conducted this research. It found an average return of $16.60 for every dollar invested in promotion. The activity in the rest of the meatcase also…
Precision Livestock Technology at Work
NDSU Extension hosted a discussion on grazing technologies Thursday in Valley City. A similar event is planned for Tuesday in Menoken. “The purpose of the discussions is to highlight some of those technologies that are new and not a lot…
EPA Labels Formaldehyde as Unreasonable Risk to Human Health
The EPA released its draft formaldehyde risk evaluation this month. The report claims that formaldehyde poses an “unreasonable risk to human health.” American Feed Industry Association Director of Feed Manufacturing and Regulatory Affairs Gary Huddleston argues that formaldehyde is a…
Milk Supply Not Affected
After news broke that dairy cattle tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, National Milk Producers Federation Executive Vice President for Communications and Industry Relations Alan Bjerga was quick to say there would be no impact on milk supply. According to…
Environment Committee Considers Manure Grants
A bill was laid over for consideration later in the legislative session, providing grants to manage manure in the Karst region of southeastern Minnesota. “Nitrate pollution continues to be a threat in Minnesota water quality, especially in southeastern Minnesota where nitrate…
No Long-Term Impact on Dairy Cattle
The HPAI cases in Texas and Kansas dairy herds will not have a significant impact on milk prices. “If you look at the numbers, we look at this maybe impacting milk production by one to one-and-a-half percent over some period…
Endangered Species Act Restrictions Restored
The Biden Administration has made changes to the Endangered Species Act, repealing language that was added during the Trump years. Biden reinstates blanket rule protections for species listed as threatened and stops any consideration of the economic impact of listing…
China Challenges U.S. EV Tax Credits
China has begun a World Trade Organization dispute with the United States over the use of tax credits to promote the production of electric vehicles and renewable energy projects. China claims the tax credits created under the Inflation Reduction Act…
Veg or Grain?
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is reportedly considering changes to food groups, including the reclassification of potatoes as a grain. USDA has responded, saying this advisory committee does not have the authority to make that change. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group…
Incentives Favored to Address Nitrate Contamination
The Minnesota legislative session is at the halfway point. The topic of nitrates in groundwater, especially in southeastern Minnesota, has dominated the conversation in the agriculture and environment committees. Minnesota Farm Bureau Public Policy Director Pierce Bennett emphasizes farmers have…
Funeral Services Wednesday for Former MN Lawmaker
Former Minnesota House Agriculture Committee Chair Howard Swenson, 93, died on March 24. Funeral services will be held Wednesday. Swenson farmed at Nicollet. Swenson received the Meritorious Service Award from the Minnesota Holstein Association, the Breeder of the Year award…
Waiting for EPA’s Decision on GREET Model
Ethanol remains a priority for the ag sector and newly-elected North Dakota Corn Utilization Council Chairman Carson Klosterman said sustainable aviation fuel and E15 markets are a major focus. “The biggest obstacle now with the Council is the GREET model.…
Partisanship Preventing Farm Bill
After spending time this month walking the halls of Congress, Midwest Council on Agriculture Executive Director Allison Stock said partisan politics appear to be getting in the way of any farm bill progress. “I don’t think there’s bipartisan agreement on…