The Legislative Junk Drawer: Clearing Out Outdated Laws
Several Midwestern states held primary elections last week, reminding me once again of the importance of voting. No matter what level of government – county, state or federal – casting […]
Drought concerns fade as crops flourish in eastern Iowa
An agronomist with Beck’s says crops across southeast Iowa have performed exceptionally well this growing season. Greg Shepherd tells Brownfield, “Some of the heat was really causing the corn to […]
Margins, demand expectations support ethanol production
U.S. ethanol production rose slightly over the past week. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 1.117 million barrels per day, up 10,000 on the week and 24,000 on […]
Cotton, rice acres rise, 2026 crops still smaller than 2025
Farmers planted more cotton and rice in 2026 than originally expected. Those acreage adjustments did push production projections higher on the month, but a lower yield guess for cotton and […]
Management key to maximizing seed budget
Tight margins have many farmers already considering their 2027 crop budgets. Scott Beck, President of Beck’s Hybrids, says research shows seed purchases typically make up 12 to 14% of a […]
Cuts to acreage, yield pull sorghum production lower
2026 U.S. sorghum production will be considerably smaller than 2025. The USDA sees this year’s crop at 296.44 million bushels, a drop of 140.85 million on the year due to […]
Late arrival of southern rust helped limit corn disease
Researchers are wondering why southern rust was much less of a problem in corn compared to last year. University of Minnesota Extension plant pathologist Dean Malvick says the pathogen is […]
USDA wheat production estimate falls further
The smallest U.S. wheat crop in decades continues to shrink. The USDA now has combined production at 1.531 billion bushels, 5 million less than July, due to cuts in winter […]
Minnesota Farmers Union: protect EQUIP funding in next farm bill
The Minnesota Farmers Union is prioritizing the Conservation Title of the next farm bill. MFU vice president Anne Schwagerl says they will continue to advocate to lawmakers during the August […]
Nonfat dry milk leads dairy prices higher as CME holds mostly unchanged
Cash dairy prices were mostly unchanged Wednesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Dry whey was unchanged at $0.6975. No sales were reported. Forty-pound cheese blocks were unchanged at $1.6050. No sales were reported. […]