Brownfield Ag News

This week in the markets – Live cattle were $2 higher through Thursday and feeder cattle markets were $1 to $4 higher. As of 9am, December live cattle futures contracts were down $.65 and November feeder cattle contracts were down $.50. Choice box beef was $1.25 higher through Thursday, led by ribs. Cash hogs were $2.50 higher, as of Thursday. December lean hog futures were dow...

Understanding your bottom line. It’s one of the biggest challenges facing many growers today, says Neal Dilawri, senior vice president with AGI SureTrack. “It’s become a much tougher business to operate in, with tighter margins—and ROIs and breakevens have never been more important,” Dilawri says. “The demands of the bank for financials, the extensions of credit, the demands of the IRS, and the en...

COVID-19 has led to closures of schools and childcare centers. It is complicating both family expenses and earning capabilities. That means parents are facing a unique set of financial challenges.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Farmers rely on every tool available when it comes to controlling weeds.  Enlist field specialist Dan Puck says unfortunately, there are very few herbicides available today that effectively control the toughest weeds. That’s why he says stewarding those herbicides and managing them properly is necessary to prolonging their efficacy on difficult weed species. See Privacy Policy at https:/...

This week in the markets – Live cattle were $1.50 higher and feeder cattle markets were steady to $5 lower. October live cattle futures were up $.40 and October feeders were down $1.70. Boxed beef gained $1 this week. Cash hogs were $4.25 higher for the week and October lean hog futures ended week up $5.25. Pork cutout value increased $6.20 this week, which places it nearly $20 abov...

Dave Ahern with AGI SureTrack says when it comes to marketing their grain, producers should be asking themselves three questions. “I think we really need to look at an approach of ‘what do we have, when is the right time to sell it, and where do I want to sell it to,’” Ahern says. Ahern says AGI SureTrack’s “Secure Carry” approach can help producers with their marketing strategy. “When you have a...

With harvest underway, farmers are starting to think about their seed product selection for next year. In this Managing from Profit, Jeremy Lake, DEKALB product development manager shares some insights on corn product selection and what’s new beginning in 2020.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

University of Minnesota professor Mikael Elias on his work to disrupt the communication between bacteria that could stop bacteria-based disease infection in corn.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

September is National Preparedness Month, and unforeseen circumstances this year have made planning all the more important. It is essential that families be prepared for emergencies that might lead to financial stress. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

With another growing season coming to an end, farmers will not only be harvesting their crops, but also taking inventory of what worked and what didn’t in 2020. In the battle against weeds, Enlist field specialist Dan Puck recommends using multiple herbicide sites of action as part of what he calls a program approach to weed control.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...

This week in the markets – Cash cattle are $2.70 higher this week. Feeder cattle markets are $3 to $8 higher for the week. October live cattle future contract up $1.65. October feeder cattle up $1.55. Choice box beef price fell $6.25 this week, pressured by lower ribs and loin. Cash hogs were nearly $5 higher this week. The October lean hog future contract gained $.25...

AGI SureTrack has released a new mobile app that enables seed selection, production, marketing and bookkeeping from the palm of your hand. With supporting hardware, the app offers equipment data collection, bin monitoring, automated grain conditioning, and field data analysis via soil probes and weather stations.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

For farmers who are planning for high yielding soybeans, it could pay to invest in fall fertilizer applications. In this Managing for Profit, Channel technical agronomist Daniel Lundeen shares some insight on the role field evaluations and soil testing play in increasing soil fertility and yields. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...

COUNTRY Financial representative Justin Skarie says safety on rural roads is, literally, a two-way street. His reminder during Farm Safety and Health Week is that people navigating country roads are sharing space with large farm equipment that does not turn on a dime. Giving farmers leeway and taking extra time will help keep everyone safe.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Brenda Murphy with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin discusses keeping dairy farmers connected to consumers to share their stories about food production, sustainability, and animal care. She also talks about the importance of dairy farmers as we approach National Farmers Day October 12th. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

2020 has been a challenging year on so many fronts.  In this podcast, Lance Albin, president of UMB Bank’s Agribusiness Division, discusses the challenges of 2020 and the stability that American farmers and ranchers have provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

· This week in the markets –  Cash cattle are fell $2.25 this week while feeder cattle markets are steady to $4 higher. October live cattle futures are up $1.00 for the week and October feeder cattle gained $2.00 on the week. The Choice/Box beef price lost $5.20 this week, led by the weakness in loins. The Choice box beef price remains right at year-ago levels. Cash barrow...

Neal Dilawri says the AGI SureTrack platform allows growers to get all the of the functions of their operation, from seed to harvest to financials, in one place. “I’ve talked to growers who are operating on five to seven systems. You know, one for precision ag, one for soil, one for weather, one to their combine—so many different systems to get what they need,” Dilawri says. “Whereas, if they coul...

University of Minnesota Extension Educator Brad Carlson discusses how nitrogen best management practices continue to evolve and how farmers can adapt to become more efficient.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Data analytics can help farmers make better management decisions to improve their bottom line. In this Managing from Profit, we’ll hear how the Climate FieldView digital platform can help farmers maximize the performance of their crops. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The vice president of appraisal for Compeer Financial says lower quality farmland is more than holding its own. Mike Morris tells Brownfield land values in general have been surprisingly strong given several years of low commodity prices and depressed farm incomes. He says Compeer has a recreational benchmark, and it has gone up significantly this year. And while high-quality land is also retainin...

This week in the markets – Cash cattle were $2 lower. Feeder cattle markets were steady to $6 lower this week. October live cattle were down $1 and October feeder cattle down $2. Choice box beef was down $2.40 this week. Cash hogs are $1.60 higher. October lean hogs jumped $5.80 this week. Pork cutout values jumped $3.39, driven by the higher hams and bellies. Slaught...

The volume of data available to farmers continues to grow at a rapid pace, says Robin Walters with AGI SureTrack. “The agtech industry is just booming right now—and there’s so many data collection tools and data points out there,” Walters says. “Our main focus at AGI SureTrack is creating one source where you can go and get all of that data translated, to where it makes sense and is converted into...

University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jodi DeJong-Hughes discusses the soil health practices that prevent erosion, and why farmers are still hesitant to make the switch.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Having a plan heading into harvest can be extremely beneficial. A Channel agronomist says if farmers want to maximize the bushels harvested, they need to evaluate plant health in each field. In this Managing for Profit, Matt Nelson details what farmers need to watch for this time of year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privac...