September 12, 2024

Deadline to comply with traceability rule nears

Cattle producers have until November 5 to switch to tags that comply with the USDA’s final traceability rule. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s vice president of government affairs, Ethan Lane, says visually and electronically readable tags are required for intact breeding animals over 18 months, moving interstate along with rodeo cattle and bison. “We’re hearing from […] The post Deadline to comply with traceability rule nears appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Sorghum production up on month, down on year

The USDA raised its 2024 U.S. sorghum production guess. The crop is now estimated at 301.995 million bushels, an increase of 8% from August on a higher yield estimate, up to 57.3 bushels per acre, but that’s 5% less than 2023 due to a year-to-year decline in planted area, which pulled harvested area down to […] The post Sorghum production up on month, down on year appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

U.S. House passes bill to protect agriculture from foreign entities

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would safeguard the country’s agriculture sector from potential threats posed by foreign entities. Congressman Frank Lucas, from Oklahoma, says the legislation would increase security of foreign involvement in U.S. farmland purchases. “The bill focuses the government’s limited resources on foreign adversaries People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, […] The post U.S. House passes bill to protect agriculture from foreign entities appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Drought situation intensifies in Eastern Corn Belt

A climatologist says he’s concerned about the severity of drought conditions in parts of the Eastern Corn Belt. Eric Hunt with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says a large portion of Ohio is in desperate need of rain. “We’ve seen very widespread and intense drought formation across parts of Appalachia including southeastern Ohio and West Virginia […] The post Drought situation intensifies in Eastern Corn Belt appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

One-million dollar fundraising goal for Iowa’s Walks to End Alzheimer’s

Thousands of Iowans in 19 communities statewide are taking part in Walks to End Alzheimer’s over the next few weeks. Lauren Livingston, spokeswoman for the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, says all of the walks are two miles in length and they’re part of an effort to raise awareness and money for families facing […] View Full Story

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader says farm visits will help shape policy

A leader in the Minnesota Senate plans to use feedback from farmers to help build a legislative agenda for 2025. Democrat Erin Murphy says she visited several farms over the summer and weather challenges came up frequently. When I was up in Moorhead meeting with a newer farmer, she talked about how some of her […] The post Minnesota Senate Majority Leader says farm visits will help shape policy appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

USDA reduces 2024 cotton, rice crop expectations

The USDA has lowered its expectations for 2024 U.S. cotton and rice production modestly. Upland cotton is seen at just under 14 billion bales, 4% below August due to a reduction in yield, now pegged at 794 pounds per acre, but still up 19% on the year thanks to larger acreage totals with 2024 harvested […] The post USDA reduces 2024 cotton, rice crop expectations appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Rep. Hinson says Chinese ag drones threaten U.S. food supply

A U.S. Representative from Iowa says the use of Chinese-manufactured agriculture drones could be a threat to food security. Republican Ashley Hinson tells Brownfield the U.S. needs to push back against China’s supply of DJI spray drones. “They have sophisticated sensing technology designed to help monitor the health of crops and direct the spray to […] The post Rep. Hinson says Chinese ag drones threaten U.S. food supply appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Nebraska farmers benefitting from increase of soybean crush plants

A Nebraska Soybean Board member says the increase of crush plants has been beneficial to farmers. Mark Caspers tells Brownfield… “It improves their bases quite a lot and we get to utilize more of those bushels right here in Nebraska that gets converted into meal and I know a lot of that meal is going […] The post Nebraska farmers benefitting from increase of soybean crush plants appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Dairy price strength could continue

The USDA does not expect milk production to increase through at least 2025 and farmers should benefit. In its latest supply and demand report, the department says lower cow numbers and slower production increases per cow are likely. Expectations for butter, cheese, nonfat dry milk, and whey prices were raised for 2024 because of recent […] The post Dairy price strength could continue appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story