July 16, 2025

Senator Ernst touts cuts to USAID in $9 billion recissions package

The U.S. Senate is debating a package of $9 billion in federal budget cuts, carrying out many of the cuts identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Iowa Republican Joni Ernst has been leading the Senate’s DOGE Caucus. “Overseas projects without merit are being ended and the tax dollars that were paying […] View Full Story

Iowa sees first sports betting company top $1 billion in yearly wagering

Racing and Gaming Administrator Tina Eick  says the money bet on sports went up in Iowa in the fiscal year that ended June 30th. “The amount wagered in the last fiscal year was almost $2.9 Billion,  that’s up 9.3% over the last fiscal,” Eick says. Eick says there were some records set for the amount […] View Full Story

Bankers concerned about possible tariff impacts on customers

Wisconsin bankers report more positive economic signs, but they are concerned about possible new tariffs that can affect the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Rose Oswald Poels is the President and CEO of the Wisconsin Bankers Association says a survey of bankers shows President Trump’s planned August 1st tariffs could lead to a tougher second-half of […] The post Bankers concerned about possible tariff impacts on customers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Lean hog futures move higher Wednesday, cash hogs mixed

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures closed sharply higher, shrugging off the midday drop in beef in favor of optimism about this week’s direct business. August live was up $1.50 at $223.90 and October was $1.47 higher at $220.75. August feeder cattle were $3.30 higher at $325.57 and September was up $3.47 at […] The post Lean hog futures move higher Wednesday, cash hogs mixed appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Farmland values hold despite economic difficulties in ag

Farmland values seem to be holding despite ongoing challenges in the ag economy. Compeer Financial senior appraiser Dan Legner covers northwest Illinois and tells Brownfield the market has been stable in 2025. “Perhaps maybe a slight decline. I thought we’d probably see more of a decrease in values just given where commodity prices are, but […] The post Farmland values hold despite economic difficulties in ag appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 16, 2025

Sep. corn closed at $4.05 and 1/4, up 4 centsAug. soybeans closed at $10.13 and 1/2, up 18 and 1/2 centsAug. soybean meal closed at $268.40, up $3.10Aug. soybean oil closed at 54.82, up 26 pointsSep. wheat closed at $5.41 and 1/4, up 3 and 1/4 centsAug. live cattle closed at $223.90, up $1.50Aug. feeder […] The post Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: July 16, 2025 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Corn extends rally, soybeans finish higher

Soybeans were higher on short covering and technical buying. Contracts are oversold and unknown destinations bought 120,000 tons of new crop U.S. beans Wednesday morning. It remains to be seen if that’s China or another buyer. The likelihood of it being Beijing is questionable due to Brazil’s hold over the export market and tariff tensions, […] The post Corn extends rally, soybeans finish higher appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Cage-free suit prompts Prop 12 questions

A National Ag Law Center attorney says she’s closely flowing how the Department of Justice’s challenge to California’s egg laws could impact animal housing regulations across the country. Elizabeth Rumley tells Brownfield several states have some form of cage-free requirements. “While we have 14 or 15 states that have these types of laws in place, dealing with the raising […] The post Cage-free suit prompts Prop 12 questions appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Senate bill would close hemp “loophole”

The president of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association says a proposal moving through the U.S. Senate would decimate the growing industry. Rachel Berry says the measure would close what some have termed a “loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill that allows intoxicating hemp-derived products to be sold legally. “It clearly legalized all hemp-derived products with […] The post Senate bill would close hemp “loophole” appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Broiler data mixed on week, holding ahead of last year

The USDA’s broiler hatchery numbers were mixed from week-to-week. 251.319 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubators, 1.022 million more than the previous week and 2% above a year ago, with average hatchability improving slightly to 79.4%. 194.255 million broiler-type chicks were placed into meat production, down 79,000 on the week, but up 2% on […] The post Broiler data mixed on week, holding ahead of last year appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story