January 7, 2026

ALCIVIA Cooperative has a new President and Chief Executive Officer. The co-op’s board of directors appointed Rodney Balvitsch (BALL’ vich) to lead the organization.  Balvitsch joined ALCIVIA in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer and has served as interim CEO since July 2025.  The board evaluated more than thirty candidates over the past four months.  Balvitsch […] The post ALCIVIA Cooperative names new President & CEO appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension says it isn’t too early to start thinking about weed management for the upcoming growing season. Meaghan Anderson says growers learned some lessons in 2025. “We continued to get those rainfalls and continued to have so many opportunities for waterhemp and grasses to germinate through the summer,” […] The post Weed control lessons from 2025 shaping 2026 strategies appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist at Purdue University says potential changes to the January supply and demand report could impact the balance sheet for farmers in 2026. Michael Langemeier says the USDA is expected to adjust corn and soybean yields. “If they reduce corn yield, that could reduce the stocks to use and have a positive impact […] The post Potential changes to January supply and demand report could impact 2026 balance sheets appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Broiler sets and placements started 2026 moving at a faster pace than 2025. The USDA says 252.508 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubation, up 389,000 on the week and 1% on the year, with average hatchability of 79.6%. 196.847 million broiler-type chicks were placed into meat production, rising 2.724 million from the previous week […] The post Good start to the year for broiler sets, placements appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An expert on federal communications policy says high-speed broadband is reaching more rural Americans. Shirley Bloomfield is the CEO of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association… “I’ve got 850 community-based local companies and cooperatives across the country that are providing broadband to their communities,” she said. “They are now up to about 90% fiber to the home […] The post Broadband access expanding in rural America, but gaps remain appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says he’s closely watching how developments in Venezuela could impact the U.S. ag industry. Dan O’Brien with Kansas State University says commodity prices have been steady so far. “They really have responded in a neutral-quasi positive manner. We haven’t seen analysts or traders overall move to the negative side.” He says it’s […] The post Venezuela situation could add uncertainty to commodity, energy markets appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Wisconsin was cold to start 2026. The USDA says the average statewide temperature for December was nearly four degrees below normal, but precipitation was just about normal, leaving good snow cover for small grains and winter forages. The big activity for many farmers during the month was manure hauling. The USDA’s weekly crop progress and […] The post Cold temperatures, near normal precipitation to begin year in Wisconsin appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

2026 began on a dry note for parts of Tennessee. The USDA says soil moisture levels are below a year ago and conditions in several counties range from abnormally dry to severe drought, but despite that, things are mostly holding up well. Cattle and pasture conditions and hay supplies are all above last year, with […] The post Tennessee dry early in 2026, but some ratings see year-to-year improvements appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

South Dakota’s winter wheat is in better condition than this time last year. The USDA says 37% of the crop is called good to excellent, 15% more than in early 2025, with 54% fair, a jump of 16%. That’s partially due to an improvement in soil moisture levels across the state. The USDA’s weekly crop […] The post South Dakota winter wheat conditions above a year ago appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A generally dry December pulled Ohio’s soil moisture levels lower. The USDA says that while most of the state does have adequate soil moisture, average precipitation for the month was below normal, as were average temperatures. A wide swing in those statewide temperatures did make tillage challenging in parts of Ohio. 60% of winter wheat […] The post Ohio sees lower soil moisture levels appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story