February 11, 2026

A National Corn Growers Association board member says ethanol supporters can’t ease up on the push for permanent, year-round E15 sales. “I’ve been working on it close to 14 years,” Kelly Nieuwenhuis said. “We are so close.” Nieuwenhuis tells Brownfield the issue has most recently been held up by some small refineries. “We had a […] The post NCGA board member optimistic E15 deal will get done despite continued setbacks appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The director of retail credit underwriting at Farm Credit Mid-America says producers have an opportunity to strengthen their financial position in 2026. Gary Book says regularly reviewing balance sheets can help farmers identify problems before they start.  “Just doing a balance sheet and taking it to your lender once a year is important, but how do […] The post Farm Credit Mid-America: New resources could help farmers strengthen their financial position in 2026  appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An agricultural engineering professor at Ohio State University says a new research program is showing the critical role farmers play in reducing nutrient runoff into Lake Erie. Jay Martin says producers are adopting new conservation practices. “As opposed to using broadcast applications of phosphorus and putting pellets on the surface of the field, the farmers […] The post Ohio farmers helping reduce phosphorus runoff, OSU study shows progress toward statewide goal appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An organic grain farmer says the sector is also being strained by the challenging ag economy.  Fourth-generation farmer Mark Vollmar tells Brownfield he was one of the first growers to transition to organic in his region in the early 1990s. “Things started leveling off on the demand in about 2015,” he shares. “It was mostly […] The post Ag economy tightens margins for organic grain growers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

U.S. ethanol production shot higher last week as winter weather eased, allowing full schedules to resume. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says production averaged 1.11 million barrels per day, up 154,000 on the week and 28,000 on the year. Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural development says the estimated operating margin for the […] The post Ethanol production rises as winter weather fades appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A graduate student at the University of Illinois says ongoing research shows utilizing a cereal rye cover crop to supplement cattle feeding is paying off. Grady Gullickson says grazing appears to offer the biggest benefits. “The forage quality was great.”  He says, “I mean, it was 20% protein, mid-70s for TDNs (Total Digestible Nutrients), so […] The post Grazing cereal rye covers can boost cattle nutrition and soil health appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Cash dairy prices were steady-to-lower except for butter on Wednesday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.    Dry whey was unchanged at $0.72.  No sales were recorded.  Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.05 at $1.3925.  Six sales were recorded, ranging from $1.3925 to $1.4025.  Cheese barrels remained unchanged at $1.44.  No sales were recorded.  Butter prices were up $0.0175 at $1.6525.  Twenty-two sales were recorded, ranging from $1.6350 to $1.6675.  There were also thirty-four unsuccessful bids.  Nonfat dry milk was down $0.0050 at $1.5950.  Two sales were recorded at $1.5850 and $1.60.  The post Butter up, blocks down at CME Wednesday appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

From tractors and balers to cultivation equipment the focus is making farmers and ranchers more efficient.  Cort Morris product manager with Kubota says the company’s new high capacity, dual chamber square baler addresses one of the biggest issues facing agriculture – labor. “This machine will do the job of two balers,” he says. “So now you have […] The post Farm equipment innovations target labor shortages with faster, higher‑capacity machines appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A beef specialist with the University of Illinois Extension says it’s time for beef producers to prioritize profitability. “It is easy to make a profit with beef cows right now, but that’s not always going to be the case.” Travis Meteer says continued record prices in the cow/calf industry give producers the opportunity to maximize […] The post Record-low cattle supplies create opportunity for cow-calf profits appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story