March 9, 2026

U.S. export inspections during the week ending March 5th were mostly up on the year. The USDA says sorghum, soybean, and wheat inspections were all above a year ago, all led by China, as previous export purchases leave U.S. ports. Corn saw a year-to-year decline but remained ahead of the pace needed to meet USDA […] The post Grain, oilseed export inspections mostly above a year ago appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The pork industry is continuing take steps to improve the health of the U.S. swine herd.   Al Wulfekuhle, a producer from Iowa and past president of the National Pork Board, says recent data shows there’s plenty of work to do. “Honestly, it’s getting worse, not better when we look at mortality rates and pig […] The post National Swine Health Strategy enters phase two to improve U.S. herd health appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A fourth generation Illinois farmer is finding success feeding small grains to hogs. Levi Laird, whose wean-to-finish contract operation is based in Jefferson County, says adding a 30% ration of oats to his nursery feeding is paying off. “We raise these hogs antibiotic-free, so any opportunity I can to keep that pig going forward is […] The post Illinois farmer finding success feeding small grains to hogs appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says heavier carcass weights are helping offset the decline in cattle slaughter. Josh Maples is with Mississippi State University Extension. “Cattle weights are down a little over 7 percent, and beef production is only down 5.5 percent,” he says.  “A big chunk of that is just driven by how much heavier these […] The post Heavier cattle carcass weights are helping offset the decline in U.S. cattle slaughter appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

With planting season drawing near, farmers should be finalizing their pre-emergence herbicide plans. Corteva Agriscience market development specialist Jeff Bode says starting the season clean will help growers avoid in-season obstacles stemming from hard to manage weeds.  The post Start Strong, Stay Strong appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association says the industry is taking advantage of improved visa approval rates for immigrant labor. Katie Brown, whose wean-to-finish contract operation is based in Christian County, says the past year has seen a major reversal in TN visa approvals. “We were at like a 10% approval rate.”  She […] The post Pork industry seeing improved visa approvals appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A Farm Service Agency administrator says recent technology changes improved farmer bridge assistance sign-ups and processing. Wisconsin FSA Director Sandy Chalmers tells Brownfield the addition of the login.gov option for farmers made a huge difference. “What we saw was people who had linked their farmers.gov account to their login.gov account were able to log in […] The post USDA  modernization speeds up bridge payment process appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story