April 14, 2026

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were higher, ahead of the week’s direct business and taking into consideration the tight supply of ready numbers.  June live cattle closed $2.90 higher at $251.42 and August live cattle closed $2.07 higher at $246.52.  May feeder cattle closed $2.02 higher at $374.85 and August feeder […] The post Cattle futures up ahead of direct business appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

May corn $4.43, up 2 and 3/4 centsMay soybeans $11.58, down 4 and 1/4 centsMay soybean meal $329.70, down $2.20May soybean oil 66.44, down 6 pointsMay Chicago wheat $5.92, up 9 and 3/4 centsJun. live cattle $251.42, up $2.90May feeder cattle $374.80, up $2.02Jun. lean hogs $102.45, down 67 centsMay Class III milk closed at […] The post Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: April 14, 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A group of researchers with the Diverse Corn Belt project say transformational federal policy changes are needed to bring more opportunities to Midwestern farmers. During a webinar hosted by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Linda Prokopy, project lead with the University of Vermont, says decades of subsidizing commodities like corn and soybeans […] The post Crop insurance a key to bringing diversification to the Corn Belt appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says the conflict in the Middle East could lead to a rise in interest rates over the next year. Michael Langemeier says uncertainty is impacting ag lending.  “If we see some inflation pressure in the next few months, that would mean that the rates could go up a little bit,” he says. “But, if we […] The post Conflict in Iran could drive higher interest rates, further squeeze farm margins appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag policy specialist says a review of President Trump’s tariff policy could create more uncertainty for farmers and ranchers. Brad Lubben with the University of Nebraska says the Administration uses the strategy to expand market access but producers can’t afford additional trade disruptions. “The crop sector is struggling, and it’s fundamentally looking for where is the big […] The post Export demand at risk as tariff uncertainty grows appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An insurance expert says many crashes involving farm machinery are caused by equipment malfunctions. Underwriter Zachary Hinthorn with Country Financial tells Brownfield there are precautions farmers can take before leaving the farmyard for the fields. “Try to have a clear, clean, slow-moving vehicle symbol that other drivers are able to see. Check all of your […] The post Machinery crashes account for many insurance claims appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says the health of the farm economy isn’t the same across the board.  University of Tennessee’s Charley Martinez says he views it in two main buckets—crops and livestock. “One has had 2 1/2 to three years of not good times on the row crop side of things, with pricing and profitability being so hard to come by,” he says. […] The post Profitability challenges continue for row crop operations as cattle producers benefit from historic price levels appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story