April 29, 2026

U.S. broiler chicken numbers continue to rise. The USDA says 256.077 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubation, up 317,000 on the week and 3% on the year. The average rate of hatchability did dip fractionally to 79.2%. 195.695 million broiler-type chicks were placed into meat production, dropping 2.788 million head from the previous week […] The post Broiler placements continue to run ahead of a year ago appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

May is officially beef month in Missouri. Governor Mike Kehoe made the proclamation this week at America’s Heartland Packing in eastern Missouri. “We use this one month a year to promote beef, where it comes from, the producers who put it to the table.” Missouri Cattlemen’s Association President Anita Vanderwert raises cattle in central Missouri. […] The post Missouri declares May beef month appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The vice president of 4-H youth experiences says the Ignite initiative is helping young people prepare for future careers in ag. Sadaf Baig with the National 4-H Council says the program includes work readiness workshops and job exploration. “They’re gaining confidence as they present, learn from each other, learning how civic engagement works, and building skills […] The post National 4-H Council Ignite initiative connecting youth to career opportunities through hands-on learning activities appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Bryon Wiegand, the director of the new facility at the University of Missouri, tells Brownfield it’s on track to open in the summer. “We’re right down down to the short rows. I tell some people that it’s a little bit like building a new house. And this is going to be a great opportunity for […] The post Work on Parson Meat Science Lab continues, set to open in July appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Using data to help protect the U.S. cattle herd. Susan Metzger, co-director of the Kansas State Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, says artificial intelligence, machine learning and other sources cam help safeguard livestock from a foreign animal disease outbreak. “How do you make use of that data to better inform when you might […] The post Data tools help safeguard U.S. cattle herd from disease threats appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Lawmakers in the Michigan House are supporting $3 million in ongoing funding for country fairs in the upcoming budget. Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions Executive Director Lisa Reiff says capital improvement grants support infrastructure and maintenance necessary to keep fairs operating. “Many people think that the fairgrounds only operates for the one week of […] The post Michigan House budget plan expands fair funding, while Senate proposes elimination appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A cattle processing facility in eastern Missouri says it will begin processing fed cattle the first week of May. David Jagodzinske with America’s Heartland Packing tells Brownfield this was always part of the plan. “Similar to our startup that we did on the non-fed side, we will start slowly and really get the training and […] The post Missouri plant to begin fed cattle processing next week appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Will the House farm bill being debated this week bring real help to the slumping ag economy?  “Overall, though, probably not as much as we would like.” Gary Schnitkey, farm management specialist with the University of Illinois, says while the legislation does extend some important programs, it fails to address larger economic issues. “Overall, I […] The post Will this farm bill help? appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story