August 24, 2026

U.S. egg production was up in July. The USDA says 9.3 million eggs were produced last month, an increase of 4% on the year, as the number of laying hens grew 4% to 378.535 million head while the average number of eggs per 100 layers was unchanged at 2,457 eggs. Future expansion plans look mixed […] The post Higher number of laying hens boosts egg production appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Sorghum basis futures have begun trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Ag economist Guy Allen with Kanas State University says it will provide more price transparency and discovery. “It will  provide more price transparency and price discovery. I know the last couple of years when we came into harvest and there were some country elevators […] The post CME adds sorghum basis futures to markets appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Red meat in cold storage grew over the past month, while poultry stocks shrank. The USDA says that end the end of July, there were 839.408 million pounds of red meat in freezers, up 2% on the year as pork swelled 9% to 439.427 million pounds, above the year-over-year increase in production, while beef fell […] The post Cold storage numbers show demand, production impacts appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

U.S. agriculture leaders are encouraging trade negotiators to keep talking following the breakdown in discussions with Canada over the weekend. Bryan Goodman with Agricultural Coalition for USMCA tells Brownfield, “When you get that renewed and get everything worked out in that agreement, you don’t have to have these internecine type disagreements with one-off countries.” “We […] The post Agriculture leaders urge Canada, U.S. to resume USMCA trade talks appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A dairy market analyst says recent closures of beef processing plants are pressuring producer profitability. American Dairy Coalition’s Sherry Bunting tells Brownfield producers are going to have to pay more to transport their animals. “That’s going to cost roughly $80 to $100 per head, which, depending on how those feeders were bought at very high […] The post Beef processing shutdowns threaten margins in Eastern Corn Belt appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The director of water policy at the Prairie Rivers Network says an eight-year legal fight over pollution from a major ethanol refinery on the Illinois River has ended. Robert Hirschfeld says Alto Pekin, LLC (formerly Pacific Ethanol Pekin) has agreed to pay a $75,000 civil penalty and fund a $125,000 wetland restoration project on the […] The post Illinois River wetlands to benefit from ethanol plant pollution settlement appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The Trump administration is updating its guidelines for federal school meal programs to incorporating food raised by U.S. farmers and ranchers. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says the goal of the initiative is to serve healthier, nutrient dense meals to children. “The rule, among other things, will promote whole food breakfast options. It will promote healthy […] The post Trump administration pushes healthier school meals, stronger farm connections appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A dairy lender with Farm Credit Services of America says herd expansion and genetic improvements are driving an increase in milk production growth. Tim Van Hofwegen says producers continue to improve herd genetics. “With the butterfat percentage and the protein percentage, we’re seeing those numbers especially in the Holstein breed increase,” he says. “Energy corrected […] The post Improved herd genetics and herd expansion contributing to higher U.S. milk production appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story