How Effective Management of Machinery Costs Can Strengthen Farmers’ Bottom Lines

Drain tile systems have been in farm fields for much of the last century, but finding older tile lines for maintenance or repair can be hard, depending on soil type, terrain, and other factors.  University of Wisconsin Extension’s Kevin Erb has some advice for locating tile lines and things farmers...

Ag Reaction Muted After 90-Day Reduction of U.S.-China Tariffs

9 Kernels About U.S. Corn Crops So Far This Year

USDA’s May Supply and Demand report shows milk production is likely to rise in 2025 and 2026.  The May 12th update shows the trend for an expanding milk cow herd and slightly higher milk per cow is continuing. The larger supply of milk is expected to lower dairy product prices...

A ag educator says farmers can benefit from knowing more about drain tile, and the location of older systems installed on their farms. Kevin Erb with the University of Wisconsin Extension tells Brownfield well-drained soil helps improve crop yields, but there are a lot of old drainage tile systems that...

Nathan Alpers, a farmer in central Missouri, says the weather forecast is finally good for baling triticale. “For a week, at least in central Missouri, we have basically no chance of rain until late in the weekend.” Alpers says there’s been consistent rains since Easter, and triticale provides good tonnage...

Significant planting progress has been made across much of Kentucky. But that’s not the case for Caleb Ragland of Magnolia. “We were able to get about 40% of our corn planted in late April,” he says. “I have not planted a seed in the month of May.” Statewide, 52 percent...

Soybeans were sharply higher on commercial and technical buying. The main source of support was the 90-day lowering of reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China. This is an agreement-in-principal and further negotiations are expected in the coming days. Old crop ending stocks were down on the month and the...

More rain across Tennessee has added to an already full soil moisture profile. The USDA says topsoil moisture increased to a 26 percent surplus, and subsoil moisture supplies have a 19 percent surplus. Pastures have benefited from the rain with 70 percent rated good to excellent. The USDA says 76...

Missouri State Senator Rusty Black, from District 12, says a bill that would fund capital improvements across the state, including rural roads and bridges, is dead for now. “House Bill 19 is the part of the state appropriations process that deals with new construction projects throughout the entire state.” Black...

Warm and dry conditions allowed Iowa farmers to make significant planting progress last week. USDA’s latest crop update says corn is now 76 percent planted, eight days ahead of last year and three days ahead of the five-year average. Soybean planting advanced to 64 percent, 10 days faster than a...

Missouri State lawmakers met last Friday’s deadline to approve the ag budget for Fiscal Year 2026. State Senator Jason Bean, from District 25, tells Brownfield “I was on the conference committee for agriculture, specifically. That ag bill went very well and once again, it’s a good budget for the ag...

Most corn and rice in planting in Arkansas has been completed, and work continues to get the other crops in. Ninety-two percent of the state’s corn is now planted, up 6% from last week and one percent more than the five-year average.  Eighty-three percent of the corn has already emerged. ...

The USDA says some Illinois farmers made significant planting progress last week. Monroe County farmer Kenneth Hartman, Jr., in southern Illinois was not one of them. “We’re pretty frustrated right now.”  He says, “I’ve had a tough go of it. We’ve got a few hundred acres of corn planted, and...