TOP AG NEWS
Federal Officials Examine Packer Regulation
A strong packer margin as producer profits remain slim has prompted federal officials to revisit rules governing marketing practices in the Packers and Stockyards Act.
U.S. Soybean Stocks Tightest Since 2013 — WASDE Report
In its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on Thursday, USDA-NASS didn’t adjust corn stocks but projected…
Vilsack’s USDA Return: How Ag Leaders Are Reacting
With news that former Iowa governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been tapped to step back into…
Low-pressure Systems Delivering Snow to Plains, Corn Belt as La Niña Weakens
Temperatures were in the 60s and 70s in the central U.S. — much warmer than normal for this time of year — on Wednesday, but changes are coming soon, with a low-pressure system moving into the Southwest and pushing rain and snow east from the Rocky Mountains into the Plains and Corn Belt, with parts of Kansas, Nebraska, northern Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan expected to see snowfall Friday and Saturday.
Look For a Cash Cattle Price Rebound in Early 2021 — Analysts
Packers have kept a lid on the cash cattle market recently, while maintaining strong profit margins as boxed beef prices continue to rise.
Extend Revenue Coverage With Enhanced, Supplemental Coverage Options
Available for the first time in 2021, the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) provides farmers a way to extend crop revenue protection (RP) beyond the 86% covered by the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO).
Trade Eyeing USDA WASDE Data for Grain Futures Price Direction
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release updated World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) data Thursday morning, and the trade expects the numbers to show declining world corn and soybean stocks and higher world wheat supplies.
Vilsack Tapped to Return to USDA Leadership Role
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Obama administration and currently leads the U.S. Dairy Export Council, has been selected to return to his USDA leadership role by President-elect Joe Biden.
Four Questions to Answer in Preparing Your Farm for 2021
Government payments, crop insurance and a fall grain market rally helped farmers salvage some profitability after the majority of 2020 ratcheted up the pressure on revenue potential for growers around the country.
Food, Ag Supply Chains Adjusting to COVID-19 Challenges — Economist
Mergers and acquisitions among ag and food processors could be a rising trend into 2021 as supply chain members continue to adjust to the global pandemic and ways they can maintain profitable operations, two economists said this week.