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...

A central Indiana farmer says his operation is more than halfway done with the 2025 planting season. Jim Douglas farms in Shelby County. “We’re probably 45% done on corn and 65% done on beans,” he says. “May has been wet. We need this week to be dry to get things...

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were higher, supported by the USDA’s suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico due to New World screwworm.  June live cattle closed $2.15 higher at $216.82 and August live cattle closed $2.02 higher at $211.60.  August feeder cattle closed $6.07 higher...

Missouri farmers took advantage of warmer days to plant in the last week, making big strides with cotton, soybeans and rice. USDA says cotton planting is more than halfway complete in Missouri, compared to the previous week at less than 20 percent complete. As of Sunday, 13 percent of the...

Planting continues to move at a quick pace in South Dakota. USDA says corn planting is 69 percent complete, a jump of 30 percentage points from the previous week and ahead of average. Corn is 21 percent emerged. More than half of the soybeans are planted with seven percent of...

The planting pace has picked up in Wisconsin.  USDA says only half of one day last week wasn’t suitable for fieldwork, and farmers took advantage of the weather. Forty-four percent of the state’s corn is now planted, a day ahead of the five-year average.  Five percent of the corn has...

Corn and soybean planting is running about a week faster than normal in Minnesota. USDA’s latest crop progress report says corn is 75 percent planted, compared to 54 percent a year ago and the five-year average of 61 percent. Soybean planting, at 52 percent, is eight days ahead of 2024...

An assistant professor of wheat and forage crops says an outbreak of wheat streak mosaic virus could be impacting crop conditions in Kansas. Kelsey Anderson Onofre is with Kansas State University. “This year in parts of the state it appears to be a bit more severe than the last several...

U.S. corn planting has surged past the halfway mark and soybeans are getting close. That followed a generally favorable week of planting conditions in many key U.S. growing areas. The USDA says 62% of U.S. corn is planted as of Sunday, compared to the five-year average of 56%, with 28%...

A southeast Nebraska farmer says he’s wrapped up planting due to abnormally dry and warm conditions. Logan Bredemeier tells Brownfield he finished at the end of April. “For the most part all of our stuff is up. We do have a couple of areas where emergence is on the poor...

Planting progress slowed down last week in Ohio.  The latest crop progress and conditions report from the USDA shows 25 percent of Ohio’s corn crop has been planted, 3 percent ahead of last week, and 10 percent behind last year. Fourteen percent has emerged. Soybeans are 25 percent planted, 2...

A Thumb-area farmer says planting conditions have been variable at times over the past few weeks. Elkton’s Jeff Krohn tells Brownfield there have been severe winds off of Lake Huron. “I’ve seen corn stalks physically leaving the field and have never seen that before,” he shares. “We leave cornstalks out...

Jul. corn closed at $4.48, down 1 and 3/4 centsJul. soybeans closed at $10.71 and 1/2, up 19 and 1/2 centsJul. soybean meal closed at $298.10, up $4.00Jul. soybean oil closed at 49.92, up 135 pointsJul. wheat closed at $5.15 and 1/4, down 6 and 1/2 centsJun. live cattle closed...

The president of the American Soybean Association says the trade deal in principle between the U.S. and China is a good first step.  Caleb Ragland, a Kentucky farmer, says the deal will temporarily reduce tariffs levied by the countries on exported goods like U.S. soybeans. “There’s still a litany of...

The USDA has trimmed its expectations for red meat and poultry production this year. Beef is now projected at 26.423 billion pounds, a drop of 277 million because of import restrictions from Mexico due to New World screwworm and lower dressed weights, with an average steer price of $214.51 per...