Weather

Tight supplies of cattle and resilient demand for beef are expected to support fed steer prices this year, according to projections at the Agricultural Outlook Forum.

In reviewing my February writing, I realize that quite a few things actually were finished or at least started in the last month — I am pleased to report that!

As March hit, we finally got some relief on the weather and had some nice days that first week. February stayed ugly until the end and muddy, muddy, muddy.

From issues impacting the farm economy, including record costs for labor, interest and taxes, to trade and biofuels, there a lot of challenges facing farmers today. But there also are opportunities, said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association.

More than 2,400 students attended a virtual field trip to a dairy farm during National School Breakfast Week.

Happy National Agriculture Week! As the old saying goes, spring has sprung. The question on the tip of the tongue of many people I’ve spoken with recently is: Do you think we are going to get any more wintry weather?

Crop production baseline forecasts for the 2025-2026 marketing year balance sheets were unveiled at the Agricultural Outlook Forum.

The top five items tonight on my local news channel were automobile crashes caused by slick road surfaces. And these weren’t just little fender benders, although there was one of those that happened in a store parking lot.

It is a new day for agriculture, said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

There is always something to learn from a previous growing season. As the new year begins, it’s a great time for farmers to analyze results from their fields to make informed decisions for 2025.

Following reports of high disease outbreaks last year, the World Meteorological Organization is predicting a 60% chance of La Niña weather in 2025, which could lead to cooler conditions.

With the blustery cold we have seen across most parts of the country in recent days, it’s hard to believe that spring is right around the corner. Springtime brings planting, fresh blossoms and, of course, taxes.

Red crown rot is a concerning, relatively new disease to the Midwest that more farmers are finding in their fields. The pathogen was found in Illinois in 2018 and Indiana in 2022.

Crop insurers gathered for the industry’s annual convention, where leaders celebrated significant growth and charted a course for the future of American agriculture’s most important risk management tool.

A visit to Washington provided a powerful glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of local farmers as they navigate unpredictable weather and global market conditions.

As we bid farewell to February, I find myself aching for the warmth and promise of spring in the heart of middle America.

So far, this winter has been pretty friendly to the winter chores. We might be concerned about the lack of moisture for next spring’s crops, but right now dry is good.

Brrr, it’s cold outside. My sheep need good hay in their bellies to keep them warm during this time. That’s why I tested my hay and found out it averages only 8.75% crude protein.

Crop Nutrition Week 2025, a weeklong virtual learning event hosted by AgroLiquid, delivered data-driven strategies to help growers build stronger returns on their fertility investments.

Farmers may add root structure as another trait to consider when choosing corn hybrids for their operation.

The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States has dropped to its second-lowest mark in nearly three decades as pesticides, diminishing habitat and climate change take their toll on the beloved pollinator.

The long-term downward spiral in the number of U.S. cattle farms and ranches informs us that our industry is in a severe crisis.

Cattle numbers are down in the United States and the cattle market is focused on providing incentives to cattlemen for herd rebuilding.

Cattlemen have several options to control brush or woody plants in pastures.

The CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, shared expert market and weather analysis.

Other than a minor tweak in the wheat balance sheet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s domestic supply and demand estimates for the major crops were unchanged, but there were downward movements globally in the report.

We shipped two loads of fat cattle this past week and will ship another this week. Two of these loads were sold cash, and for the first time ever, we sold cattle for more than $200 per hundredweight.

We have completed the shop renovation project we started a year ago and got the heaters installed. This overdue improvement is a game changer.

The weather hasn’t presented too many challenges this winter, so far, but we know better than to celebrate just yet. We are still in a near-desperation need for runoff rain.

The groundhog saw its shadow on the second day of February, so we are all supposed to buckle up and get ready for six more weeks of winter. Have you ever wondered why so many people trust a rodent’s shadow as the portent of winter weather?

Now is the time to plan your day — or days — at the National Farm Machinery Show Feb. 12-15 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

As I write this, snow is falling outside my window, and I feel like I just stored my gardening tools and patio umbrella for the season. And yet, with the winter solstice in the rearview mirror, it’s already time to start preparing for spring.

My father began retiring long before the sale of our farm’s dairy cows in 1989. Began is the appropriate word because his exit from dairy farming was “slower than molasses in January,” as he liked to say. Years slow, in fact.

I have said it many times: farming is not an easy life’s work and certainly not for the faint of heart. Farming can push you to your physical and emotional limits. It can nearly kill you. It can save your life.

A major grower said it was abandoning its citrus growing operations, reflecting the headwinds Florida’s signature crops are facing following a series of hurricanes and tree diseases.

When Russell Maichel started growing almonds, walnuts and pistachios in the 1980s, he didn’t own a cellphone. Now, a fully autonomous tractor drives through his expansive orchard, spraying pesticides and fertilizer to protect the trees.

It’s cold outside, so it must be meeting time. Besides the meetings I talked about last month there is the Northern Indiana Grazing Conference on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Michiana Event Center in beautiful Shipshewana, Indiana.

This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.

As a new year begins I realize that time is not waiting for me. Where did 24 years of this century go? I certainly can name milestone events during those 24 years, but the rest of the time, the majority, I seem to have little recollection.

We took a little break from the basketball season to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bunch of gatherings of family and friends. Cow work gets sandwiched in where a little time and help allows.

December was not very kind to us as we closed out the year. The last two to three weeks we started receiving those winter rains a few days apart and you know that quickly leads to muddy conditions.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show, to be presented Jan. 14-16 by Tradexpos at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, will feature daily educational seminars provided by Northeastern Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Purdue Extension.

Congress approved a one-year extension to the 2018 farm bill late on Dec. 20 that included nearly $31 billion in disaster and economic assistance for farmers and ranchers.

Agriculture groups are grateful that Congress extended the 2018 farm bill for another year, but urge lawmakers to stay focused on new, modernized legislation that recognizes the many changes and challenges of the past six years.

Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South.

Florida agriculture suffered more than $190 million in losses from Hurricane Milton, making it the costliest for farmers and ranchers of three cyclones that pummeled the state in 2024, according to University of Florida researchers.

Channel seed is introducing an exclusive, new offering of downstream seed treatment products for next season along with an expanded portfolio of seed products.

Grain and fertilizer prices may have you thinking about skipping some normal fertility practices this year — particularly applying supplemental phosphorus and potassium. However, carefully consider all factors.

AgriNews has followed the Rahn family throughout the year. This is the last in a series of updates about the family members and the decisions they make on their farm.

Two central Illinois agriculture teachers already had plenty on their plates as they watched and listened to the news.