Weather

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

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.

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

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.

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.

The topsoil in northern Illinois is drier that normal for this time of the year.

Global soybean supplies that are already at high levels are expected to grow in the first months of 2025.

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

PrairiErth Farm will host a fruit tree pruning workshop on Feb. 8.

Taking steps to safeguard your tires from harsh winter weather and conditions can help you avoid needing replacement tires come spring.

We are down to the short rows of 2024. Winter is upon us. Christmas is days away. The older I get, the more quickly the days, weeks, months and years pass by.

The two most important forces shaping the cooperative business model are future farmers and talent management.

Though growth in economic activity was generally small, expectations for growth rose moderately across most geographies and sectors across the Federal Reserve Districts.

Garrett Hawkins, a Waterloo farmer, was elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association for 2024-2025 at its recent reorganizational meeting.

Cattle and sheep graze on permanent pasture, cover crops and crop residue on Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in northern Illinois.

A warm, dry fall gave the Rahn family the opportunity to finish harvest early and rain showers over the past several weeks improved the conditions for fall work.

A new digital platform designed to assist farmers implement precision farming strategies was rolled out this year.

Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties in Illinois have been approved for funding to address damages from tornados and severe storms.

This year’s Greater Peoria Farm Show will include a new Kubota Sidekick UTV giveaway and the new University of Illinois Extension seminar series.

The late planted corn was pretty disappointing on yields. The yields were still good, but nothing like the first half of the harvest season.

Harvest may be finished on Clay Geyer’s farm in northern Indiana, but his work is far from over.

Fall fieldwork is near completion for Berkeley Boehne after some much-needed rain slowed tillage for some of his fields.

USDA announced that one Illinois county will be accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program and two Illinois counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.

As Thanksgiving approaches, families across America are getting ready to gather with loved ones, share favorite dishes and reflect on the past year.

The leading soybean-producing country in the world is projected to see the slowest acreage growth in a decade while still reaching record production.

ILSoyAdvisor Soy Envoys recapped the top agronomic challenges of 2024 and what potentially lies ahead for 2025 in an Illinois Soybean Association Field Advisor podcast.

The goal of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition is to help support livestock producers in building profitable, sustainable grazing operations.

Fall is a great time to enjoy the fruits of our labor as farmers and to remind us of our many blessings as we approach Thanksgiving. Be sure to give proper thanks to the author of those blessings.