A southern Illinois farmer says he is feeling more pressure to produce strong crops this season. Mark Krausz of New Baden tells Brownfield margins will likely be tighter this year. “The markets and everything are so upside down. Everything is expensive and you really have to strive to do it right.” He says rain has put them behind on spring fieldwork and will likely delay planting, but it is important […]
A brand manager with Helena Agri-Enterprises says planting has been slow to start in the Mid-South. Austin Anderson is stationed in Memphis, Tennessee and tells Brownfield he has traveled the region over the past week. “We are seeing some people rolling, like on the tops of the hills and stuff like that. But, we’ve still got a lot of water around and rain every two to three days so everyone […]
The President of a grain safety equipment company is encouraging people to inspect older grain bins during Stand Up 4 Grain Safety week. Jeff Decker with Decker Consulting and Investigations in Lerna, Illinois tells Brownfield the typical lifespan of a corrugated steel bin is 25 years, but that decreases the more the bin is used. “Used to, a grain bin was filled once a year and unloaded once a year. […]
Oat acreage is expected to climb slightly higher this year. The USDA sees planted area for oats at 2.667 million acres, 3% above 2022, but still potentially the fifth lowest on record. Part of the increase can be tied to the rise in the use of oats as a cover crop, along with feed and food use expectations. The USDA’s weekly crop progress and condition numbers resume Monday, April 3rd […]
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway Company and Norfolk Southern Corporation following the Feb. 3 trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The complaint was filed late Thursday on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. It is seeking injunctive relief, cost recovery, and civil penalties for unlawful discharges of […]
The USDA is projecting fewer sorghum acres in 2023. Planted area for sorghum is seen at 5.975 million acres, 6% under 2022, as producers in the Plains either cut back on planting due to drought or switch to other, more profitable crops. The USDA’s weekly crop progress and condition numbers resume Monday, April 3rd at 4 Eastern/3 Central. Comparisons for Brownfield states: Kansas: 3.15 million acres, 5% lower than 2022 […]
The USDA is projecting fewer cotton acres this year and larger planted area for rice. Upland cotton acres are pegged at 11.102 million, a drop of 18% on the year, with the biggest year-to-year decline in Texas, which is being severely impacted by drought in some key growing areas. Rice acres are seen at 2.583 million, up 16% from 2022 on demand expectations, including a 9% increase for long grain […]
U.S. wheat farmers raised planted area in 2023. Planted area for all types of wheat is pegged at 49.855 million acres, a little bit more than the Ag Outlook Forum and a jump of 9% from last year. That includes a 13% rise in winter wheat to 37.505 million acres, considerably more than many pre-report estimates, with spring wheat at 10.57 million acres, under expectations and 2% less than last […]
The USDA’s Quarterly Stocks report shows the effects of solid demand and lower production. Corn stocks on March 1st were reported at 7.401 billion bushels, a little bit less than what analysts were expecting ahead of the numbers and down 5% on the year, despite smaller quarterly usage, but that can be tied to lower production in 2022 and slow export demand during the first half of the marketing year. […]
