Georgia National Fair

Georgia National Fair Celebrates America 250

Peanut farmers are busy in the field getting the rest of this crop in. Only about half have been delivered so far. We’re watching lots of celebrations saluting the peanut, including the Georgia National Fair. It continues through October the 18th. It is showcasing a variety of attractions including ag exhibits, entertainment, and competition. This year the fair theme through …

post-Civil War wheat prices

Post-Civil War Wheat Prices Push Farmers Toward Corn and Livestock

Wheat Boom During the Civil War Gives Way to a Market Collapse During the Civil War, strong wheat prices encouraged many American farmers to plant more of the crop. With wheat bringing attractive returns, producers expanded acreage to take advantage of the favorable market. But the situation changed dramatically when the war ended. Wheat prices fell sharply, leaving farmers who …

December corn

Eye on Markets

Markets are back open today after the Columbus Day holiday, we’re keeping an eye on Wall Street and CME Group in Chicago. It looks like combines rolled well into the night across a wide area of the Midwest, but not in this area. Heavy rains flooding, halting the harvest and even some college football games. But you would not be …

William and Sam Cargill

William and Sam Cargill: The Beginning of a Grain Storage Legacy

Grain Storage Becomes a Growing Challenge As grain production expanded across the American Midwest during the mid-1800s, farmers faced a growing problem: they were producing more grain than they could immediately use or sell. Without adequate storage, farmers could be forced to sell their crops simply because they had nowhere to keep them. The development of additional grain storage capacity …

peanut butter challenge

The 15th Annual Peanut Butter Challenge

University of Florida Extension Service and Florida A&M are all teaming together to again sponsor the 15th annual Peanut Butter Challenge. During October and November, all collected peanut butter will be distributed to local food pantries this winter. A total of 38 of Florida’s Extension Service offices will be collecting the protein-packed favorite. Participating county extension offices will collect sealed, …

Grain trade

Grain Trade Updates

Grain trade will have a couple of hours to trade numbers from today’s monthly crop report, and then we’ll have to wait until Tuesday when markets reopen. Columbus Day holiday on Monday, markets will be closed, as well as banks, post offices, and government offices. Most analysts expect USDA to lower corn production from the September report. Average estimates have …

peanut

Challenges in the Peanut Industry

Last year across the peanut belt, a surprise, the government shut down. That sent shockwaves across the peanut industry as the government shutdown caused no loans to be paid to the farmers, but it took a miracle to open the Federal State Inspection Service and allow peanuts to be graded and set aside and to be paid for later. Farmers …

peanut market

Peanut Market Trends

Checking on the peanut market right now on trends they say. The international market has picked up a lot with more activity than the U.S. domestic market. That comes from brokers dealing in peanuts. The international market is faced with dwindling supplies from all origins with the same problem the U.S. is having now with only coming possibly from the …

projections

USDA Price Projections

USDA makes price projections each February and what they think prices will be at harvest time for corn and soybeans. This year could be going against a longer-term trend. Corn and soybean harvest prices have exceeded those February projections just three of the last ten years, but this year different. Currently, 2026 corn harvest prices are 7 to 8 percent …

export

Export Peanut Struggles

The European Union has long been a major buyer of peanuts from the United States, but we’ve got a problem right now with the testing. Despite our efforts, the data shows that the percentage of loads that have been rejected by the EU ports that fail to meet the aflatoxin requirements has decreased. That means the peanuts are cleaner from …