The drought continues in the southeast, especially in Georgia, South Georgia, northern Florida, and lower Alabama. The drought has closed all peanut operations, just about it, and nobody can get the peanuts planted in the ground, and that’s going to delay everything moving into the 2026 crop. USCA predicted from last year’s crop an 11% increase. That’s also keeping the market down as far as increases, …
Now that the USDA has released the revised New World Screwworm Playbook (.pdf), we caught up with Sigrid Johannes with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to get their impressions of the playbook. “We’re extremely encouraged, frankly, by this second draft and this second round of documents we’ve seen out from USDA. I think when the first draft of the playbook and …
A longtime axiom in the grain trade is follow oats. Oats knows. Well, if that’s true, there are struggles ahead for all grain producers. USDA’s March acreage report showed oat acres to be the third lowest on record, just 2.4 million acres. It would seem to follow them, fewer acres, reduced supply, that prices would be improving. July oat futures have been range …
A Turning Point in American Agriculture The history of seed planters is closely tied to the broader evolution of agriculture in the United States. Before mechanization, farmers relied heavily on manual labor to plant crops—an approach that was time-consuming, physically demanding, and often inconsistent in seed placement. The introduction of seed planters marked a pivotal shift, transforming the way crops …
Addressing non-tariff barriers have been central to agricultural trade negotiations and we sat down with Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg to learn more. Under Secretary Lindberg said, “To me it’s actually one of the best stories of the past year. We have had a remarkable shift in the way in which our team at the U.S. …
It looks like the peanut industry is going to get a three million dollar grant. It’s a two-year implementation window and because of export promotion program. The Trump administration announced this week the recipients of the America First trade promotion program. The grant was 285 million dollars but only 165 million was awarded at this time. And they said the peanut industry and …
Next week’s April Fed meeting shows nearly a 0% chance there’ll be any change in interest rates. The Fed meets next Tuesday and Wednesday, and so a week from today we’ll announce any rate decision. CME’s FedWatch tool right now showing 99.5% chance no change. That’s the highest percentage we have ever seen and yet is understandable with current world events. Looking ahead, there’s …
Introduction to the California Trail The California Trail stands as a significant chapter in American agriculture history, playing a vital role in the westward expansion of settlers seeking new opportunities. As highlighted by agricultural broadcaster Mark Oppold, this historic route helped shape the development of farming and settlement patterns across the western United States. Early Settlements Along the Missouri River …
The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association is headed to Washington DC this week to engage with legislators on Captiol Hill and we caught up with Erin Beasley with the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association to learn more. Beasley said, “Excited to take our officer team this week back to the Hill. We’re going for our annual fly-in with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, so we’ll be …
The Florida Beef Council shared the value of beef with dieticians at a recent event. We caught up with Jamie Lee McIntyre Registered Dietician Nutritionist who presented on behalf of the Florida Beef Council at the event to learn more. McIntyre said, “We spoke at the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual symposium to about 200 to 250 dietitians in …
