U.S. red meat exports accounted for $2.94 billion worth of corn consumption or 536.7 million bushels last year. That’s according to analysis by The Juday Group and U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) of preliminary estimates of 2021. On the soy side, pork exports accounted for nearly 100 million bushels of consumption worth $1.3 billion. During last week’s Commodity Classic in …
China Scooping Up U.S. Corn and Soybeans
The world’s biggest importer of commodities is feeling the pinch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China is buying large numbers of U.S. corn and soybeans to help offset potential shortages in world commodity supplies because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and slower harvests in South America. Bloomberg says Chinese buyers booked 20 cargoes of American soybeans and 10 …
High Input Costs Cut Down U.S. Corn Acres
U.S. farmers will cut back on their corn acres this year by 1.5 percent and slightly increase their soybean acres because of the high cost of inputs. During the agency’s annual Ag Outlook Forum, USDA projected that high yields would bring in the biggest corn and soybean crops in history, which would likely pull down season-average prices for the two …
Gas Prices Rising Over Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Renewables an Obvious Answer
Gas prices just hit an eight-year record as the Russia-Ukraine conflict agitates energy markets, but the biofuels industry argues renewables from corn and soybeans remain a viable solution. U.S. sanctions and the Russian oil and natural gas export limits are all fueling higher gas prices up 20-cents in a month, 88-cents from a year ago. Here is President Joe Biden. …
Plant Materials Center Provides Diverse Climate Plant Solutions
The center providing plant solutions in a diverse climate. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Lockeford Plant Materials Center is a 106-acre facility located in the Central Valley of California. It’s about an hour southeast of the state’s capitol, Sacramento, and is the only plant materials in the state. The center provides plant solutions for the diverse …
Crop Insurance and Other Deadlines Approaching
There are a few deadlines that producers need to be aware of. Tyron Spearman has a report with a reminder of what those are. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril 10, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities That Spark Research ProjectsApril 3, 2026United Dairy Farmers of Florida Director Encouraged About the FutureMarch 27, …
USDA Data Tracks Fertilizer Price Increases
Data from USDA’s Economic Research Service details the increase in fertilizer prices. Fertilizer represents an average of 36 percent of a farmer’s operating costs for corn, 35 percent for wheat, and 30 percent for sorghum, according to estimates by USDA. Fertilizer prices declined from 2014 through 2017 before a gradual increase in 2019. In late 2021, prices began to spike …
Growers Discuss Priorities for 2023 Farm Bill
The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …
Corn, Biofuel Groups Testify to EPA on RFS
Corn and biofuel groups Tuesday made comments to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding its Renewable Fuel Standard proposal. EPA proposes Renewable Volume Obligations that Growth Energy says would undercut blending requirements for biofuel in 2021, and retroactively waive 2.96 billion gallons from 2020 RVOs finalized almost two years ago. Under the proposal, 2022 volumes return to statutory levels, and the …
China’s Pork Production Increases Mean More Grain Imports
A recent Bloomberg report says China, which consumes half the world’s pork, has a goal to be mostly self-sufficient in pork production. That means it will need more grain imports to feed the world’s biggest pig herd. China’s agriculture ministry says the country will maintain a target to produce 95 percent of their protein at home by 2025. It wants …