Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Wheat”
The calendar turns to April next Wednesday. USDA’s first weekly crop update comes the following Monday, but state ag departments continue their weekly updates and the early picture for winter wheat shows damaged caused by temperature fluctuations the last 30, 45 days. Top producing state, Kansas, reporting good to excellent ratings now below 50%, well below USDA’s fall rating, 62%. And in fact, the lowest early spring …
Settlement and the Promise of Kansas Farmland Early agriculture in the state of Kansas was not always successful. When Kansas was opened to settlement in 1854, waves of settlers began moving into the region, drawn by the promise of fertile land on the vast prairie. Farmers arriving in the territory often brought seeds with them from the eastern United States …
International trade played a powerful role in shaping agriculture in early America. Long before the United States became a global agricultural powerhouse, colonial farmers and traders were already responding to international markets. In the early 1700s, demand from Europe for both natural resources and food helped drive economic growth across several regions of the American colonies. From the booming fur …
Grain and livestock futures remain weaker, though we think they’ll be more stable as we move toward Friday. A disappointing February soybean crush number only adds to uncertainty in the soybean complex, President Trump hinting that that March 31st meeting in Beijing could be delayed if China doesn’t help with security in the Strait of Hormuz. A delay in that meeting only delays a …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture presented the crop forecasts for the upcoming season during the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. USDA economist Bryn Swearingen provided the forecast for corn, soybeans and wheat. Swearingen said, “While corn acres are forecasted down to 94 million, this is still the third highest on record, and soybeans are forecasted to have a recovery to 85 million …
FFA Week continues and Commodity Classic opens tomorrow in San Antonio. We take a look at FFA members numbering now over 1,000,000 in 9,407 chapters, all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. We salute all current and alumni members of FFA. And Commodity Classic opening tomorrow in San Antonio. The 30th anniversary, corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum producers getting together, used to have their …
Labor, Land, and Innovation: How 19th-Century Farming Became More Efficient American agriculture in the 19th century underwent a profound transformation as new tools and techniques reshaped how crops were planted, cultivated, and harvested. A comparison of corn and wheat production between 1850 and 1890 reveals how early mechanization dramatically reduced labor demands while maintaining similar land requirements. These changes laid …
When people think about America’s agricultural powerhouses, Minnesota is not always the first state that comes to mind. Yet in 1915, Minnesota stood at the very center of the U.S. food system. As Mark Oppold explains in this American Agriculture History Minute, the state—driven by milling giants in Minneapolis—became the flour capital of the United States, producing nearly all of …
Joseph Dart: A Pioneer in American Agriculture Joseph Dart, though born in Connecticut, left a lasting mark on American agriculture after moving to Buffalo, New York. Dart is best remembered for his groundbreaking invention that revolutionized the storage and transportation of grain in the United States. The First Machine-Powered Grain Elevator In 1842, Dart introduced the first machine-powered grain elevator …
Railroads Spark a Wheat Boom In the late 19th century, wheat production in the United States expanded rapidly as new railroad lines connected farms to distant markets. These rail connections made it possible to move large volumes of grain efficiently, fueling a dramatic transformation in American agriculture. Between 1875 and 1890, this expansion gave rise to massive wheat operations known …
