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Digital Ledger: Your Grain Could Be Tagged With A Non-Fungible Token In The Future
Digital Ledger: Your Grain Could Be Tagged With A Non-Fungible Token In The Future

Scale tickets from elevators could soon be a document of the past. In the future, your grain could have all its characteristics filed digitally and accessed via a QR code as it moves through the supply chain. 

Fertilizer Prices Down 45%-60% From Last Spring But Off March Lows as Planters Roll
Fertilizer Prices Down 45%-60% From Last Spring But Off March Lows as Planters Roll

While fertilizer prices are off March lows, they are still from 45% to 60% lower than this time last year, depending on the nutrient or product.

Which States Would Feel the Effects of Mexico’s GMO Corn Ban?
Which States Would Feel the Effects of Mexico’s GMO Corn Ban?

According to researchers at Ohio State University, most U.S. states will experience a “limited effect” of the dispute in the short term. But the long-term could significantly impact states such as Illinois.

The Great Debate: What's the Ideal Row Spacing for Planting Soybeans?
The Great Debate: What's the Ideal Row Spacing for Planting Soybeans?

Row spacing is getting a closer look from farmers who are evaluating the practices that contribute most to soybean yield. Agronomic experts offer their insights here to help growers heading to the field this week.

Crude Oil Moves Back Above $80 with Talk of $100 by Year End:  What Does That Mean for Interest Rates and Diesel Fuel Costs?
Crude Oil Moves Back Above $80 with Talk of $100 by Year End: What Does That Mean for Interest Rates and Diesel Fuel Costs?

Crude oil moves back above $80, what does that mean for interest rates and diesel fuel prices for farmers this growing season?

Ag Credit Tightens with Rising Interest Rates and Following Bank Collapses
Ag Credit Tightens with Rising Interest Rates and Following Bank Collapses

Farmers are facing a headwind other than the weather heading into the spring planting sesaon. Credit is tightening as farmers finalize or renew operating notes or loans for capital purchases.  

USTR's Trade Strategy: Stronger Ties with Like-Minded Countries
USTR's Trade Strategy: Stronger Ties with Like-Minded Countries

Non-tariff barriers “are real and can be more significant hurdles than tariffs,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai says.

Ferrie: 5 Ways to Stop Early-Season Pests and Insects Now
Ferrie: 5 Ways to Stop Early-Season Pests and Insects Now

Cutworm and armyworm moths are on the move, looking to lay eggs. Wireworms, grubs, flea beetles, gophers and voles are also looking to take up residence in your fields. Act now to stop them.

As “go time” nears, farmers evaluate the markets to finalize cropping decisions
9 Charts to Analyze from the 2023 FAPRI Baseline

If weather conditions allow crop yields to return to trend-line levels in 2023, prices for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and many other crops are likely to fall.

5 Business Principles That Define Success
5 Business Principles That Define Success

Rich Redmond has created a no-nonsense system to supercharge your personal and professional life, whether you are a farmer or the drummer for Jason Aldean.

Preventative Maintenance for Your People: How to Reduce Turnover and Boost Morale
Preventative Maintenance for Your People: How to Reduce Turnover and Boost Morale

Follow this strategy to reduce turnover and increase morale on your farm team.

The Scoop Podcast: There Is No Seed Selling “Season”
The Scoop Podcast: There Is No Seed Selling “Season”

"The thrill of the hunt maybe is the word I'll use, but it's a process and I love it from start to finish,” says George Madison.

Corn and Soybean Prices Soar Higher, Even With USDA's Surprising March Prospective Plantings Report
Corn and Soybean Prices Soar Higher, Even With USDA's Surprising March Prospective Plantings Report

USDA's 2023 Prospective Plantings report released March 31 shows farmers intend to plant significantly more corn acres in 2023. At nearly 92 million acres, that's a jump of 3.42 million acres from last year.

What Is Your Definition Of Success In Farming?
What Is Your Definition Of Success In Farming?

In farming and in life, success can be defined in endless ways. Five farmers share their perspective.

CoBank: Emerging Risks Depress Profit Margins and Challenge Traditional Business Models
CoBank: Emerging Risks Depress Profit Margins and Challenge Traditional Business Models

“Over the next five years, ag retailers will need to get a handle on changing customer needs, lower expected industry working capital, and rising property casualty insurance costs,” Ken Zuckerberg writes.

USDA Announces Second Round of Debt Relief to "Distressed" Borrowers
USDA Announces Second Round of Debt Relief to "Distressed" Borrowers

This round is for those who were delinquent on a direct loan as of Sept. 2020, restricted a loan after Feb. 2020 through FSA, or those who owe more interest on a direct loan than the level of the principal.

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8 Numbers to Understand Today’s Farm Bank Landscape

Agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks increased 8.1% in 2022 to $103.1 billion, according to the American Bankers Association's annual Farm Bank Performance Report.

3 Topics Producers Should be Tracking in the Farm Bill
3 Topics Producers Should be Tracking in the Farm Bill

“We don’t need to rewrite the entire farm bill,” Rep. Thompson (R-Pa.) says. “We’re comfortable with many parts of the 2018 bill and there aren’t many tweaks, instead things we need to protect and invest in."

Cargo Ships Leave West Coast Ports As Labor Talks Show 'Little to No' Progress
Cargo Ships Leave West Coast Ports As Labor Talks Show 'Little to No' Progress

Rail strikes ran headlines in late 2022 and came to an end in December when Congress passed an agreement. But there may be another strike looming in the transportation sector unless the Biden administration changes pace.

The Ag Analyst’s Briefing: Week of March 27 Watchlist
The Ag Analyst’s Briefing: Week of March 27 Watchlist

The Fed hiked rates 25bps at last week’s FMOC meeting and indicated it will stay the course. So why are forward yields (1 year through 30 year still lower, suggesting Fed easing?)

Is There Anything New from the Latest Farm Bill Debate?
Is There Anything New from the Latest Farm Bill Debate?

We need to know the final funding level in the debt limit debate before there are can be any attempt to mix and match farm bill titles and funds.

Senators Reintroduce the Next Generation Fuels Act
Senators Reintroduce the Next Generation Fuels Act

Emily Skor, Growth Energy CEO, says the fuel industry has only “scratched the surface” of ethanol potential. She feels this act will help unleash ethanol’s capabilities.

The Equity and WebAir Launch Drone Spray Company
The Equity and WebAir Launch Drone Spray Company

Green Creek Drone Company will be led by Tony Weber as general manager and will also be working closely with The Equity’s Agronomy Department providing custom application of fungicides in select areas in 2023.

How Important is U.S. Ag and Food to the Economy?
How Important is U.S. Ag and Food to the Economy?

In celebration of National Ag Day and National Ag Week, the 2023 Feeding the Economy report shows just how vital the industry is to U.S. families, communities and the world.

Ferrie: Ready, Set, Whoops! A Fast Start To Fieldwork Could Cost You Big In Corn At V5
Ferrie: Ready, Set, Whoops! A Fast Start To Fieldwork Could Cost You Big In Corn At V5

Caution can help you avoid creating compaction or density layers. Plus, if you're applying anhydrous now, allowing 14 days between the application and planting can prevent dead or damaged plants and costly yield dings.

Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $70:  What is the Outlook for Consumers at the Pump and Farmers Heading Into Spring Planting?
Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $70: What is the Outlook for Consumers at the Pump and Farmers Heading Into Spring Planting?

Oil prices are also off their highs of last year and gas and diesel prices are also sliding at the pump, but will that trend continue ahead of planting?   Energy experts are hoping the answer is yes.  

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What Bodies of Water are Considered WOTUS?

The EPA’s new definition of Waters of the U.S. takes effect Monday. Here's a rundown of what is considered WOTUS and, therefore, subject to federal regulation.

US Importers Carried the Burden of Chinese Tariffs Placed by President Trump
US Importers Carried the Burden of Chinese Tariffs Placed by President Trump

Former President Donald Trump placed tariffs on more than $300 billion in Chinese goods during his presidency, raising costs for American companies, according to the ITC.

Slowing Rural Economy Creates Negative Outlook
Slowing Rural Economy Creates Negative Outlook

Economic growth is stalling in rural America. That’s according to the Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) from Creighton University. 

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Who Defines WOTUS? It Might Come Down to the President or Supreme Court

The House last week has already passed its WOTUS rule resolution and it’s up for a Senate vote. The White House has pledged a veto of the measure, should it reach President Joe Biden’s desk.

Peel Back The Onion: Understand Your Business's Trajectory
Peel Back The Onion: Understand Your Business's Trajectory

Tweaking three financial assumptions challenges most ag retailers to realize their income statements can go from showing a profit to only breaking even.

Cutting Costs, Not People
Cutting Costs, Not People

Realize 6, 7 or even 8 figures of savings without reducing your most valuable resource—your people.

Ferrie: Seize Your Corn Growing Opportunities for #Plant2023
Ferrie: Seize Your Corn Growing Opportunities for #Plant2023

Do some final noodling on hybrid selection, planting processes and agronomic practices to grow that big-yielding crop you want to harvest next fall. Here are five tips to help you make this season a success.

bank-hastings
The Ag Analyst’s Briefing: Week of March 13 Watchlist

Numerous measures were announced over the weekend in response to SVB which now appear to reduce the risk of financial contagion.

New Systemic Nitrogen-Fixation Biofertilizer Can Be Used In-Furrow or In a Foliar Application
New Systemic Nitrogen-Fixation Biofertilizer Can Be Used In-Furrow or In a Foliar Application

Envita offers corn growers season-long nitrogen availability, according to Azotic Technologies. The product retails for approximately $15 an acre.

USDA’s Cover Crop Program Would be Made Permanent through Biden's Budget
USDA’s Cover Crop Program Would be Made Permanent through Biden's Budget

To put cover crop investments in motion, NRCS would draw on federal, state and private conservationists to hire “thousands” of employees for rural America.

4 Challenges To Attracting Top Talent
4 Challenges To Attracting Top Talent

K&R conversations with more than 15,000 prospective candidates in 2022 validate how top leaders continue to look at career opportunities from a different lens.

Ground Truth:  Managers Report Entry-Level Ag Retailer Salaries
Ground Truth: Managers Report Entry-Level Ag Retailer Salaries

Via a February email survey, The Scoop conducted its annual salary study, which asks for insights related to compensation for two key ag retail roles: sales agronomists and machine operators/applicators.

Sulfur in Soybeans: Learn How Precise Applications Pay in Yield
Sulfur in Soybeans: Learn How Precise Applications Pay in Yield

Missy Bauer, Farm Journal field agronomist, has found adding a dry ammonium sulfate at V3 or V4 growth stages can make the most significant impact on yields in soils with less organic matter.

US Nears USMCA Dispute With Mexico Concerning GMO Corn
US Nears USMCA Dispute With Mexico Concerning GMO Corn

By requesting consultations, the U.S. Trade Representative began a process to come to a settlement on ag biotechnology imports to Mexico. If a settlement is not reached, the issue will move to a full-blown trade dispute.

It Wasn’t Raining When Noah Built The Ark: Don't Wait for a Crisis to Change
It Wasn’t Raining When Noah Built The Ark: Don't Wait for a Crisis to Change

Incorporate good ideas into your company’s DNA today. Work to do that before the stress of the coming cycle downturn paralyzes you from investing for the future.

New Conservation Funding and CRP Took Priority in Senate Ag Hearing
New Conservation Funding and CRP Took Priority in Senate Ag Hearing

"The prioritization of resource concerns must be left to the local level where producers decide how they can best address their unique and varied landscapes and needs," said Sen. John Boozman.

US Trade Rep Tai to Discuss Biden's Trade Agenda Today
US Trade Rep Tai to Discuss Biden's Trade Agenda Today

"In this current situation, the traditional approach to free trade agreements — which isn't just tariff cuts, but that they do tariff cuts on a fully comprehensive basis — isn't what we need right now,” Tai says.

EPA’s Year-Round E15 Proposed Rule Pushes Sales into 2024
EPA’s Year-Round E15 Proposed Rule Pushes Sales into 2024

"This proposal, while well-intended, still leaves the country with a patchwork of regulations that prevents the nation’s driving public from enjoying the full benefits of biofuels," said Sen. Deb Fischer.

Tar Spot Found to Thrive on High-Humidity Days
Tar Spot Found to Thrive on High-Humidity Days

Before planting even starts, diseases are likely on soil residue. That includes tar spot. While many believe rainfall and temperatures are key tar spot drivers, Agronomist Missy Bauer says there's a third indicator.

One Year After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: How Has World Trade Realigned?
One Year After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: How Has World Trade Realigned?

A year ago, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine injected uncertainty about global grain supplies into the market. Today, initial concerns have been squashed by the reality of record exports from the Black Sea Region.

Vilsack Signals USMCA Case is Coming on GMO Corn Situation in Mexico
Vilsack Signals USMCA Case is Coming on GMO Corn Situation in Mexico

The U.S. appears to be pursuing a case via USMCA on the matter: “That is going to happen, because we're essentially in a circumstance where this is not a situation that lends itself to a compromise,” Vilsack said.

Top 10 Charts from the Kickoff of USDA's Ag Outlook Forum
Top 10 Charts from the Kickoff of USDA's Ag Outlook Forum

Despite weather trends, planting projections for 2023 find corn, wheat and soybeans similar to 2022, for a combined 228 million acres—a 3% increase from 2022.

How One Ag Retailer Doubled Their Agronomy Business
How One Ag Retailer Doubled Their Agronomy Business

Grant Mason, sales manager for Wheeler Brothers Grain in western Oklahoma, shares how the team doubled their agronomy business in just a few years.

Commodity Programs Might See a 12% Cut in the Proposed $1 Trillion Farm Bill
Commodity Programs Might See a 12% Cut in the Proposed $1 Trillion Farm Bill

SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.