Weather Bubble Over the Central Part of the Country

So far, 12 states out of the 18 total reporting acres of corn planted are ahead of the five year average.  

Ken Ferrie says 37% of seed corn samples he's reviewed fall below good quality levels; 11% fall into the poor category. He advises retaining 2 lb. of each questionable lot until stand establishment can be evaluated.

Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in nine states since late March. The public health risk is low, but is higher for those exposed to infected animals.

The agency will provide reimbursement for testing at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory.  

There's an immense amount of pressure riding on this year’s crop production picture, and with a margin squeeze setting in across farms, economists think it could accelerate consolidation in the row-crop industry. 

“If we step back and look at what that means for farmland, we're taking our energy production system from highly centralized production facilities and we have to distribute it,” says David Muth.