Latest News From Retail Industry

Ceres Solutions and Co-Alliance to Vote on Merger
Ceres Solutions and Co-Alliance to Vote on Merger

If approved during the member vote, the companies hope to complete the merger in early 2024.

Agricultural Retailers Association Names Mid Kansas Cooperative Retailer of the Year
Agricultural Retailers Association Names Mid Kansas Cooperative Retailer of the Year

ARA honored Mid Kansas Cooperative (MKC) with its Retailer of the Year award in front of more than 600 attendees during the 2023 ARA Conference & Expo.

Agricultural Retailers Association Honors Joe Hodges with Lifetime Achievement Award
Agricultural Retailers Association Honors Joe Hodges with Lifetime Achievement Award

Joe Hodges received ARA’s highest individual honor during ARA’s Conference & Expo general session attended by more than 620 agricultural professionals.

ARA Recognizes Toby Hlavinka with Distinguished Service Award
ARA Recognizes Toby Hlavinka with Distinguished Service Award

ARA recognized Toby M. Hlavinka, president and CEO of American Plant Food (APF), with the ARA Distinguished Service Award during the ARA Conference & Expo in front of more than 600 ag retail industry professionals.

AMVAC GreenSolutions Adds New Product to BioWake Lineup
AMVAC GreenSolutions Adds New Product to BioWake Lineup

BioWake Prime is an EPA-registered bioinsecticide with technology that is designed to protect against the effects of corn rootworm.

The Scoop Podcast: The Better The Tool, The More It Will Be Used
The Scoop Podcast: The Better The Tool, The More It Will Be Used

Co-founder and CEO of Bushel Jake Joraanstad shares what is table stakes in ag software.

Syngenta Group and CNH Industrial Connect Digital Platforms
Syngenta Group and CNH Industrial Connect Digital Platforms

The companies hope this collaboration with simplify the decision making process for farmers and advisors while creating reliable data sources to increase insights. 

4 Areas to Revamp Your Ag Retail Business
4 Areas to Revamp Your Ag Retail Business

Change is in the air, and Brad Oelmann is challenging ag retailers to not hit cruise control.

Harvest Update: Less than 5% of Corn Acres to Go
Harvest Update: Less than 5% of Corn Acres to Go

According to USDA’s final crop progress report of the season, 96% of corn has been harvested — a 3% increase from last week.

Agritechnica 2023: New Trends Shape Equipment Industry
Agritechnica 2023: New Trends Shape Equipment Industry

The flow of ag commodities around the world is changing demand for mechanization. The latest innovations to do more with less were on display in Hanover, Germany.

Avoid A Technology Setback With These Maintenance Tips
Avoid A Technology Setback With These Maintenance Tips

To avoid a major technology setback in the spring, Joshua Elhers, precision products coordinator at Heartland Ag Solutions, shares two precautions the ag industry can take now.

Young Farmer Makes History, Uses Video Games and YouTube to Buy $1.8M Land
Young Farmer Makes History, Uses Video Games and YouTube to Buy $1.8M Land

After a year-long wait, Grant Hilbert and his company, SquadBuilt, released American Farming on Nov. 24, 2023. Here's a look back at his journey to become a gamer, social media influencer and farmer. 

Hostile Headwinds Hitting Ag Startups
Hostile Headwinds Hitting Ag Startups

The vertical farming bubble is popping, and investors are taking dollars off the table for fake meat.

Yara-Founded Varda Partners With Ever.Ag
Yara-Founded Varda Partners With Ever.Ag

Bringing together the technologies works toward reducing risks for service providers and boosting consumer trust in food production processes.

Harvesting the Good Life: Pennsylvania Farmer Continues to Run Silage Chopper at 96 Years Old
Harvesting the Good Life: Pennsylvania Farmer Continues to Run Silage Chopper at 96 Years Old

At 96 years young, Paul Dotterer still runs the chopper during harvest season on his family's dairy farm - and he enjoys every minute of it.

Make The Most of Your Annual Planning Events
Make The Most of Your Annual Planning Events

Mark Faust advises to leave your work environment and find a fresh view on how to enable your own turnaround mindset.

U.S. Soybean Farmers Make Major Investments in Mississippi River and Port Infrastructure
U.S. Soybean Farmers Make Major Investments in Mississippi River and Port Infrastructure

Dredging the Mississippi River to a depth of 50' allows 500,000 more soybean bushels to be loaded per vessel, which helps lower freight rates and adds to the value of the soybeans exported.

Port of South Louisiana Top Export Port for U.S. Grain Even with Historic Drought
Port of South Louisiana Top Export Port for U.S. Grain Even with Historic Drought

The port of South Louisiana is the No. 1 export port for grain by volume in the U.S., so it's important for U.S. farmers getting their product to export markets. 

USDA Says Trade Efforts Are Working to Build Markets Abroad
USDA Says Trade Efforts Are Working to Build Markets Abroad

The agency says exports picked up steam this year in countries such as Canada, India and Japan and that the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will keep the wheels of progress turning in 2024.

Harvest Update: The Home Stretch for Remaining Corn Acres
Harvest Update: The Home Stretch for Remaining Corn Acres

According to USDA’s crop progress report, 93% of corn has been harvested so far – an increase 5% from this time last week.

NAICC's Look Back On 2023
NAICC's Look Back On 2023

Clark Poppert, NAICC president, reflects on his biggest takeaways from 2023.

Turporken is the Thanksgiving Trifecta
Turporken is the Thanksgiving Trifecta

Turkey is o.k., but it's a far cry from a delicious holiday ham in my book. That's why I can't help but be intrigued by turporken.

Lost and Found: Bottle Hunter Digs Extraordinary Farmland Treasures
Lost and Found: Bottle Hunter Digs Extraordinary Farmland Treasures

Tom Askjem disappears under farmland, descends to depths of 13’-plus, and returns to the surface with treasure—bottles and glassware from agriculture’s past.

Thanksgiving Food Costs Reflect A Healed Supply Chain
Thanksgiving Food Costs Reflect A Healed Supply Chain

A traditional Thanksgiving feast reflects two current trends in food-at-home economics: increased retail food costs vary by category and the supply chain is back to pre-COVID patterns.

CHS Inc. To Offer New Line of Enlist E3 Soybeans
CHS Inc. To Offer New Line of Enlist E3 Soybeans

The new line, Attain soybean seed, provides tolerance to glufosinate, 2,4-D choline, and glyphosate herbicides.

5 Digital Payment Trends Ag Retailers Should Know
5 Digital Payment Trends Ag Retailers Should Know

ARA and Keybank share their top tips to help ag retailers take advantage of emerging digital payment trends.

The Scoop Podcast: How One Ag Retailer Found Success with H2-A Workers
The Scoop Podcast: How One Ag Retailer Found Success with H2-A Workers

In 2023, The Equity brought on 20 seasonal H2-A workers. They’ve found such success that they are more than doubling that in 2024. Learn more from Human Resources Manager Robin Brown.

CF Industries Ready to Move Forward to Acquire Louisiana Ammonia Production Facility
CF Industries Ready to Move Forward to Acquire Louisiana Ammonia Production Facility

CF Industries will purchase the ammonia plant and related assets for $1.675 billion.

Senator Urges USDA to Take Action on Nation’s Milk Carton Shortage
Senator Urges USDA to Take Action on Nation’s Milk Carton Shortage

Schools across the nation have a crisis on their hands – a milk carton shortage that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. But could the USDA provide assistance? One U.S. Senator thinks so.

Ferrie: Here's How to Set up Your Fall Tillage Tools for Success
Ferrie: Here's How to Set up Your Fall Tillage Tools for Success

Fall tillage is in full swing. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares two videos to explain how to successfully set and operate your hybrid chisel and inline ripper.

CoteX Technologies and Nutrien Enter Memorandum of Understanding
CoteX Technologies and Nutrien Enter Memorandum of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will allow the companies to explore the joint commercialization of a coating technology used to produce an affordable, environmentally-friendly nitrogen fertilizer solution.

6 Tips to Step Into Leadership
6 Tips to Step Into Leadership

Fear of leadership is natural. That's why Sarah Beth Aubrey is sharing the best practices to get out of your own head.

Fertilizer Relay System Gives Corn a Big Push Out of the Gate
Fertilizer Relay System Gives Corn a Big Push Out of the Gate

If you value the benefits starter fertilizer offers, you might like the performance of a starter fertilizer relay system even more. Farm Journal Test Plot data show a relay system + 2x2 placement = $36 per acre ROI.

The Scoop Podcast: Certainty Is The Most Important Commodity In Ag
The Scoop Podcast: Certainty Is The Most Important Commodity In Ag

“One of the biggest commodities for the farm community is certainty or some semblance of understanding what is coming when,” says ARA's Hunter Carpenter says. 

What Will the Reference  Price Be in the New Farm Bill?
What Will the Reference Price Be in the New Farm Bill?

The Congressional Budget Office estimates corn will hit the $4.26 Effective Reference Price for 2025 to 2027 crops.

Truterra Appoints Jamie Leifker as New President
Truterra Appoints Jamie Leifker as New President

Leifker has over 25 years of experience working to deliver data-driven products and services for ag retailers to position with farmers to help improve their operations' profits and sustainability.

How Did Cluster, Skip-Row, Triple Crop Corn Fare In 2023?
How Did Cluster, Skip-Row, Triple Crop Corn Fare In 2023?

In 2023, John Smith planted cluster corn, James Hitchcock tried wide row corn and Bill Jones targeted a triple crop. How did each farmer fare?

An Important Wildcard In The 2024 Grain Storage Outlook
An Important Wildcard In The 2024 Grain Storage Outlook

According to a recent report from CoBank, an abundance of corn and soybeans has resulted in cheaper basis and bigger carries in futures markets.

Earlier Vs. Later: How Have Corn and Soybean Planting Dates Changed in the Past 20 Years
Earlier Vs. Later: How Have Corn and Soybean Planting Dates Changed in the Past 20 Years

Various factors impact planting dates, but now's the time to get everything in order so you don't miss the windows of opportunity when they roll around next spring.

Resources Available to Stack Conservation Programs
Resources Available to Stack Conservation Programs

Layering federal and private conservation programs has potential to add extra cash to your bottom line.

Gowan Milling Expands Production With New Arkansas Facility
Gowan Milling Expands Production With New Arkansas Facility

Four main factors led Gowan to this new facility, which will be known as Gowan Milling Blytheville.

El Nino's Effect on Crop Prices
El Nino's Effect on Crop Prices

Recent WASDE reports had assumed another record Brazilian soybean crop and Argentina returning to normal, but the El Niño weather pattern might have something to say about that. 

Harvest Update: 13 States Wrap Up More Than 90% of Soybean Harvest
Harvest Update: 13 States Wrap Up More Than 90% of Soybean Harvest

According to USDA’s crop progress report, 88% of corn and 95% of soybeans have been harvested so far.

East-Central Texas Farmer Blown Away By Cotton Yields This Year
East-Central Texas Farmer Blown Away By Cotton Yields This Year

East-central Texas farmers battled historic heat, along with no rain during the heart of the growing season. The outlook on the cotton crop was bleak, but one Texas farmer says cotton harvest produced several surprises.

As Washington Works to Prevent a Government Shutdown, House And Senate Ag Committees Reach Deal On Farm Bill Extension
As Washington Works to Prevent a Government Shutdown, House And Senate Ag Committees Reach Deal On Farm Bill Extension

An extension of the current farm bill is now a reality. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders were able to extend the current legislation as a possible government shutdown looms.

Will Border Security Issues Force Congress To Take Action On Immigration Reform? Ag Economists Say It's Unlikely
Will Border Security Issues Force Congress To Take Action On Immigration Reform? Ag Economists Say It's Unlikely

The debate over immigration continues to be an issue in Washington. However, the Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor shows economists are still skeptical it's enough for Congress to act on immigration reform.

Top 10 States with the Largest Wild Pig Populations
Top 10 States with the Largest Wild Pig Populations

Wild hog populations are continuing to spread and move north in the U.S. As one of the most destructive invasive animal species in the U.S., the significant increase in the wild hog population is a great concern.

Busting Myths and Opening Doors: How One Ag Teacher is Making an Impact in the Pork Industry
Busting Myths and Opening Doors: How One Ag Teacher is Making an Impact in the Pork Industry

It's not easy to be an award-winning FFA advisor, but Riley Hintzsche of Streator Township High School in Illinois, makes it look that way. Here's one of his secrets and how that's making an impact on the pork industry.

Adapt-N Focuses on Expanding Integration Network
Adapt-N Focuses on Expanding Integration Network

Adapt-N is already available in Proagrica, Ever.Ag and MyFarms. Other management systems are currently in progress to include the tool in the immediate future.

USDA Makes Two Surprise Changes to Corn Yield and Demand In Its Latest Crop Production Report
USDA Makes Two Surprise Changes to Corn Yield and Demand In Its Latest Crop Production Report

USDA upped its corn yield estimate by nearly 2 bu. to a 174.9 bu. per acre national yield. The agency also increased its demand estimate, which softened the potential blow of such a big jump in production.