Latest News From Farm Business - General

Leaders the world’s largest input companies report material and freight costs continue to be high and farmers should expect prices to be up in 2022. 

Robots swarming and taking over farm fields. Autonomous tractors planting crops with no humans in sight. The futuristic views of technology that surfaced a decade ago may be a glimpse of what’s already reality today. 

The fertilizer industry is swarmed with Black Swan events. From the impacts of Hurricane Ida to political issues entangled in a cobweb of production slowdowns in Europe and China, prices could surpass 2008 highs.

Possible tax changes on the table in Washington are causing angst in agriculture. Secretary Vilsack says the proposed changes won't impact 98% of family farms, but another analysis contradicts those claims.

Jennie Schmidt brings a vital view to food production and consumption.

Crystal Valley Cooperative said it was targeted in a ransomware attack in recent days, making it the second Midwestern farm-services provider in a week to be forced to take systems offline due to cybersecurity incidents.

As the supply chain snarled, prices spiked. Prior to Hurricane Ida, a New Orleans barge of urea to ship in September to destinations across the U.S., Canada traded at $450 a ton. After, the price jumped to $552 a ton.

On Tuesday, Bill Northey weighed in with some perspective on the budget reconciliation bill, which is part of the Biden administration's Build Back Better agenda.

Adopt a lean-and-mean business mentality.

Easton Corbin is no stranger to agriculture. Growing up in Florida, raising and showing cattle was engrained from the start, as was FFA. The Florida farm kid, instead, attending college majoring in Agriculture Business

Global commodities trader Cargill Inc is launching a carbon farming program for the 2022 season that will pay growers for production practices that lower emissions and capture more climate-warming carbon in soils.

For the tenth straight month Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index remained above growth neutral.

Demand for ag workers has employers turning to the H-2A program more often. New data from the Department of Labor shows the highest rate of growth is in the fruit, nuts and vegetable categories, up more than 330%.

Paul Neiffer says one of the biggest benefits in the House’s proposed plan is farmers won’t be hit with increased taxes at death, as the transfer tax is no longer included and the full step-up in basis remains.

“Through the end of 2020 and all of 2021, it just seems like it's a perfect series of events—black swan events," says Josh Linville with StoneX.

While the Millennial generation is the fastest growing group of farm operators in Kansas, Gen Z farm operators today want technology automated, and companies have one chance to get the technology right.

Farmers seem to be slightly more optimistic about current economic conditions, but concerns about inflation are growing, according to the latest Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University and the CME Group.

From an American flag one year to a POW tribute the next, Wilber Meyer's field artwork has grown. And for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, this year's tribute is by far the biggest, extending beyond the Ohio farm field.

Net cash farm income, which tracks producers’ cash flow, is forecast by USDA at $134.7B for 2021. That number is up $6.4B from February’s forecast and would be an increase of 21.5% from 2020's $110.9B.

General Motors will reduce production at most North American assembly plants this month because of the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage, hitting its profitable truck and sport utility vehicles, it said on Thursday.

Hurricane Ida caused "significant damage" to a Louisiana grain export elevator owned by Cargill Inc. Ken Erickson, Senior VP agribusiness with IHS market, says the Hurricane's potential impact on exports is huge.

Included with MaveriX, the new M7 and M10 terminals with proven 7” and 10” form factors are the centerpiece of the solution.

The largest U.S. producer of glyphosate is offline due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida. Bayer confirmed its Luling, La., site was offline as of Monday. However, the duration of the pause in production is still unknown.

During the Summit, Top Producer will recognize remarkable farmers who have taken risks, built thriving businesses and given back to their communities.

USDA is out with its new ag export forecast for both this year and next, and it's showing exports could hit $173.5 billion in 2021, $4 billion more than 2020, due to higher livestock, poultry and dairy exports.

Take a high-level assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.

As Jim Walter, Jamie’s father, searched for a way to bring his son back to the family farm, the seed corn farmers built a brand, turning DeKalb County, Ill., into an area now known for its whiskey.

Corteva Inc has launched a new genetically modified soybean seed in Brazil following approval of the product in the European Union, a move likely to fuel competition on the local biotech seeds market.

Two independent seed companies will join forces as Rob-See-Co announces it will acquire Masters Choice, which is based in Anna, Illinois. 

It’s almost time for the 2021 Farm Journal Field Day events! First up is Whiskey Acres, a seed-to-spirit operation.

For almost 10 years, Nutrien has provided the eKonomics tools to help retailers and growers have conversations around optimizing their agronomic decisions, and it's now expanded to be available on a mobile app.

It’s almost time for the 2021 Farm Journal Field Day events! Join Farm Journal on Aug. 25 to get a first-hand look at farming in the Mississippi Delta.

The rural economy keeps chugging along, according to the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index. For the ninth straight month, the RMI has stayed above growth neutral.

Iowa's crop size will play a role in the prices buyers pay for Iowa farmland this year. Real estate experts call the land market the hottest in 40 years as inflation and more buyers than sellers also fuel the market.

Shipping issues continue to surface. The latest is in China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan container port, which is the third-busiest in the world, and has been partially shut down for six days, with no sign of reopening yet.

Bayer filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court verdict that upheld damages to a customer blaming his cancer on the Bayer's glyphosate-based weedkillers.

“There’s real science around soil health, and this is a way retailers can have meaningful impact without directly selling anything,” says Dr. Jennifer Wells, Senior Agronomist and Account Manager at Truterra.

Lush cornfields and a picture-perfect sunset. The first-ever MLB game played at the "Field of Dreams" put not only agriculture on center stage but all of Iowa, as social media was buzzing. And agriculture played a part.

The iconic "Field of Dreams" cornfields will come to life in Iowa on Thursday, Aug. 12, as two MLB teams prepare to face off at the first-time event. NCGA is an official sponsor of the game.

This is a three-year program through the corn/soybean rotation for farmers to adopt practice changes such as cover crops and more.

Farmland values continue to increase and are nearing levels not seen in eight years, according to a recent report from Farm Credit Services of America. 

President Biden will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles and will propose new vehicle-emission rules to cut pollution through 2026.

In 2021, you have the choice to join Farm Journal Field Days in person or online.

Is now the time to expand your tech expertise? 

A new look at farmer sentiment shows sentiments appear to be stabilizing some in farm country. The new July Purdue CME Group Ag Barometer data comes on the heels of a sharp two-month decline.

General Motors Co on Tuesday said its three North American full-size pickup truck assembly plants would be shut down next week due to the global semiconductor chip shortage.

After participating in four carbon market pilot programs in the past two years, Kyle Mehmen has learned a lot about the opportunity, and perhaps even more about what not to do. 

The dollar lurched lower on Monday, back towards the one-month lows hit last week when it became clear the Fed was in no hurry to tighten policy.

Farm Journal is bringing producers together at some of America’s top farms and we want you to be one of them. 

Are you struggling to hire? You’re not alone. The 2021 Farm Journal Labor Survey found most farm employers and ag retailers are finding it harder to fill positions.