08/27/2010 08:59AM
I bet you’re looking for the usual picture of the person being interviewed. You won’t see it and that’s a decision I made for security reasons. Sarah is a perfectly normal human being who should be able to drive home at the end of the day without worrying if someone tampered with her car or booby-trapped her front door.
08/30/2010 08:37AM
HBO’s biopic “Temple Grandin” swept the Emmys last night, capturing some of the top awards including Best Picture, Best Actress for Clare Danes who portrayed Grandin, Best Supporting Actress for Julia Ormond who portrayed Grandin’s mother, Best Supporting Actor for David Strathairn who portrayed Grandin’s favorite teacher and Best Director for Mick Jackson.
08/30/2010 02:24PM
Corn futures in Chicago today climbed to a 15-month high at nearly $4.30 a bushel, a price that in a few months may seem like a relative bargain for cattle and hog feeders.
08/30/2010 10:50AM
Many sectors of the agriculture industry, especially animal agriculture, felt the effects of the recession before other sectors of the economy. As a result, the ag industry responded by cutting herds back and letting oversupply to flow through the marketplace.
08/30/2010 09:58AM
In the most contentious panel of the August 27 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Department of Justice Competition Workshop, AMI Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel Mark Dopp delivered the facts surrounding competition and a new rule proposed by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The panel also included five livestock producers, an auction owner and an attorney.
08/25/2010 10:48AM
On Aug. 10, we ran an item in this newsletter entitled, "The EPA is out of control." It proved to be popular, with more than 1,000 of dairy recipients of this newsletter - 1,034 to be exact - clicking on the hyperlink in order to read the full article.
09/02/2010 08:14AM
In the West, a return to warm weather favors crop development and fieldwork, including Northwestern spring wheat harvesting. In California, crops such as rice and cotton have nearly caught up with the normal pace of development.
08/25/2010 03:45PM
Thirty-nine environmental, food, motor vehicle, energy, power equipment and recreational industry groups today requested House and Senate hearings on a pending Environmental Protection Agency action that could sharply increase the amount of ethanol permitted in gasoline.
08/31/2010 01:51PM
A new agriculture-based You Tube video outlines some of the demands placed on modern agriculture and its impressive ability to continuously deliver. It’s the best thing I’ve seen in a long time that promotes U.S. agriculture. It’s a must see.
09/01/2010 07:28AM
Rabbit breeder Rob Usakowski typically spends the week before Labor Day helping his daughters show their Jersey Woolies and Holland Lops at the Michigan State Fair.
08/27/2010 02:49PM
Beef and pork producers rallied against USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s (GIPSA) proposed federal rule on the buying and selling of livestock at a public meeting held in Fort Collins, Colo., Aug. 27. The meeting on competition in the livestock industry was hosted by USDA and Department of Justice.
09/02/2010 01:29PM
Since Wednesday, August 25, natural gas spot prices fell at most market locations in the lower 48 States, although prices generally rose in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain areas. The Henry Hub spot price fell on the week from $3.99 per million Btu to $3.73 per MMBtu, its lowest value since April 1, 2010.
08/27/2010 03:31PM
Corn futures settled at one-week highs Friday, bouncing on yield concerns and strong export demand.
08/30/2010 08:24AM
A grassroots group in Missouri is working to negate HSUS’s campaign messages and tactics. This time, it’s over dog breeding, but the hidden agenda is animal agriculture.
09/03/2010 11:24AM
A southern Michigan man simply wanted to gather some sweet corn for the family freezer.
08/27/2010 06:37PM
It looks like the US Dollar Index is ready to resume its slide lower. The September Dollar Index futures completed a 38% retracement of the last move down this week, then quickly retreated.
09/01/2010 02:03PM
In a world where the importance of a high-protein diet is widely recognized, consumers value the meat they eat and recognize the role it plays in keeping them healthy and strong.
08/26/2010 03:00PM
Senate leaders have expressed concern about the objectivity of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding its actions surrounding the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) proposed livestock procurement rule and the ongoing USDA/DOJ competition workshops.
08/27/2010 01:23PM
Animal agriculture is under attack from many directions which impacts consumers every day in our 24/7 news frenzy. Situations like the current Salmonella in eggs from two Iowa egg companies are not helping to instill confidence in our food safety.
08/25/2010 12:50PM
The Humane Society is threatening to revive a planned Ohio ballot issue against animal cruelty if a deal with farmers fails to win final state approval.
08/26/2010 01:21PM
At the New York Mercantile Exchange, the futures contract for September delivery at the Henry Hub settled yesterday at $3.871 per MMBtu, falling by $0.37, or about 9 percent, since the previous Wednesday.
09/04/2010 09:33AM
Cash cattle traded at the $97 - $97.50 level this week, which was down a couple dollars from last week. The October futures, however, look like they have completed a correction and are ready for another leg higher. For the week the October LC were 35 cents higher after a poor start to the week.
08/26/2010 02:26PM
Midwest farmland values rose for the third consecutive quarter as a rally in cattle and hog prices and the prospect of record corn and soybean harvests boosted the agricultural economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said.
08/27/2010 08:33AM
AMI Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel Mark Dopp today released the following statement in connection with a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Department of Justice workshop on competition in agriculture:
08/25/2010 10:30AM
While central Iowa communities continue to assess the damage from the flooding earlier this month, two Iowa State University economists have released a report that evaluates the economic impact of the weather-related damage to the state in 2008.
08/26/2010 09:15AM
Far from his southeast Kansas fields of ripening corn and soybeans, Fredonia farmer Bob Timmons is learning that tweeting isn't just something done by birds.
Call him a farmer on the Web learning the ropes - 140 characters at a time.
08/26/2010 08:44AM
In just seven weeks, cash cattle have run from $91 to $100. This meteoric rise was made on continued good exports at the same time as consumers may have been sniffing around for a little extra beef. That consumer issue has been a surprise.
08/31/2010 01:04PM
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement in response to two USDA reports that show the strength of the overall rural economy and growth in agricultural exports:
09/03/2010 02:28PM
U.S. corn futures rallied to a fresh 23-month high on Friday after a closely watched private analytical firm projected the final U.S. corn yield would be 3.9% below the government's most recent estimate.
08/25/2010 11:20AM
Carbon cap and trade legislation is effectively "dead" in Congress, House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson told feed industry executives Monday, according to MinnPost.com. The chief struggle over carbon regulation is now solely being played out in and around the Environmental Protection Agency.
09/07/2010 07:59AM
The sixth season of the popular program "America’s Heartland," which features farmers, ranchers and food producers across the country, begins airing new episodes this week.
08/26/2010 08:00AM
From day to day, different dynamics yank and tug on commodity markets, but in a larger perspective, many will have a positive push as others will have a negative pull. And from month to month those will change, creating a difficult task in making long term production and marketing plans for Cornbelt farms. But let’s try to get our arms around it.
08/30/2010 01:46PM
Corn prices have been moving higher since June 30 when the USDA revealed smaller stocks and fewer planted acres than expected.
08/30/2010 08:22AM
Good news, winter haters: After record snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and unusually cold weather down South, the Farmers' Almanac is predicting a "kinder and gentler" winter.
08/27/2010 07:49AM
Pre-harvest bookings for corn exports, at 8.9 million tonnes (352 million bushels), are 24% higher than last year at this time.
08/26/2010 09:58AM
During the next 5 days (August 26-30), dry weather will prevail nearly nationwide. Exceptions will include occasional showers in the Gulf Coast region and a surge of monsoon moisture from the Four Corners States into the northern Plains and the upper Midwest.
08/30/2010 08:25AM
Feeder cattle futures posted moderate losses on Friday and were down only .60 basis the October contract for the week. Overnight corn values rose to new highs for the move, which could produce another round of fresh selling in the feeders.
09/03/2010 03:46PM
For a second day running, Chicago Mercantile Exchange hogs futures Friday closed higher on cash-hog price optimism and the stock market's upward charge ahead of the Labor Day holiday.
09/03/2010 03:58PM
America’s Heartland, the public television show about the American agriculture, kicks off its sixth season in early September, featuring all new stories and enhanced features connecting consumers to the farm.
08/30/2010 03:41PM
Disappointing yield results from early crop harvest coupled with strong underlying demand served as catalysts to propel corn futures to nearly eight-month highs Monday.