April 3, 2020
Wall Street Journal writer Kirk Maltais reported this week that, “Consumers’ rush to buy groceries is fueling a rally in orange-juice prices, making the usually sedate asset the best-performing commodity in the first quarter of 2020. “The price of frozen orange-juice-concentrate futures trading on the Intercontinental Exchange has surged 24% to more than $1.20 a pound since March 19—a run resulting from […]
March 31, 2020
The USDA’s March Hogs and Pigs report pegs the March 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs at 77.6 million head, a record for this quarter and up 4% from a year ago compared to pre-report expectations of 3.5% higher. Although the number is down 1% from last December, it is in general a continuation of the […]
March 30, 2020
Wall Street Journal writers Siobhan Hughes and Natalie Andrews reported on Friday that, “President Trump signed a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package into law, hours after House lawmakers hustled back to the Capitol to pass the aggressive response to the coronavirus pandemic that has staggered the U.S. economy. “The bill is the largest relief package in U.S. history and extends aid to […]
March 24, 2020
Wall Street Journal writers Jacob Bunge, Kirk Maltais, and Jesse Newman reported on Saturday that, “The new coronavirus is dealing another blow to the struggling U.S. agricultural sector, driving down crop and livestock prices and threatening labor shortages for farms. “Even as consumers clear food staples from supermarket shelves, Midwestern farmers’ prospects have dimmed. Agricultural futures on the Chicago […]
March 16, 2020
Bloomberg writers Lydia Mulvany and Michael Hirtzer reported last week that, “In times of economic woe, one of the first luxuries to go is beef. That old adage is so far proving to be true as the global coronavirus outbreak dents demand. “A key U.S. government report Tuesday lowered forecasts for American exports of the meat amid weaker demand, […]
March 12, 2020
Throughout much of agriculture’s history, farmers had to make decisions based only upon observation and recollection. Both sources are not precise, but it was the best evidence available. As scientific methods were introduced, farmers could employ research-based recommendations to improve production efficiency. Progress followed, even though the recommendations had to be general in nature (apply […]
March 10, 2020
Livestock producers should make plans for moving feed and livestock to higher ground before flooding this spring, North Dakota State University Extension specialists say. While the latest flood forecast showed some improvements, many areas of North Dakota are projected to experience moderate to major flooding this spring. The greatest flood impacts are expected to be […]
February 24, 2020
Following this month’s release of the USDA’s Long-Term Projections, on Thursday, the Department released its quarterly Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade. This update provided an overview of agricultural trade based on the 2020 fiscal year, which began in October, months before the U.S. and China signed the Phase-One trade agreement. Recall that Phase One farm purchase commitments are based […]
February 21, 2020
Planning and preparing for the calving season can help not only minimize calf losses but also improve calves’ performance, according to North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialists. The nutrition status of the calving herd is one issue to consider in preparing for the upcoming spring calving season. “Although this should be an earlier concern, […]
February 17, 2020
Land application of organic materials is important in Nebraska. This article builds on an earlier CropWatch article. Since then, the data were further analyzed and the results further interpreted. This article avoids much repetition of the 2019 article but gives some new or revised information. Land application of manure and other organic materials supplies much N […]
