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Ag News

It’s Almost Time for the Custer State Park Annual Buffalo Roundup!

Every year in late September, some 1,300 head of bison thunder through the prairies of South Dakota during the Annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup. The event is not only an unforgettable experience for riders and visitors, but also a critical management tool to keep the herd healthy. Custer State Park rangers enlist the help of private citizens to help ...
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Brazil’s Extreme Drought Delays Corn, Soybean Planting

As Brazil’s farmers look to start planting 2024/25 crops, a severe drought is causing delays and raising the possibility of lower acreage than initially planned. Corn planting is progressing slowly in the South, while most soybean producers are said to be still waiting for rain before they even get in the fields.  According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, large parts of ...
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What You Need to Know About PFAS Contamination on US Farmland

A toxic threat lurks on an estimated 50+ million acres of US farmland that can leave the acreage unusable if its presence is confirmed at high enough levels. So-called “forever chemicals,” aka poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have seeped into soils via contaminated water supplies as well as through direct applications of biosolid fertilizers that were loaded with the stuff. Now, the ...
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USDA Provides Better Outlook for US Farm Income but Not For All Producers

USDA’s latest forecast for US farm income in 2024 paints a less severe decline than initially forecast. The agency now expects net farm income will fall just -4.4% from last year versus its February forecast for a whopping -25% decline However, the outlook varies widely depending on the commodity and, unfortunately, most row crops are not given a rosier forecast ...
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How Weather 20/20’s 2024 Hurricane Prediction Accuracy Can Help You

As the hurricane season advances, the precision of Weather 20/20's predictions, deeply rooted in the science of our patent-pending Lezak Recurring Cycle methodology, becomes increasingly evident. This year, we are set to deliver the most accurate hurricane forecasts for the third consecutive year, distinguishing our approach from conventional forecasting methods. Even with the unexpected lack of activity in the tropics, ...
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Broke Bob’s Ag Equity Report: Searching for Yield as Interest Rates Fall

With falling interest rates, it’s time to think more seriously about dividend yield. In our late May ag equity report, your correspondent considered strategies for investing in an uncertain inflation environment. Now, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has signaled it is time to cut the U.S. Fed funds rate. Unemployment is at least of equal concern to the Federal Reserve as ...
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When Should We Expect Our First Freeze???

Though summer may be ending on the calendar in just under three weeks with the autumnal equinox, an unusually cold weather system from the Gulf of Alaska has already interrupted summer along the West Coast of the United States, bringing snow to Washington state's Mount Rainier and a lookout point of California's Sierra Nevada.This past Labor Day weekend is often ...
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Champion Bulls are Bred, Not Found

Cowboys might be the human stars of rodeos but they play an equal part to the bulls that help them buck their way to championships. The best of the best can net their owners millions and breeders over the past two decades have adopted increasingly sophisticated methods and technologies to produce champion blood lines.Contrary to popular belief, bucking is not ...
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Who Invented Buffalo Chicken Wings?

Believe it or not, football season is almost here! Meaning "chicken wing" demand will rapidly start to increase. During the Super Bowl game alone last year, it is estimated that Americans ate 1.45 billion chicken wings. What's even more crazy is how chicken wings became America’s favorite finger food. Below is a brief history... The story that most Americans are ...
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US Pork Outlook: Stable Production, Slowing Demand

USDA in its latest outlook for the US pork market slightly lowered its production estimate for 2024, though it still expects output will top last year. While production growth has helped fuel US exports this year, USDA notes that uncertainties in key importing countries could keep a lid on further demand growth.USDA lowered second-half US pork production by -85 million ...
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