Benjamin Herrold

6 days ago | agupdate.com | Benjamin Herrold

This year’s crop disease concerns are a mix of familiar challenges and emerging threats. Some years, the weather patterns hint at what will be the primary crop diseases in fields, but shifts can make things more complicated. Iowa State University Extension Plant Pathologist Daren Mueller says the last few years have had a lot of weather variation.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Benjamin Herrold

In the battle against crop diseases, the game is always changing, providing fresh challenges for farmers and plant pathologists. Plant diseases such as red crown rot in soybeans are moving into more parts of the Midwest, and last year, Extension personnel in Missouri and Oklahoma identified corn leafhopper and corn stunt disease in their states for the first time, pushed up from the South.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Benjamin Herrold

Beef demand has remained strong despite relatively high prices, and beef industry groups continue to tailor their marketing to consumers. University of Tennessee Extension Ag Economist Andrew Griffith says beef demand includes both total volume of beef sold and the dollar amount. “Demand is a function of both quantity and price,” he says. When beef prices increase, at some point some consumers might look to other, cheaper cuts of beef, although their total money spent on beef might remain the same.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Benjamin Herrold

When it comes to farmers deciding the right size for their operation, University of Missouri Ag Business Specialist Katie Neuner says evaluating their farm and situation can help. Expanding a farming operation involves looking at three areas, like a milk stool where each leg is connected to the others, she says. These include human and labor aspects of the decision, finances and production capability.

1 week ago | agupdate.com | Benjamin Herrold

In general, farmers have been able to make decent planting progress despite rains across some parts of the Midwest in late April and early May. Bryan Doherty, with Total Farm Marketing, says good planting progress can weigh on prices. “As confirmed from recent USDA crop progress reports released on Monday afternoons, spring fieldwork is progressing about as anticipated and in comparison with historical norms,” he says.