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Agweek provided local market data, as well as bigger picture data, every week. It became a trusted source for information that really wasn’t available anywhere else in the region.

Fast forward. The internet changed doing business, including farming and ranching. Having Friday afternoon’s market data is no longer helpful when the mail comes on Monday. We stopped calling elevators and cut back on market data in print, because it didn’t make sense to offer outdated information.

Market data is still a valuable tool to the modern farm and ranch, even if the delivery method needed to change. We leaned harder into providing market analysis and news instead of straight numbers. A couple years ago, we added the

Agweek Market Wrap

agweek.com

to give that end-of-day Friday information, plus analysis, when it was still Friday.

To add to that, we have partnered with Barchart to add a market ticker to

agweek.com

that allows you to see the latest prices for a number of commodities from a number of exchanges while you’re reading news on our website. You can click on any commodity in the ticker and see historical and futures information, along with up-to-the-minute news and analysis.

It’s another tool we wanted to give to farmers and ranchers to help you make decisions on your farm and ranch and to help put today’s news and numbers into perspective.

Please let me know how our new ticker is working for you. Drop me an email at

jschlecht@agweek.com

. We want to continue to be the place you go for information on the business of agriculture in the northern Plains.

By
Jenny Schlecht

Jenny Schlecht is the director of ag content for Agweek and serves as editor of Agweek, Sugarbeet Grower and BeanGrower. She lives on a farm and ranch near Medina, North Dakota, with her husband and two daughters. You can reach her at jschlecht@agweek.com or 701-595-0425.

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Farm bill a focus of Farmfest forums

AG Week

REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. — The farm bill will be a main focus of discussion at the 2023 Farmfest, the annual agriculture show near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

Farmfest runs from Tuesday, Aug. 1, to Thursday, Aug. 4, at the Gilfillan Estate, 7 miles southeast of Redwood Falls. The show uses 50 acres of land to showcase products, services and technologies from over 500 exhibitors and vendors.

Farmfest traditionally features panels and debates on farm policy and political races. This is not an election year, but it is a year when

the farm bill is set to expire

and Congress has been debating changes to the main piece of legislation on agriculture and nutrition programs.

Robert Bonnie, U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary of Agriculture will provide the keynote address for a feature forum titled: “The New Farm Bill and USDA Ag Policy Issues” on the first day at 10:30 a.m.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will also be present for this forum. The forum panel will include leaders of national and state farm organizations: Scott Vanderwal, American Farm Bureau vice president; Rob Larew, National Farmers Union president; Tom Haag, National Corn Growers Association president; Lori Stevermer, National Pork Producers Council president-elect, and

Bob Worth, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association president

This forum will focus on the upcoming new farm bill and other national policy issues and programs that are administered through USDA, according to Kent Thiesse, Farmfest educational forum coordinator.

Wednesday will feature a U.S. House Ag Committee Farm Bill Listening Session, hosted by Congressman G.T. Thompson, Chair of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. The listening session runs from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. There will be opportunities to hear from the U.S. House Ag Committee leadership, as well as to make comments to the committee on issues related to the farm bill.

The forums will be held in the Wick Buildings Forum and Education Center:

U.S. Ag Exports and Trade Policy, 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.

The New Farm Bill and USDA Ag Policy Issues, 10:30 – 11:50 a.m.

Understanding and Implementing “Climate-Smart” Practices and Policies, 1:15 – 2:40 p.m.

Farm Bureau Ag Outlook Forum, 2:45 – 3:45 p.m.

U.S. House Ag Committee Farm Bill Listening Session, 9:30 – 11:50 a.m.

Perspectives on Minnesota Ag and Rural Policy Issues, 1:10 – 2:45 p.m.

Women in Ag Event and Presentation of Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year Award, 10:45 – 11:50 a.m.

Sausage and pancakes are served at the Minnesota Farm Bureau breakfast at Farmfest in 2022.

Other highlights include the Minnesota Farm Bureau pancake breakfast from 8 – 10 a.m. on Wednesday and the University of Minnesota Farm Family of the Year Recognition Program from 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. Thursday, and livestock programs at the Livestock Tent.

A full schedule can be found at

ideaggroup.com/farmfest

By
Staff reports

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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When cattle are the priority, planting season can be painful

AG Week

Planting season — at least for the main crops of the region — is pretty much done.

The corn even made it in the ground by the late planting deadline at our farm, which I assume means it made it in everywhere. We don’t often grow cash crops. All of the corn will be either

chopped for silage

or combined for grain corn for the cattle on the feedlot. Sorghum and sudangrass for feed haven’t made it in the ground yet at the time I’m writing this, but those will follow soon.

At least, the seeds will be in the ground soon, so long as the equipment cooperates.

Cattle

are our focus here, as my husband runs a feedlot and has a small cow-calf herd. We also custom graze some cattle on pasture. We have pretty good quality cattle equipment, both for feeding and handling, and our haying equipment also tends to work pretty well. We use a precision feeding system that measures pounds of feed so we can not only bill our feedlot customers as accurately as possible but also so we can monitor intake. The expense of such things has been well worth it, because the cattle are the priority.

For some producers,

crops

are the priority, and planting season is a highlight of the year. It has all the optimism of a new season in sports. As that seed is going in the ground, its potential is boundless. Record yields. Fields with no weeds. The highest quality crop ever! Most of those farmers have invested in newer equipment and precision agriculture technologies that make the jobs in the field easier.

Suffice it to say, the investments in equipment we’ve made for the cattle side haven’t been able to make it to the crop side. We don’t have enough acres in crops to make new — or even newer — equipment make fiscal sense. Instead, my husband and father-in-law — and for that matter, my dad on his farm in Montana — make due with equipment that more often than not can be referred to as decades rather than years old.

In our case, a new (to us — but very far from actually new) four-wheel-drive tractor purchased last year gave some hope for an easier time. It’s in great shape and seemed to drive great. But a little breakdown turned into a long breakdown, and the tractor spent little time in the field in the 2022 season.

This year has proved to be only slightly better, as the tractor again had problems that were bigger than they seemed at first. It’s a common thing when you run old equipment, and perhaps even more common when you buy that equipment from someone else. A helpful mechanic got the tractor back up and running, but an implement it was pulling now has problems.

For my husband — who doesn’t like to sit in a tractor in the best of circumstances — the breakdowns feel personal, as if the tractors and other equipment are banding against him. Every breakdown prolongs the season a little more.

And add to those struggles the fact that the cattle don’t just stop existing because it’s planting season. Some are heading to pasture, where the fences need to be checked and usually fixed, especially after a

long, snowy winter

. Some cattle still need to be fed around the yard. Calves get sick and need to be treated. Bulls need to be tested for the breeding season. And we even have a couple calving stragglers we’re waiting on.

Diversified farms are important in spreading out risk in one way or another. For us, growing feed means a little more profit cushion compared to purchasing feed, as well as a little more control over the feed supply. The more we grow means the less we have to source from other places. For other farmers or ranchers, it means putting eggs in more than one basket to manage risk.

The problem in diversification is that it’s hard to do a lot of things well and perhaps even harder to do the parts that aren’t as enjoyable — which is different for every person.

The planting around here will get done, even if it takes longer than it should and provides more headaches. And we can dream about the possibility of having equipment that works on all parts of the farm.

Jenny Schlecht is Agweek’s editor. She lives on a farm and ranch in Medina, North Dakota, with her husband and two daughters. She can be reached at jschlecht@agweek.com or 701-595-0425.

Opinion by
Jenny Schlecht

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So goes the weather, so goes the market

AG Week

Weather, or more specifically, a

lack of rain

, was the main topic of the Agweek Market Wrap for Friday, June 16.

Randy Koenen of the Red River Farm Network and Randy Martinson of Martinson Ag Risk Management both shared about the difficult situations farmers are in around the region as much of the northern Plains has missed out on sufficient rainfall since planting.

“Everybody needs some rain right now,” Martinson said.

While some areas have been smacked with hard and fast rain, most of the region has been missed. The impact of that hot and dry weather is stunted crops such as wheat, which in some cases, spotted around central North Dakota, is 6-12 inches in height and heading out.

“We know that that’s not going to amount to a very good crop,” Martinson said.

Martinson noted that corn, too, is heading towards an early pollination.

A cool down helped out the region this week, but a warm up appears to be back on the

forecast

“We’re going to start to get warm again,” Martinson said.

It’s already clear that the

southern Plains wheat

crop was struck with drought. Now it appears the northern Plains crop is going to suffer some losses.

Koenen noted that while the market is largely supply driven, demand has not changed for wheat.

“Demand is a problem,” Martinson said. “It doesn’t really seem to matter what your supply is if you don’t have the demand to eat through the bushels, it doesn’t matter,” Martinson said. Exports of wheat continue to be poor.

The markets showed decent export sales this week in corn and soybeans, but still below last year’s levels, Koenen said.

The higher prices of U.S. grains isn’t helping right now as Brazil’s ports are flooded with supplies that need to get out to consumers.

Martinson brought up

Russia’s talks

about getting out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The thought was that the war in Ukraine would be a boost to U.S. wheat prices, but that’s not been the case. The

Initiative

specifically allows for commercial food and fertilizer (including ammonia) exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea — Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.

Livestock demand remains

It was a volatile week for livestock. Feeder cattle finished on the lower side. Last week’s key reversal hit the cattle market hard. Live cattle continues to stay strong. Martinson said that it’s been six weeks since an interest hike, which has been a boost to the economy.

“I think will help us spur some demand on and at least get us through the Fourth of July holiday, with a big barbecue season,” Martinson said.

Koenen noted that the lean

hog market

saw a good week. Demand has picked up. Martinson was hopeful that the upcoming quarterly supply and demand report would show that the herds are showing reductions instead of expansions.

Looking at the week ahead, Martinson suggests everyone keep an eye on the weather forecast to determine what direction the market will take next.

If rain doesn’t come this weekend, Monday could be another volatile start to the week. If the rain comes, it will pull the weather premium out of the market.

(The Agweek Market Wrap is sponsored by Gateway Building Systems.)

By
Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson is the news editor for Agweek. He lives in rural Deer Creek, Minn., where he is starting to homestead with his two children and wife.
You can reach Michael at mjohnson@agweek.com or 218-640-2312.

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From too wet, to too dry, weather takes control of market direction

AG Week

Market improvements and weather impacts were main subjects of the conversation during the Agweek Market Wrap on Friday, May 26, with Randy Koenen of the Red River Farm Network and Randy Martinson of Martinson Ag Risk Management.

After a

rough start to the week

, grains pulled ahead to end the week better, according to Koenen.

Martinson agreed that it was a volatile week and shared that corn and wheat in particular had stronger weeks.

“July corn traded higher every session this week and posted some pretty good gains towards the end of the week,” Martinson said. “I think a lot of it is coming from weather forecasts and concerns about the old crop supplies.”

Weather was at top of mind for the two, as it is for producers right now. Just weeks ago, the concern was being able to get into the fields to plant after

record snow left vast amounts of moisture

. Now the concern is the heat causing dry weather that wicks up all the moisture in its path.

Martinson said this dry weather is not just hitting much of the northern Plains, it’s reaching down into much of the Corn Belt.

“And the Drought Monitor is showing expanding drought in that area as well,” Martinson said.

U.S. Drought Monitor map for May 23, 2023.

Koenen noted that Omaha, Nebraska, has only seen a quarter inch of rain for May, where they normally would have 3 to 3.5 inches of rain.

“Sure, this heat will blow up some rain, we’ll get some rain, some thunderstorms someplace, but they’re going to be hit and miss showers,” Martinson said.

Thursday, May 25, was the last planting date for full crop insurance coverage for most of North Dakota corn, Martinson said.

North Dakota was at 32% of corn planted

as of Sunday, May 21 or about 2.5 million acres left to plant, according to Martinson.

“It’s very likely we’re not going to get all the corn planted up here in the northern Plains,” Martinson said.

Producers can continue to plant past that date, which they did last year with good yield results. The risk is that they lose a percentage of the coverage every day beyond that date if they end up making a claim on the crop. The risk of fall frost damage to crop yield and quality is greater with each day planting is delayed.

Koenen asked if producers are better off not planting past that date. Martinson said it’s better off planting because it’s better for the soil to get a crop in the ground. But from an economic standpoint, it’s a fine line deciding what might be a better choice for each farmer.

Wheat took the lead this week. That boost came from less seed getting in the ground in the U.S. and abandonment in the southern Plains.

“You know, it’s not a good crop down in that Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas area. You know,

Kansas

is seeing some of the worst drought in years,” Martinson said. Some of those producers are now considering a second crop planting.

The

heat in the Corn Belt

is providing a boost to emergence for those who got seed in the ground. But if it continues without moisture, stress could come soon.

“They are a little concerned that the dry conditions are going to impact them,” Martinson said.

Cattle ups and downs

Lean hogs continue to hit contract lows, while cattle found new all-time contract highs.

“I think this is going to be a very important week for cattle as we’re looking at the beginning of the barbecue season,” Martinson said. “Really if this market is going to hold its strength and continue to push stronger it’s going to take a vote by the consumer to pick beef over pork or poultry.”

Koenen noted that rains in western Nebraska are leading cattle producers to start to retain some of their cattle on those improved pastures. That could be a boost to

building cattle numbers.

As for the hogs, it’s difficult to know where the bottom of the market is, Koenen said. Martinson agreed that it’s going to take a big increase in demand to turn things around.

“Eventually low prices is a cure for low prices as high prices is a cure for high prices,” Koenen said. Martinson said the missing caveat for hogs is that China is not importing as much of the U.S. pork. It will take improved economic conditions in China to increase those U.S. exports.

As the markets look to have a long weekend, due to Memorial Day on Monday, Martinson said all eyes are on weather conditions. Significant rain or more heat can have a big impact on the direction this market takes next.

(The Agweek Market Wrap is sponsored by Gateway Building Systems.)

By
Michael Johnson

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