Justin Moffitt, a member of the Carroll at Flora FFA Chapter in Indiana has found that hard work and dedication really do pay off. The sophomore at Purdue University is the 2010 National Diversified Crop Production Placement Proficiency Winner. Working for Minich Farms, a 6,500 acre operation has given Justin not only valuable experience, but an agreement worked out between Justin and his employer, if he would work through high school and college, his employer would pay for half of Justin’s college education.
Justin Moffitt, Indiana – Nat’l Proficiency Winner
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Midday cash livestock markets
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
USDA Mandatory is reporting cattle trading is limited in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado on light demand. A few live sales in Kansas have traded at 100.00 to 100.50 on a live basis. There were a few sales in Nebraska at 100.50 and a few in Colorado at 101.00. Buyer inquiry is limited and most producers continue to have limited selling interest as well. Asking prices remain at 104.00 plus South and 165.00 plus in the North.
Boxed beef cutout values were higher with the choice up .83 at 161.39, and select was up .32 at 154.54.
Feeder cattle receipts at the Phillip Livestock Auction, Philip, SD totaled 10,353 head. Feeder steers weighing 400 to 500 pounds were mostly 6.00 to 8.00 higher, over 500 pounds 1.00 to 4.00 higher. Heifers were mostly steady to 2.00 higher. A big string of yearling heifers sold with a higher undertone. Feeder steers medium and large 1; 998 head weighing 530 pounds averaged 128.01, 310 heifers weighing 519 pounds brought 117.85 per hundredweight.
Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota direct trade are down 1.83 at 61.12 on a carcass basis, the West is 1.67 lower at 61.14, and the East is down 1.25 at 60.35. Missouri direct base carcass meat price is steady to 1.00 higher from 59.00 to 60.00. The odds of a seasonal bottom in the hog market will increase significantly once we turn the corner and move into November.
Aaron Prins, Illinois – Nat’l Proficiency Winner
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Aaron Prins of the Geneseo FFA Chapter in Illinois worked hard for the past four years to get to where he is today, a National Proficiency Winner in Grain Production Placement. Just being on stage at the National FFA Convention was an amazing experience. Aaron is the first National winner from his chapter, he hopes is serves as motivation to other chapter members. Prins is working on a degree in agronomy.
Amelia Martens, Illinois – Nat’l Proficiency Winner
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Walking on stage at the 83rd National FFA Convention as a National Proficiency finalist, Amelia Martens of the Orion FFA Chapter in Illinois knew she had done her best, but hearing her name announced as the National Proficiency Winner in Agricultural Communications was incredible. Amelia has written articles from her hometown newspaper to statewide publications, she started the Section 3 website and blog, her chapter’s website and shadowed long time Farm Broadcaster Orion Samuelson. A student at the University of Illinois, majoring in Agricultural Communications, Amelia says she will continue to be an advocate for agriculture.
Nat’l Proficiency Winner – Evan Ibach, Nebraska
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in animal science, Evan Ibach plans to return to the family farm to continue the cattle operation that his grandfather started 92 years ago. Being named the 2010 National Proficiency Winner in Beef Placement is something that means a lot to Evan, calling the award, ‘very rewarding.” Evan Ibach is a member of the Sumner-Eddyville-Miller FFA.
Meet Nat’l Proficiency Winner – Jessica Both, Illinois
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
From wanting to be a veterinarian when she was 4-years old, to operating “I Care Animal Service,” a business that has grown from 4 clients, 4 years ago to over 80 clients today. The Seneca Illinois FFA member credits the support of her parents and FFA advisors for her success. For those younger FFA members, Jessica suggests getting as involved in FFA as much as you possibly can and take advantage of what the FFA has to offer.
Early harvest allows time for improvements
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Harvest is wrapping up two to three weeks—and in some cases, a month or more—ahead of normal across much of the U.S. Many farmers will use the extra time this fall to make improvements to their fields.
Floyd, Iowa farmer and national Corn Board member Pam Johnson says it’s a chance to make improvements that will be beneficial for many years to come.
“Today we’re out looking at some waterways to repair and do some more tiling in places that were really wet spot this last year,” Johnson says, “and I think this summer really showed people the advantages of having well-drained farms to have a good crop.”
Ray Kucera farms near Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. “We have dirt work to do. We’ve got some drainage ditches that need to be cleaned out—they’ve got some silt in them,” says Kucera, “and we’re going to try to do a little bit of deep tillage here and there on some ends where we run the grain cart.”
Fall fertilization will also be a main focus for many farmers this fall.
In defense of the potato
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Commentary.
Potato, pototo. It matters little to me how you say it. I like them baked, fried, or scalloped.
We eat a lot of potatoes at my dining room table. According to the Potato Board, the popular tuber counts toward the total recommended daily servings of vegetables. With this said, I have to wonder what it is that the United States Department of Agriculture has against potatoes?
The USDA, which administers the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program-one of the largest federal food assistance programs-is now finalizing an interim rule that bars participants from buying potatoes with their federal dollars. The agency is also taking steps to limit potatoes in the federal School Lunch Program.
Let me see, healthy, inexpensive, relatively easy to prepare and kids love them. I don’t understand the problem.
Is the farmland ‘bubble’ ready to burst?
October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
One of the nation’s chief banking regulators warns that U.S. farmland could be the next asset bubble at risk for bursting. The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Sheila Bair, says that farmland values should be closely monitored for signs of instability. She says a sharp decline in farmland prices similar to the early 1980’s could have a severe adverse impact on the nation’s nearly 16-hundred farm banks. The head of one of the nation’s largest farm management and real estate firms, Farmers National Company, says he understands those concerns. But Jim Farrell tells Brownfield’s Ken Anderson he sees nothing on the immediate horizon to indicate a downturn in farmland values.
Growing more from less
October 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
“We know we have limited resources in land and water,” says Vern Hawkins, President, NAFTA Syngenta Crop Protection. “We’re trying to educate our local population and legislators about the importance of improving productivity from the land and the water that we have.” Without that mindset, Hawkins is hard pressed for an answer about how the projected world population of 9 billion will be fed. At the recent Syngenta Media Summit, Hawkins talked to Brownfield about how his company is positioned to do its part to improve that productivity from limited resources.
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