Whether a person owns land or is seeking to find land to rent, leasing property for grazing or hunting leases can be beneficial for both parties. Similarly, both the owner and lessee of livestock benefit from lease agreements as well. This handbook details issues to be aware of. [node:read-more:link]
On the farm our tools range from the typical tractor and seeds to tablets and satellites. While some are more important than others, each tool has its place and without the others would not be as effective or efficient. Probably the most important tool we use is human capital. Our rural community is full of experts in their field. Our neighbor knows our tractors inside and out. Friends from high school now sell seed and fertilizer, recommending combinations that might work well in our fields. Agronomists, crop specialists, grain marketers . . . [node:read-more:link]
Soybeans are very sensitive to dicamba and this summer is showing it. Damage complaints have been filed in several Southern states because of what appears to be off-target movement of dicamba herbicide onto sensitive crops. [node:read-more:link]
man who smuggled Guatemalan teenagers into the U.S. and forced them to work on an Ohio egg farm was sentenced in Toledo last week to 15 years in prison. Aroldo Castillo-Serrano and associate Conrado Salgado Soto had previously pleaded guilty to labor-trafficking and immigration offences, according to a report in The Marion Star. Ana Angelica Pedro-Juan, who ran the operation for Castillo-Serrano, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Another individual, Pablo Duran Jr., pleaded guilty to immigration offenses. [node:read-more:link]
A global glut of milk is now in the market, but dairy producers worry immigration and farm labor issues could dry up milk supply. “It’s a competitive pay. I think we’re just having trouble finding enough people to do it,” says Kendra Lamb, a dairy farmer in Oakfield, N.Y. That’s especially true for dairy farms in New York. Farms which hire seasonal workers to harvest fruits and vegetables can use the H-2A Visa program. But dairy is not seasonal. It’s 24 hours, seven days a week. [node:read-more:link]
December 2016 corn futures moved $0.80 per bushel higher from April 1 to June 17. The strength reflected a short fall in the size of the Brazilian corn crop and resulting large export sales of U.S corn, expectations that planted acreage of corn in the U.S. would be less than intentions reported in March, above normal temperatures in the U.S. in June, and concerns that hot, dry weather in July would reduce yield potential. [node:read-more:link]
Earnings hurt by glyphosate pricing declines, delayed product launch and other headwinds. Mr. Grant said that Monsanto’s “growth prospects with or without a deal remain strong” despite a “low point” in the agricultural business that has pressured profits for the world’s top sellers of seeds, pesticides, tractors and fertilizer. [node:read-more:link]
Cargill Inc. has agreed to sell its 18 ag-retail outlets in the U.S. to Calgary-based Agrium Inc., the largest retail seller of crop inputs in North America. The outlets, located in Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan, have annual revenues of over $150 million. [node:read-more:link]
The Washington State Department of Agriculture Thursday identified 15 products thought to be commonly used in marijuana cultivation that contain undisclosed pesticides. WSDA issued a notice telling growers to immediately stop using the products. Processors were told to notify retailers about the possible use of unapproved pesticides and for retailers to post the notice for their customers to see. “There has been a lot of concern by both consumers and retailers regarding pesticide use in marijuana production,” WSDA spokesman Hector Castro said. [node:read-more:link]
An appeal of a financial settlement to be paid by a national dairy marketing cooperative to thousands of Northeast dairy farmers could delay the payments for at least a year. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Vermont approved a $50 million settlement to be paid by Dairy Farmers of America to about 8,860 farms to settle a lawsuit that accused the marketing group of trying to drive down milk prices. A lawyer representing one group of plaintiffs in the case says a small group of farmers are unhappy with the settlement terms and have appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. [node:read-more:link]
