GRAIN

Staggered end

FARGO, N.D. — Sugar beet processing season is coming to a close in the Red River Valley, even as the planting season is revving up.

By Mikkel Pates , April 23, 2012

PSC looking into Falkirk, ND, elevator

UPDATED TUESDAY, APRIL 17 The North Dakota Public Service Commission was on-site at Falkirk, N.D., on Monday, looking into the books of the Falkirk Farmers Elevator in McLean County, in response to reports that the company had closed its doors late last week.

By Mikkel Pates , April 16, 2012

Cost of deer depredation

NORTHVILLE, S.D. — Dick and Janell Meyer, who farm in the Northville, S.D., area, want a state law that says if a wild animal — deer — is destroying their property they can shoot it. State officials say that’s impractical.

By Mikkel Pates , April 16, 2012

Planting progresses

All three wheat exchanges struggled last week but most of the issues were in the winter wheat exchanges while Minneapolis experienced modest gains.

By Ray Grabanski , April 09, 2012

NGFA urges CRP reduction

WASHINGTON — The National Grain and Feed Association is urging the Senate Agriculture Committee to make dramatic changes to reduce the size of the Conservation Reserve Program, which is currently authorized to pay farmers to idle up to 32 million acres of farmland.

By Jerry Hagstrom , April 09, 2012

Food, fuel go hand in hand

WASHINGTON — With gas prices ticking ever-higher and the summer months approaching, no relief is in sight. Gas prices affect not only your cost at the pump, but also the cost to transport goods you use in everyday life, such as food and clothing. With an economy that is slowly recovering, spikes in the price of fuel could spell disaster. Congress needs to act to ensure our economic recovery is not derailed.

By Roger Johnson , April 09, 2012

USDA surprises market

Wheat traded lower in most of the session this week, except for March 30. Early selling was tied to improving conditions for the Southern Plains winter wheat crop and from position squaring ahead of the March 30 U.S. Department of Agriculture report while strength March 30 was because of a friendlier-than-expected acreage report from USDA.

By Ray Grabanski , April 02, 2012

Environmental study delays Redfield, SD, plant sale

FARGO, N.D. — The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission revoked Anderson Seed Co.’s grain buyers license at its Redfield, S.D., plant, but will not put the company’s elevator property into receivership because of an environmental issue, officials say.

By Mikkel Pates , April 02, 2012

All hail, King Corn

Key USDA report expects farmers to plant a lot more corn acres and less wheat acres.

By Jonathan Knutson , March 30, 2012

Watch out of freezing temperatures

Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University Extension Service climatologist, warned farmers about planting too early. He says that while Iowa temperatures are breaking 1936 Dust Bowl records lately, farmers there should expect a freeze. He expects warm temperatures into this week then the weather could change. He notes that here has been only one year out of the past 100 when farmers could have planted on March 15 and everything would have been fine. One chance in a hundred is tough odds. That one year was 1946.

By Sue Martin , March 26, 2012

Markets retreat

The wheat markets had losses of 15 to 26 cents last week. The winter wheat markets had the larger losses due to beneficial rains in much of the winter wheat belt and losses in the corn market. Minneapolis wheat had lighter losses due to strong export sales and lingering concerns about dry soil conditions in the Northern Plains. Markets will likely spend this week positioning ahead of the March 30 reports.

By Ray Grabanski , March 26, 2012

Early start

FISHER, Minn. — Mike Bergeron beat the calendar, planting spring wheat in the last days of winter, nearly a month before he usually does such seeding.

By Stephen J. Lee , March 20, 2012

Exports drive market

The corn market was up 30 cents last week in old crop, while new crop contracts gained about 10 cents. Talk of increased exports to China provided direction to the market early last week, while the possibility of an early planting season due to warm weather in the Corn Belt was talked about through the second half of last week.

By Ray Grabanski , March 19, 2012

Bringing in the straw

A proposed wheat straw fiber processing plant in Devils Lake, N.D., won’t have trouble obtaining the straw it needs, an official says.

By Jonathan Knutson , March 19, 2012

Latest News

Senators advise against paying MF Global bonuses

By Agweek staff and wire reports , March 19, 2012