Field Posts DTN/Progressive Farmer

Reports earlier this month that dairy cattle have become infected with the strain of High-Path Avian Influenza, or HPAI, that has been affecting wild and domestic bird populations for more than two years rocked cattle markets and brought an air of pessimism to a beef sector that seemed to defy doubt. But with a recent report from USDA offering more hope that supplies are still limited and demand remains strong, it seems just as likely now that the unstoppable bullishness might well be back. 

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to discuss the latest news for cattle markets as well as a few possibilities of where we might go from here. We’ll dig deep on the demand picture, understanding both the long-term planning of stockyards and buyers as well as the shorter term hunger for beef in the US and abroad. We’ll also touch on the herd size, slaughter pace and how producers might prepare to follow both the news and the markets in the weeks and months ahead.  

We’ll tackle all this, and hear the latest updates of ShayLe’s family bull sale and cattle operation.

Finding space on a farm for a family member to return can be a tough challenge. More and more, returnees are looking to build adjacent businesses to earn their keep, exploring everything from direct to market meats to u-pick operations. Growing these enterprises can be a great way to build confidence and develop the skills that will help them take over the farm, and in many cases, they can also be highly lucrative. 

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger to hear about three young farm entrepreneurs who have found success building businesses beside traditional crop and livestock operations.

First, we’ll hear about Erik Oberbroeckling, an Iowa farmer who, over the course of the last decade, has also built a trucking empire that’s helped him grow his fleet and the family farm at the same time. Then, we’ll hear Evan Hellerud’s story of finding resources on his Red River Valley family farm led him to a hay and alfalfa cutting business that would give him the chance to feed and bed horses at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. And finally, we’ll hear Leah Pottinger’s story of how a passion for photography, an artistic itch, and a commitment to making a profit led to the growth of a breathtaking flower farm in rural Kentucky. 

We’ll dig into Katie’s insights on everything from how these growers found opportunities and analyzed returns to how they dealt with labor challenges and involving the community.

The April WASDE dropped Thursday April 11th, keeping the momentum of data releases going as USDA looks to the season ahead. Overall, many questions remain, though updates on planting intentions and the March 28th grain stocks report suggest that anemic prices might be here to stay a little while longer. 

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to dig into the USDA’s three latest reports, and help us connect the dots to understand better where farmers’ heads may be as they prepare for a season of tighter margins. Then we’ll dive deeper on the WASDE front, tackling news from Latin America and Ukraine, and the impact it’s having, and will likely continue to have, on prices for the major grains. 

We’ll tackle how the avian influence story is (and isn’t) impacting livestock markets, the evolving inflation story in the US, and parse what we know about the weather picture as growers prepare and get into the field. 

We’ll also talk through demand and export updates, whether USDA or Brazilian officials have the clearer picture on global stocks, and what farmers can expect for basis at the moment.

The Census of Agriculture is a long standing USDA tradition, stretching all the way back to the department’s founding. A few weeks ago, the department revealed its latest iteration, updating the 2017 numbers with the latest figures that captured the impacts of trade wars, the global pandemic, and half a decade of extraordinary uncertainty. 
To help us tackle this huge trove of agricultural data, and put it in the context of how it’ll impact the department going forward, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton.  Today, he’ll give us some essential background on how the Ag Census works, why it matters, and dig into the top line numbers that are making waves. We’ll discuss the fastest growing livestock sector, USDA’s new interest in measuring precision ag adoption, and the freshest information on the proliferation of cover crops and reductions in ag acreage and farm numbers. We’ll also hear about other key farm demographics and how changes around irrigation and other farm input uses might reflect a changing economic situation in rural America. 

Then we’ll check on the farm bill, how updated ag data might impact the whole of ag policy making, and the prospect of moving ag labor policy toward the finish line.

March 19th, the official first day of spring of this 2024 leap year, was followed shortly by some of the wettest and most wintery weather many have seen since harvest. The waning El Nino pattern deserves some of the credit or the blame, as farmers worrying about drought balance the need for more soil moisture and the desire to get in the field. 

To help us sort out this unpredictable is DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick, who takes us beat by beat through what to expect in the coming weeks and months for the major growing regions of the country. We’ll tackle precipitation, soil temperatures, and how likely drought or flooding is to become a major factor this season. 

Then we’ll dive into the global weather picture, with a particular focus on Latin America, to better understand how changing patterns around the world might be set to affect commodity markets in the season ahead.

2024’s National Ag Day is March 19th, with major events taking place in Washington DC and all around the country as farmers, their families, and ag industry members gather to celebrate their work. The day will kick off with a Presidential proclamation honoring the day, followed by words from the Secretary of Agriculture, the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and so much more. 

To bring us the latest updates from the event, we’re joined by DTN Progressive Farmer editor in chief Greg Horstmeier, who joins us from Washington D.C. where he’s taking part in the day's festivities. He’ll share more information about the agenda, highlight the youth winners of the national ag essay contest, and provide information for those hoping to attend some ag day events this year, or to get involved with planning in the years to come.