Another up week for broiler sets, placements
Brownfield Ag News6 minutes ago
Broiler sets and placements have risen seven weeks in a row. The USDA says 245.393 million eggs went into incubation last week, 1.388 million less than the previous week, but up 2% on the year, with average hatchability at 79.1%. 189.354 million chicks were placed into meat production, about 501,000...
Global double cropping could handicap American farmers
Brownfield Ag News6 minutes ago
An ag economist says cropland expansion in other countries could put U.S. farmers at a disadvantage. Ohio State University professor emeritus Carl Zulauf tells Brownfield about 400 million acres of farmland have been added to worldwide crop production since 2000. “Particularly, the land has increased in South America, but sub-Saharan...
Red meat, poultry stocks down to start April
Brownfield Ag News6 minutes ago
The amount of red meat and poultry in cold storage at the start of April was below year ago levels. The USDA says red meat stocks of 919.391 million pounds fell 12% on the year with a 10% decline for beef to 432.222 million pounds and a 13% drop in...
Making decisions with the farm’s financial health in mind
Brownfield Ag News6 minutes ago
The combination of high interest rates and lower commodity prices continue to threaten farm financial health. West-central Illinois farmer Grant Strom says expenses are getting heavily scrutinized right now. “When it comes to capital investments, especially,” he says. “Can you ride things out another year or two with equipment or...
Shootin' the Bull about a lot to consider
Swift Trading Company8 minutes ago
No rest for the weary in this market. Nellie is nervous and with the continual issues of the bird flu being examined, there is likely to be more restraints placed until we can get a handle on this issue.
U.S. red meat production down two years in a row
Brownfield Ag News22 minutes ago
U.S. red meat production declined in 2023, down for the second consecutive year. The USDA says production of 54.538 billion pounds was down 2% from 2022, which was 1% less than the all-time high set in 2021. For 2023, beef production was 27.033 billion pounds, a decrease of 5% on...
What's Left in the US Dollar Seasonal Rally?
Barchart24 minutes ago
Despite no signs of deceleration in US growth and geopolitical risk, the US Dollar has rallied 6% off its year-to-date seasonal low. While the European Central Bank (ECB) is considering rate cuts in June, Great Britain is in a recession, and the US continues to have a sticky inflation rate, so dollar bulls remain vigilant, resulting in a sentiment shift from the beginning of the year. But what's left in this dollar rally?
Dollar Gains with Higher T-Note Yields and Yen Weakness
Barchart25 minutes ago
The dollar index (DXY00 ) on Wednesday rose +0.16%. The dollar on Wednesday recovered from a 1-1/2 week low and moved moderately higher. Strength in T-note yields Wednesday boosted the dollar. Also, weakness in the yen was positive for the dollar as the yen Wednesday fell to a 33-year low...