A Missouri state lawmaker is calling for a state investigation of potential price-fixing in the cattle market. Representative David Gregory, a Republican from St. Louis, is chair of the House Special Committee on Government Accountability, “There’s some pretty strong circumstantial evidence that the meatpackers are coordinating efforts to suppress the price of fed cattle. And […]
Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2021 must do so by March 15. Producers who have not yet signed a 2021 enrollment contract or who want to make an election change should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office […]
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a major broiler chicken producer based in Greeley, Colorado, has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to pay approximately $107 million in criminal fines for its participation in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chicken products, the Department of Justice announced today. According to the plea agreement entered […]
Reports on current and future projects were given during Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Trenton Utility Committee. The information describes preliminary costs for projects involving Trenton’s water treatment plant. This includes piping for the river and reservoir pump stations as well as the contact basins at the plant on West Crowder Road. Altogether, the cost […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and a coalition of 13 other attorneys general urged President Biden to reconsider his unilateral revocation of the 2019 Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and advised him that the states that signed on to the letter are reviewing available legal options to protect their citizens and interests. “The […]
Forage yield and quality improve when legumes are frost-seeded at the right time, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts. Frost seeding, a method of broadcasting seeds over snow- or frost-covered pastures, improves poor pastures at a low cost. Seeds work their way into the soil and germinate as the ground freezes […]
Grain bids surged throughout December. Overseas feed demand, the worker strike in Argentina, and weather conditions in South America were significant factors in soybean and corn prices gaining so much ground. Dry conditions in key growing areas in South America have put yield potential into question, however, the true range of crop loss is still […]
Gas prices are climbing in Missouri for the holidays. Auto club Triple-A says Missouri’s average fuel price has increased nine cents over the past week to $1.93 per gallon – one of the largest increases but we still have some of the cheapest gas prices of all other states. AAA expects 34 million fewer travelers […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced an update to his office’s efforts to evict illicit massage businesses through the Hope Initiative. Since launching the initiative, 10 additional illicit massage businesses have either been evicted, are in the process of being evicted, or their eviction is likely. “Human trafficking is a global scourge that affects millions […]
Economist Ernie Goss says this year’s increase in Missouri farm income is leading to an increase in farmland prices. Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University in Omaha, says rising global oil prices are also generally good news for the state’s ethanol industry. Goss surveys rural bankers monthly as part of his Rural […]
The USDA is calling for ag exports to increase by nearly eight percent for the 2021 fiscal year largely because of Chinese demand. USDA’s November ag export forecast increased by $11.5 billion from August to $152 billion. If realized it would be the second-highest export total on record with China accounting for most of the increase, […]
Market analyst Clayton Pope takes issue with the contention that current higher soybean prices are demand-driven. Pope concedes that USDA’s 75-million-bushel jump in soybean exports is significant for the market, but he says the August to November soybean supply dropped 346 million bushels. “Calling this a demand market is a little bit of a misnomer, […]
