Pivotal Issues Blog

By Betsy Jibben As U.S. tractor sales have decreased overall, leasing has become a popular way for farmers to get their hands on a new piece of machinery without paying big bucks. Lower commodity prices and decreased income have a strain on farmer’s checkbooks and a drain on equipment makers. “2015 to me? I call […]

By Associated Press Ray Kopacz shouted over the rumbling of the cement truck one recent morning as workers patched up a break in the Stanfield Branch Furnish Ditch that cost farmers a full day’s worth of irrigation water. The Stanfield Irrigation District had just started pulling water from the Umatilla River on March 31 and […]

By Tharran Gaines Imagine being able to apply variable-rate liquid nitrogen through a center pivot irrigation system while, at the same time, varying the amount of water being applied. According to Caleb Schultz, precision ag manager for J.R. Simplot Company in Wray, Colorado, such technology is no longer a dream but a reality. Schultz was […]

By: Agronomy Insider Upper Midwestern farmers have endured below- or near-freezing air temperatures the past few days. As a result, frost-injured corn in some regions of Minnesota has surfaced. The telltale signs of frost damage are initially discolored water-soaked leaves, which later dry and turn brown. So what now? Here’s what to look for and […]

Gov. Pete Ricketts’ message to the 130th graduating class of Hastings College was one of love, opportunity and giving back to the community as the graduates prepare to embark on their future careers. “We have the best places in the world to live right here in Nebraska,” Ricketts said during the commencement address at Hastings […]

By Justin Fredrickson The big dams and reservoirs that make up the California water system transformed the state from a place the Spanish and Mexican colonizers deemed not good for much except cattle and missions into an incredibly fertile and productive agricultural Eden, and a place that could support thriving urban centers. The architects of […]

By Doug Rich The United States is a ground beef nation. The move to upscale hamburger chains is one of the trends in the beef Paul Heinrich highlighted during his presentation at the 2016 Cattlemen’s Day in Manhattan, Kansas, March 4. Heinrich is chief executive officer at Encore Food Solutions, LLC. He has 20 years […]

Back when there were only three television channels and Johnny Carson was the king of late night, one of his running gags was a reference to Burbank’s summer weather where the audience would shout back: How hot is it? A lot of us would like to know what the answer to that question will be […]

Vilsack says announcement is “a significant step forward in strengthening our bond and broadening agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several measures that will foster collaboration between the U.S. and Cuban agriculture sectors during his second visit to Cuba. While in Cuba, Vilsack announced that USDA will allow […]

Nebraska winter wheat is off to a good start, but stripe rust and other rust diseases are showing up in southern states. By Tyler Harris Nebraska’s winter wheat crop had a rough go round last year. Following severe winterkill and disease pressure from stripe rust and fusarium head blight, Nebraska saw some of the lowest […]