Ag News Wire

Direct payments to farmers under the current farm bill have been a small, but stable and important part of farmers' income. These direct payments are cut in the draft farm bill from the Agriculture Committee of the U.S. Senate.

Cover crops are any green crops grown between cash crops. They come in many different varieties, but until recently little information was available to help growers decide which varieties to select and exactly when to plant them.

University of Minnesota Extension economists and educators have been researching the question of which costs have the largest impact on farm profits. A significant difference in profitability exists among farmers. A few categories of production costs, also known as inputs, vary significantly across levels of profitability.

A mild winter and early spring has sparked speculation on what may happen with different insects, such as alfalfa weevil, around the region. Alfalfa weevil is one of Minnesota's early-season insect pests. It can reduce hay yields.

Approximately 70 percent of the seed soybeans planted this year in Minnesota will be treated with fungicides. This is a dramatic change from 10 years ago when most farmers planted untreated soybeans. This change requires increased care to keep seed soybeans separate from harvested soybeans headed to market.

Will the April showers bring May forage? As the moisture deficit continues across much of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Extension educators are hearing the question: What if the drought pattern continues?

Currently, there are 207 ethanol production facilities in the U.S. which produce over 36 million metric tons of wet and dried distillers grains, which has become a popular, economical partial replacement for corn and soybean meal in animal feeds.