Pivotal Issues Blog

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this week reflected improvements and deteriorations, continuing the season’s mixed pattern but ultimately showing a slight decline in overall coverage across the country. Abnormally dry or worse conditions covered 72% of the country, down from 74% last week. However, about 21% of the country was experiencing severe drought or […]

By Cami Koons Cattle at a nature preserve in eastern Iowa appear to roam the land freely — no fences or cowboys on horseback patrol their movement. Instead, these cows wear special collars that keep them from grazing beyond the boundaries their owners designate via a phone or computer. The Nature Conservancy has studied this […]

While harvesting a field of irrigated corn, Quentin Connealy noticed something unusual: The dryland corners were outyielding the acres under the pivot. “That’s where it red-flagged for me that something had happened,” said Connealy, who raises corn and soybeans in eastern Nebraska. That field, like so many others, had hidden challenges that didn’t become obvious […]

This week the U.S. Drought Monitor showed drought-stricken areas, from southern Missouri and Arkansas into the northeast U.S., received amounts of 1-2 inches with locally higher amounts in northwestern and southern Arkansas, parts of Tennessee and Kentucky and in eastern New York and southern New England. At the same time, dry weather continued in northern […]

By Leah Douglas and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is expected to announce a plan as soon as Tuesday to bail out U.S. farmers stung by trade disputes and big harvests, with the initial outlay potentially totaling up to $15 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter. The plan, however, could […]

By: Brooke Bouma Kohlsdorf A sprawling Oklahoma property owned by the same family since the 1940s was sold on May 7, marking the end of an era for a piece of the state’s ranching history. The Hilseweck Ranch, located in the southeast part of the state, was a well-known and unique property, according to the […]

By: C. Robert Haas & Karen Jones Today’s high horsepower, 4-wheel drive, track units, and front-wheel assist have replaced all but memories of the tandem tractor era. This new wave of power came late in the 1950s and early 1960s. My farm life had been interrupted by a two-year stay in the U.S. Army, one […]

By: Myron Friesen Successful Farming‘s ‘Can Their Problem be Solved?’ advice column from farm financial adviser Myron Friesen tackles the question of planning for your retirement, but not your children’s. The Problem My wife and I have worked our tails off all of our lives. We have made it through some miserable times with weather, […]

By: Raylene Nickel When farm pressures mount and one difficulty after another hammers your operation, your stress levels rise. Emotions run ragged. Your business can suffer, and even your health can deteriorate if the stressors are prolonged. Stress and Burnout are Real. “When we are stressed, the cortisol levels in our blood go up and […]