Agriculture

Agriculture

If we did that today, it would be a hundred percent, because right now, without question, 2026 is riskier than 2025. So farmers really [face significant challenges]. The war in Iran continues and it works back to the world of agriculture. It's had an impact on fertiliser and diesel prices and commodity markets, as well as currency.

Donald Trump's war on Iran could cause UK food prices to surge due to the soaring cost of fuel and fertiliser as the Strait of Hormuz the narrow sea passage south of Iran remains effectively impassable. The blockade on fossil fuels through the strait is driving a spike in the cost of nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers used for growing cereals and vegetables.

When people come to the farmers' market, they're here to support small businesses and local farmers. They're excited to learn new things. They're really encouraging and supportive! Being a part of people's weekly lives, the regulars who show up and are excited to see me and excited to buy microgreens is one of my favorite parts of selling at the farmers' market.

Swine life on Staples' sustainable family farm is a jarring contrast to the existence of a pig on one of America's "intensive" corporate-owned mega-farms, where some sows are confined to cages so small they literally can't turn around or take more than a step or two in any direction.

The Colorado River is an interconnected system, sustained by Rocky Mountain snowpack, rainfall and groundwater. It is fragile, and under increasing stress. Two and a half decades into this century, the river that built the modern West has 20% less water flowing through it than it did on average in the last century. As heat and drought intensify, so do the stakes: Failure to recognize the severity of changing conditions, managing the river in parts without considering needs of the whole and inadequate planning for long-term shortages put the future of all the basin at risk.

Large production sheds, known as "confinements," hold up to 2,500 sows, which are pumped full of antibiotics to help them survive their cramped, windowless existence. CAFOs generate colossal amounts of manure waste, forming gargantuan anaerobic lagoons that foul the air and pollute local water supplies around the farm.

A dairy operation that burns through $2 million in two years on $12 million in revenue has a structural problem, not a temporary one. A farm that accumulates $2 million in debt on $12 million in revenue is structurally losing money. Understanding why matters more than choosing a debt repayment strategy.

Profitability in the cattle business often hinges on understanding the real cost of production, something that can be difficult to pin down when labour, land, and opportunity costs aren't always clearly accounted for.

USDA estimates for major crops were largely unchanged from the previous month, resulting in muted market reactions. For wheat, the USDA maintained its U.S. production, supply, and ending stocks forecasts with no revisions. Global wheat production was adjusted slightly higher, largely due to increased output estimates in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, partially offset by a smaller Australian crop.

Canadian growers are looking for solutions that deliver consistent disease control without adding complexity to their spray programs. Phobos FC 360 brings a clear application advantage, stronger on-leaf retention, even coverage, and proven performance across Canada. We're excited to provide growers with another tool that helps protect yield potential and maximize the value of every acre.

If you've got it severe enough it can be devastating and if not it can be managed... it just depends on where you are and what weather conditions you've had in the past and the amount of peas or lentils you've grown on those fields before.

With less money coming in, the 52-year-old Fofie in Ghana has taken the desperate step of giving part of his land to illegal sand miners, a lucrative practice driven by high construction demand since sand is used in concrete. The cost is severe, however: the sand mining makes the land infertile.

At its core, GrainFox really helps producers and agri businesses make clear, more confident grain marketing decisions. Instead of reacting to the hot headlines of the day or relying on that gut feel, they have a structured plan that really helps guide them throughout the whole sales year.

For many families today, dinnertime is not a singular event but rather a culmination of busy days filled with work, school, and extracurricular activities. Parents are increasingly committed to providing nutritious, flavorful meals but often find that their schedules leave little room for extensive meal preparation.

Potato sprouts contain compounds (specifically glycoalkaloids like solanine and chaconine), which stick in the potatoes' skin and become toxic in the body when consumed in large quantities, leading to an upset stomach or indigestion. However, it's worth noting that potatoes already contain glycoalkaloids - the compound is just more concentrated in the sprouts.

Total wheat area is expected to dip 1.1% to 26.7 million acres in Canada. I have been hearing many growers say they like the idea of wheat's low input requirements, but market fundamentals are giving them pause when it comes to aggressively increasing acres.

Glyphosate is one of the most commonly used methods of handling weeds on farms and elsewhere. It is a key part of modern agriculture, to the point that imagining a food system that operates without it is incredibly challenging. Yet, glyphosate is also the subject of much debate.

You can go onto your cloud account either through the iPad or your desktop computer and pre-plan all your jobs... when your hired man goes into the field he can just pick the job... and then hit start and you can go.

RealAg radio and realllculture.com is your home for insight and analysis of the issues that are impacting your farm business. Let's get real and get connected with RealAg Radio.

CORN holds a blend of CBOT corn futures contracts across near-month, second-to-expire, and December delivery dates. That structure reduces over-concentration in a single contract month, which limits but does not eliminate futures roll costs. The fund launched in June 2010 and holds roughly $45 million in net assets, making it a small but functional vehicle for those seeking direct corn price exposure without a futures brokerage account.

I would call it a success story, where probably in about 15 counties we've totally eliminated it. It's actually been pretty quiet on the Palmer front in the last couple years. This is a rare outcome in the realm of weed resistance management.

Herbicide layering strategies involve combining multiple herbicide modes of action to target weeds effectively and prevent resistance development. This approach requires careful planning to apply different chemical classes at appropriate growth stages, ensuring comprehensive weed control while reducing selection pressure for resistant populations.