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Mississippi Grain Sorghum: Hybrid Choices (With SCA Tolerance Noted) – AgFax

Notice: The next issue of the Weekly Cotton Market Review will be published on January 5, 2024 Spot quotations averaged 195 points lower than the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Serviceís Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0 – 28.9, and uniformity 81.0 – 81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 75.32 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, December 21, 2023.

In 2023, USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities turned on the spigot to fund 141 projects, totaling $3 billion. Understanding the projects — each run by a different organization with its own unique offerings and structure — begs the question: Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? “Producers are always interested in looking at opportunities, but we can’t review 141 grants,” says Jimmy Emmons, western Oklahoma rancher and Trust In Food vice president.

WASHINGTON, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is marking the end of 2023 by highlighting on-the-ground projects and partnerships that are building economic prosperity for farmers, families, and communities nationwide.

When it comes to succession planning, Travis Shuring, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, wants to make sure families are protected. This is something he does by helping put the proper plan in place, but also making sure expectations are accurate for everyone involved. “The first thing I remind clients is that when we look at your legacy, fair is not always equal,” Shuring says.

A coalition of nearly 50 ag groups are turning up the heat on the Biden administration regarding the Mexican rail crossing closures. They say every day the border is closed to commerce, U.S. farmers are losing millions of dollars due to Mexico being the top customer for many U.S. ag products. USDA reports 64%, or 15.6 million metrics tons, of grain and oilseed exports move to Mexico via rail annually. And nearly a third of all grain goes through the corridors in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas.

– Farm Journal’s 27th Annual Top Producer Summit, agriculture’s premier educational and networking event, is set for Feb. 5-7, 2024, at the Loews Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. The event will bring many of the nation’s top farmers and ranchers together to share business opportunities and ideas to take their operations to the next level. The 2024 Top Producer Summit will feature industry-leading speakers on finance, innovative management practices, human resources, technology and succession planning.

New legislation, called the Fertilizer Research Act, has been introduced to require USDA to study competition and trends in the fertilizer market. The bill was introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). Grassley shared with Ag Day’s Michelle Rook it is a result of the fertilizer industry being too concentrated into too few hands. “This whole bill is to get the Secretary of Agriculture looking into all this.

Cotton prices for the week traded in a high-to-low range of only 190 points. Every attempt to move beyond eighty-two cents was quickly stifled by grower selling while downside support held firm at 80 cents before giving way slightly on Friday closing at 79.83. This was disheartening when at the same time the Dow, S&P 500, and NASDAQ were hitting all-time highs. Positive economic news stole the headlines last week. November’s consumer price index rose at an annual rate of 3.1 percent.

CoBank has released their 2024 outlook report, which takes a look at the key themes the organization expects to shape agricultural and the rural economy in the coming year. Director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Rob Fox shares that while the U.S. economy is still in good shape overall, high prices are expected to continue to take a toll. Here are the top eight factors to watch in 2024. 1.