Timing is everything. That is what “they” say. We are not sure who “they” are, but time and time again it has proven to be true.

Resolutions...many people use the turn of the calendar and launch of the new year as a moment to pause and plan new goals for the year ahead. For protein producers, examples of goals may look like this:

It is estimated that 33-percent of all farmers are using drones now – either by themselves or third party operators. Drones are a natural in agriculture for crop scouting; but what about as a tool for livestock being raised in confinement?

Late season wet weather in some areas has caused less than ideal harvest conditions for soybeans. That has resulted in a deterioration in soybean seed quality and discolored beans. Soybeans that do not meet the elevator’s requirements are rejected or heavily discounted.

Turkey meat production in the United States during January-September 2018 was 4.36 billion pounds, down about 2 percent from a year earlier. The 2018 turkey production forecast is lowered by 24 million pounds to 5.875 billion pounds, 2 percent below 2017.

For many Summit Livestock producers, once the combines leave the corn fields, a second harvest occurs as corn stover is baled for various uses on the farm or for sale. The baled biomass is used for feed or for bedding. In some cases, it can be used in ethanol production facilities.

Late wet conditions, high winds and disease pressures are contributing factors to a prolonged harvest season for farmers from Missouri to Ohio. Downed corn resulted across hundreds of acres. With some areas reporting that corn is too difficult to combine, many growers are baling the crop.

USDA reports that of the 2.1 million farms in the United States, 97 percent are family owned operations. Small farms with income less than $350,000 in gross cash farm income accounted for eighty-eight percent of all farms.