With the USDA cancelling its regularly scheduled July cattle inventory report due to budget cuts, a question that many would like to have answered is: How big is the U.S. cattle herd?. Fortunately, historical relationships between changes in prior and subsequent inventories and levels of cow slaughter in between or...

How big is the U.S. cattle herd?

Georgia State

Georgia soybean grower Alex Harrell has shattered the world record yield for soybeans with a bin busting 218.2856 bushel per acre (bpa) average. Not only has he broken his own previous world record of 206 bpa, but he’s done it in back-to-back years. The 34-year-old farms about 4,000 acres...

New soybean yield record set at 218 bushels

Today the USDA released the 20th Crop Progress report of the 2024 growing season. As of Aug. 11, 94% of the 2024 corn crop in the top 18 corn-growing states had reached the silk growth stage, the USDA says. This was up from 88% the week prior and is on par with the five-year average of 94%.

Corn and soybean conditions hold steady

Lean hogs settle the Monday session with contracts closing within 35 cents of unchanged in the nearbys. The USDA Daily Direct Hog report from the afternoon showed negotiated prices down $1.05 to $82.48. The CME Lean Hog Index was $91.90 on August 8, down 90 cents from the previous day.

Hogs Mixed to Close Monday

Live cattle futures were down 65 to 95 cents in the front months at Monday’s close. Cash trade saw $185-187 sales in the South last week, with northern trade down $3 to $193. Feeder cattle futures felt some pressure from gains in corn, with losses of $2 to $2.50 in the nearbys. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down $4.14 at $245.57 on August 9. Monday’s OKC auction is estimated to sell 5,300 head with prices up $2 to 6 on the week for feeder steers and $10 higher for steer calves. Heifer feeders were firm to up $4, with calves $7-10 higher.

Cattle Close Lower on Monday

Colorado State

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David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Ohio State

The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

South Carolina State

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Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Kansas State

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Missouri State

CJ Coombs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) helps to locate missing children. Since July 1, 2024, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 174 children have been reported missing in the U.S. Since January 1, 2024, there was a total of 1,445 reported missing in the country.

Missing Missouri children as of July 17, 2024, according to the NCMEC

The manure spreader may be considered by some to be the lowliest of all farm implements. Yet, considering that it was one of the most frequently used implements on many farms and weighing the huge impact it exerted on reducing the back-breaking labor to spread manure across fields, enriching them. and boosting yields, the manure spreader deserves a prime position in the pantheon of farm machinery advances.

Celebrating the history of the manure spreader

J. Souza

According to cruise industry reports, the world's largest cruise ship is sailing well above 100% capacity, thanks to more beds being filled on recent sailings. Royal Caribbean’s newest flagship, the Icon of the Seas, is proving to be an unprecedented success, with occupancy rates far exceeding expectations.

The Largest Cruise Ship in the World is Sailing at 132% Capacity: How This is Even Possible

Cooking With Maryann

This recipe is sooo tasty! It truly is for garlic lovers! It involves sautéing onions and mushrooms in butter and oil until golden, then adding wine to reduce. Garlic, thyme, and parsley are stirred in for flavor, followed by seasoning with salt and pepper. The dish is garnished with additional parsley and served warm, making for a savory, aromatic side. Here's what you'll need to make it:

Garlic Mushrooms in Brown Butter Herb Sauce

U.S. industrial production fell sharply in July, the Federal Reserve said Thursday, pointing to a larger-than-expected impact from Hurricane Beryl. The news is likely to add to calls for the Fed to cut its key lending rate from a two-decade high next month as its long-running campaign against inflation continues to percolate through to the broader economy.

US Industrial Production Contracts Sharply in July

NEW YORK (August 15) Gold has seen its best performance in decades in 2024 amid its climb to a new record high of $2,483.35, and while the yellow metal has struggled to rally above $2,480 on three separate occasions, one analyst says it's only a matter of time before it succeeds and breaks above $2,500.

Gold and silver to rally through the end of 2024, copper likely to lag

Gold prices pared gains on Thursday as the dollar and Treasury yields rose after stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data that could influence the size of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Spot gold inched higher 0.6% at $2,461.36, after rising as much as 0.9% earlier in the session. U.S. gold...

Gold pares gains as dollar, bond yields climb after strong U.S. data

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

Maybe it's just me, but it's not summer until I get to eat crab cakes! Don't let this recipe intimitate you! It's really not difficult, just takes a little bit of prep time in the fridge.

Delicious Crab Cakes!

Iowa State

Pennsylvania State

Recent USDA Crop Progress reports have shown a noticeable drop in Pennsylvania’s corn crop condition. In the latest report, published Aug. 12, 55% of the crop is in good/excellent condition — down from 83% in good/excellent condition on July 29. In addition to the worsening conditions in the...

Pennsylvania corn suffers from dry July; recent downpours could have harvest benefits

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

NewsBreak

Corn and soybeans close higher | Wednesday, August 14, 2024

December corn ended the day up 3½¢. November soybeans closed up 6¢. September wheat contracts closed mixed. CBOT wheat was up 6¢. KC wheat was down...

Corn and soybeans close higher | Wednesday, August 14, 2024

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