Industry News | 12-19-2022

Build This Handy Tool Cart for Your Shop

How many times have you searched for tools in your tool chest, opening drawer after drawer, to find the one item you need? Or, are your tools stored on the wall by the workbench? This may prompt going back and forth from the project to the work-bench to constantly obtain tools. Bryce Kirian, a fourth-generation Ohio farmer, decided to create a tool cart that allows him to move tools to where he is working, yet still keep everything organized and easy to access.
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A Snapshot of the U.S. Farmland Market

After dipping slightly in the immediate aftermath of the 2008-09 Great Recession, U.S. cropland value has resumed its steady march upward over the last decade or so.  Nationwide, average cropland value has increased from $2,540 per acre in 2009 to $5,050 in 2022, according to data reported by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).  This represents an overall increase of more than 90 percent, or an annual gain of 7 percent. Regionally, land prices have risen even more dramatically in the Midwest.  The Iowa State Land Value Survey, released on December 13th, found that the average farmland value in the state spiked to $11,411 per acre in 2022, a 17 percent increase over 2021.
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Precise Parlor Data is a Must for Today’s Dairy Farms

There’s no doubt dairy farming is in the middle of a data-driven technological revolution. This trend opens new and exciting opportunities in cow care and labor efficiency as dairies gain rapid insight into animal health and performance that was previously unavailable. It also underscores the importance of data accuracy beginning in the epicenter of the dairy farm – the milking parlor. Austin and Eileen Webster, Way-Mor Dairy in Greenleaf, Wisconsin, recently invested in milk metering and monitoring technology for their farm, taking the extra step to choose a system that’s certified by the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR). The organization’s stringent standards ensure the data collected for each animal is accurate and dependable.
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Bunge to Build $550 million Soy Processing Facility in Indiana 

Agriculture commodities trader Bunge Ltd said on Thursday, Dec. 15, it would invest about $550 million to build a soy protein concentrate facility in Indiana to cater to a rising demand for plant-based food products and processed meats. The new facility, which is adjacent to the company's soybean processing plant in Morristown, is expected to process an additional 4.5 million bushels of soybeans. The construction is likely to start in the first quarter of 2023 and be commissioned by mid-2025, Bunge said in a statement.
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