USDA Crop Progress Report Released.

Apr 18, 2016

USDA Released the Crop Progress Report.

U.S. corn planting is off to a good start and ahead of the five year average.

As of Sunday, 13% of this year’s crop is planted, up 9% on the week and 5% ahead of the normal pace. At 58% complete, Missouri is the furthest along and also made the largest week to week jump.

57% of winter wheat is rated good to excellent, up 1% from a week ago, and 12% has headed, a little bit behind average.

27% of spring wheat is planted, compared to the five year average of 19%.

The USDA is expected to report the first soybean planting number of the season next week.

To see the whole Crop Progress Report and state breakdown visit

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-04-18-2016.pdf

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.