Deere Turns to U.S. After Growth Stalls Overseas

Deere & Co.’s DE -4.02% incoming chief executive will take charge as the struggling tractor maker switches course from its sluggish global expansion to a narrower focus on its home U.S. market.

With demand for farm machinery receding world-wide, dealers for the Moline, Ill., manufacturer and industry analysts say they expect John May to focus on cutting costs and adding new technology and data services to its equipment that will justify higher prices in the U.S.

Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/deere-turns-to-u-s-after-growth-stalls-overseas-11569150000

For tech-weary Midwest farmers, 40-year-old tractors now a hot commodity

Kris Folland grows corn, wheat and soybeans and raises cattle on 2,000 acres near Halma in the northwest corner of Minnesota, so his operation is far from small. But when he last bought a new tractor, he opted for an old one — a 1979 John Deere 4440.

He retrofitted it with automatic steering guided by satellite, and he and his kids can use the tractor to feed cows, plant fields and run a grain auger. The best thing? The tractor cost $18,000, compared to upward of $150,000 for a new tractor. And Folland doesn’t need a computer to repair it.

read more : http://www.startribune.com/for-tech-weary-midwest-farmers-40-year-old-tractors-now-a-hot-commodity/566737082/

9 THINGS THAT CAUSE A COMBINE TO BREAK DOWN

Agriculture’s aging fleet of combines will be put to the test this fall, consuming what looks to be a wetter than usual crop. This will test the capacities of combines and put stress on components that are often overlooked during preseason preparations.

Successful Farming magazine’s Combine Doctor, Rodney Edgington, identifies these neglected components in this preseason preparation guide.

read more: https://www.agriculture.com/machinery/harvesting/where-a-combine-breaks-down

WHAT FARMERS ARE READING THIS WEEK, JANUARY 3-10

The start of the year stirred up farmers’ interest with new equipment, a record-breaking yield, and actions from the government in the spotlight.

Along with the current events, readers gravitated toward articles about a weather recap, guidance, and future obstacles after a harsh year across the Corn Belt for many farmers.

read more here: https://www.agriculture.com/what-farmers-are-reading-this-week-january-3-10

Kansas Offers Mental Health Resources to Farmers Through New Website

NINE IN 10 FARMERS AND farmworkers say financial issues impact farmers’ mental health, and nearly half of rural adults say they are experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago, according to a poll commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Man in a cowboy hat and cattle against an amazing sunset.

As the nation’s farming crisis – marked by a record $416 billion in farm debt and a loss of more than 100,000 farms between 2011 and 2018 – shows no signs of slowing down, states are working to help farmers struggling with stress, depression and other mental health issues.

Most recently, Kansas created a website offering resources and support to individuals struggling with agriculture-related stress.

Read more here: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-12-16/kansas-offers-mental-health-resources-to-farmers-through-new-website

FIVE TRAITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FARMERS

How can you succeed in the farming business?

Farming is far from being a simple occupation; it takes an adaptable individual capable of critical thinking to overcome the various obstacles the job throws at you. Read on for our top picks for traits possessed by the highly effective farmer.

Farmer inside a tractor

1. Effective Time Management

Managing your time wisely is crucial when your source of income relies on the weather, or a herd of sometimes unpredictable animals. Farmers can’t afford to waste any time as the seasons change.

read more here: http://bigironbuzz.com/5-traits-effective-farmers/

Benefits of Purchasing Used Farm Equipment

Whether it is brand new or used equipment that is new to you, buying farm equipment needs great planning, foresight, and focus on details ahead. Ask yourself a few questions before making a buying decision and evaluate your budget and cost-benefit of the new machinery and used farm machinery. Some of the steps are necessary before making this particular business investment.

Used farm equipment is better in many ways from old farm equipment it can be newer and sometimes in better condition to using just like a new one. Used farm machinery can be varied in age from one year to five years, and when choosing to buy used farm equipment it has a full service and repair history. So that when you plan to purchase you know what exactly you are getting.

Used farm machinery is a cost-effective purchase that allows farmers to save money to use it elsewhere on the farm. Like a car, farm equipment also depreciates after the first use, but used farm machinery depreciate rate will be slower. If you already own new equipment, investing in used machinery will allow your farm work to continue even in case of machinery breakdown.

Machinery like a Tractor, Combine, Rotary Tiller, landscaping equipment, harvest equipment has significant use in farming activities but at the same time, every farmer can’t purchase them. Keeping in mind the same Farmease USA has launched its online farm equipment rental app that allows farmers in the USA to rent or purchase new and used farm equipment from other farmers and dealers.

The process of selling and buying is hassle-free and lets the buyers choose machinery from known brands like Kubota, John Deere, Case IH, AGCO, Caterpillar Inc. Claas Tractor etc.

The number of US acres devoted to hemp is 100 times greater than five years ago

Industrial hemp is the fastest growing crop in US agriculture. The US defines industrial hemp as cannabis sativa plants containing 0.3% or less THC. Any higher than that, so to speak, and the plants are considered marijuana, which is federally outlawed.

Before 2015, hemp was virtually nonexistent in terms of US agriculture, because the Controlled Substances Act lumped it along with all cannabis plants (also known as marijuana) in 1970 as a Schedule I substance with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

Read more here: https://qz.com/1777341/how-much-hemp-is-grown-in-the-us-2/

U.S. farmers see another bleak year despite Phase 1 trade deal

Across snow-covered North Dakota, U.S. farmers are stuck with fields full of weather-damaged corn – a crop they planted after the U.S.-China trade war killed their soybean market. Many don’t know yet what crops they’ll plant next season among a host of dicey options.

In Texas, Kansas and Colorado, farmers are weighing whether they should plant fewer acres of corn and more sorghum, even though China has all but stopped buying it. Read more here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-agriculture-insight/u-s-farmers-see-another-bleak-year-despite-phase-1-trade-deal-idUSKBN1Z20CK