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Bird flu takes wing as annual migration begins… Avian flu has hit turkey farms in North Dakota and South Dakota. Agriculture Dot Com says it’s the first bird flu cases in U.S. commercial flocks since early July. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in northeast South Dakota. That meant 55,400 birds were killed to prevent the spread of the disease.
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture said this week that bird flu was confirmed in a farm right along the South Dakota border. “After a quiet summer, it’s not unexpected that we have another case of HPAI as birds are gathering to begin the fall migration,” said North Dakota Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring. The North Dakota State Veterinarian said 60,000 birds had to be destroyed.
USDA also said in August that avian flu was confirmed at a live-bird market in Los Angeles, California County, and in backyard birds in New York state.
California greenlights E15… The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) lauds the California Senate’s passage of a bill that would allow the sale of E15, saying the state is much closer to cleaner fuel use. RFA said the bill moves on to the governor’s desk for approval. Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom said ethanol blends have massive potential and will lower gas prices while keeping the air clean.
U.C Berkley and U.S. Naval Academy estimate California consumers may see up to $2.7 billion in savings every year by having E15 available. California is the only state that does not allow sales of the fuel blend. The analysis also finds that a unit increase in octane level results in a value premium of about 11 cents per gallon. California’s transition from E10 to E15 could save about 13 cents per gallon on average due to the lower carbon intensity of E15.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index was at 130.1 in August, the highest since February 2023 and little changed from 130 in July.
Tractor Supply Co. supports FFA students… BRENTWOOD, Tenn.-- Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, announced today it has raised $1 million for the Tractor Supply 2026 FFA Future Leaders Scholarship fund. The fund supports scholarships for FFA students pursuing studies in the skilled trades and agriculture-related majors. Since its inception, the annual fundraiser has generated a total of more than $4 million over four years.
“Knowing I’ll be paying for college myself, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about how I’d manage financially,” said 2025 scholarship recipient Leanna Larson. “This scholarship gave me a sense of relief and reassurance. It reminded me that my hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed and that there are people out there who believe in students like me.” Larson is studying agribusiness management at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. -source: Tractor Supply Company news release
Your weekend read… Eyes locked on treasure buried for 2,000 years, Ben McGhee couldn’t speak or move. Just beyond his reach, a trio of bi-face blades peeked out of magical dirt, a mere fraction of one of the greatest Native American finds of recent history.
Shaking off the shock, standing on isolated farmland in northeast Missouri, the implications rolled over McGhee. A motherlode under the soil? Heart exploding and skin tingling, he dropped to his knees, poked a pocketknife into the tilled loam, and hit an absolute grail. He dug out 51 chert blades untouched for millennia—the find of a lifetime. Otherworldly.
Read Chris Bennett’s article, “Incredible Hoard of 51 Native American Blades Discovered in Missouri Soybean Field,” on AgWeb.com.
Notable closes…
Live cattle futures closed lower each day this week and have established a pattern of lower-highs and lower-lows. Heavyweight, Choice-graded boxed beef was 3-16 lower this morning but movement was good at 84 loads.
- October live cattle were 97 ½ lower at $235.97 ½
- December live cattle down $1.10 to $237.45
- October feeders down $1.05 to $357.90
October lean hog futures traded to within a dime of resistance at the June 23 high.
- October hogs a dollar higher at $96.02 ½
- December hogs $1.02 ½ higher at $88.32 ½