News

SAD is a type of depression that is related to changes in seasons. Symptoms start in the fall and continue through the winter months. With more than 3 million cases per year in the U.S., SAD is very common. YOU are not alone in this. For people who work in the sun and soil, long winters are hard. SAD can last several months and even years, but can be treated by medical professionals. Less exposure to sunlight confuses your internal clock and causes the chemicals in your brain to get out of balance, causing SAD. Being vitamin-D deficiant can also cause some to struggle with SAD.

U.S. farmers and ranchers , as a whole, are expected to see a significant drop in farm income this year. USDA, in its 2023 Farm Sector Income Forecast, is forecasting that total U.S. net farm income will decline by 16 percent, or $26 billion in 2023, when compared with 2022.

The same week as Brazil became the second country to approve the planting of GMO wheat, BASF announced it’s halting work to develop hybrid wheat in North America. The move is one the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) fears could ultimately drive more wheat acres out of the U.S., unless more public and private investments into research and development are made.

At the last USDA Ag Outlook Forum (AO), department economists indicated of the three main crops, wheat area is projected to increase the most in response to continued high global prices and tight U.S and global supplies, partially due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Total wheat planted area for 2023/24 is projected at 49.5 million acres, up nearly 3.8 million acres from last year and the highest wheat area since 2016/17.

As the end of February approached, there were unfortunate sell-offs in the markets, and not just wheat, but across all commodities. “Wheat has probably dropped the hardest,” said Jim Peterson, market director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission, explaining that February can be one of those periods when the market starts shifting into the 2023 outlook and moving off of old crop as one of the reasons for the sell-off. In other news, USDA held its outlook conference the third week in February and projected a pretty good rebound in corn acres and also wheat.