NEW ORLEANS, La. — At the Commodity Classic trade show, farmers and people in agribusiness had the opportunity to talk about what’s new in the industry and some of the challenges presented by high input costs and supply chain issues.

Eric Belcher, with Sustain Seed and Soil, said cover crops are a popular tool right now for farmers looking to limit erosion and improve soil health. He says the pace at which farmers implement the use of cover crops varies.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — At a learning center session at the Commodity Classic, farmers and conservationists talked about using precision agriculture to make conservation decisions on the farm. Farmers can use data to find out which acres are underperforming or even losing money, and possibly convert them to wildlife acres to add value to the land in other ways.

Andy Hineman, who farms in Kansas, said the data informs decisions.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — For the Commodity Classic, farmers made their way to New Orleans, like so many of the crops they grow across the country.

At the event, members of the United Soybean Board talked about the latest news in the industry and the impact of the soybean checkoff. Some of the discussion included props, such as a shoe made using soybean products.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke during the general session at the Commodity Classic in New Orleans about the need to maintain opportunities in agriculture, the role farmers can play in carbon emission reduction efforts and strategies to combat surging input costs.

The secretary said it was important to continue maintaining and building opportunities for beginning and small farmers, rather than simply watching consolidation in agriculture.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — Drought conditions in 2021 made for a challenging year for many producers across the Upper Midwest. And unfortunately, a lot of those challenges are set to continue into the 2022 growing season.

“There’s no two ways about it, drought is on the minds of farmers all across the United States,” Whitney Monin, national agronomy manager for AgriGold, said at Commodity Classic on March 10. “Last year we had the driest June ever on record in the United States. Many parts of the country were 10-15 inches below normal for their area in terms of precipitation, which is absolutely devastating for corn and soybean development.”

NEW ORLEANS, La. — Commodity Classic returned to an in-person event this year, held March 10-12 in New Orleans, and biofuels were a hot topic.

Several farmers and guest speakers talked about the importance of biofuels for growers, as well as a recent legal challenge to an EPA emissions rule that growers say would make electric vehicles a single solution to emissions reduction.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The roller coaster ride of commodity prices provided a lot to discuss at the Commodity Classic, held March 10-12 in New Orleans.

Cory Bratland, with Kluis Commodity Advisors, presented a markets outlook, summing up a unique year with high demand, South America’s crop lower than expected, and a major war involving two large crop-exporting countries.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Drought conditions in 2021 made for a challenging year for many producers across the Northern Plains and the Upper Midwest. And unfortunately, a lot of those challenges are set to continue into the 2022 growing season.

“There’s no two ways about it, drought is on the minds of farmers all across the United States,” said Whitney Monin, national agronomy manager for AgriGold, at Commodity Classic on March 10. “Last year we had the driest June ever on record in the United States. Many parts of the country were 10-15 inches below normal for their area in terms of precipitation, which is absolutely devastating for corn and soybean development.”

NEW ORLEANS, La. – BASF is partnering with other companies to take a more collaborative approach to helping U.S. farmers be more successful.

The company entered a 50/50 joint venture with Bosch in 2021 to globally market and sell smart farming technologies from a single source, and at BASF’s Science Behind media event at Commodity Classic on March 9, BASF representatives discussed the need for continued innovation and the company’s new Smart Spraying solution.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Bayer representatives discussed a number of topics at their booth during Commodity Classic on March 10, including the Bayer Carbon Program, the new DEKALB SmartStax PRO with RNAi technology for corn rootworm, and Asgrow XtendFlex soybean innovations for 2022.

Bayer Carbon Program