The average cost of 40 staple food items in Kentucky dropped during the first quarter of 2017 by about $2.00.  Todd Bright with Farm Bureau says the group’s food price tally showed the fourth decrease in the last five quarters. Retail price decreases in beef, pork, and dairy led the way. 

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A follow-up report on Kentucky poultry industry efforts to limit the spread of low pathogen avian influenza on farms here.  The Ky Poultry Federation’s Jamie Guffie discusses bio-security procedures in place on all poultry farms, and he talks about how small family flock owners can also help deal with curtailing spread of the disease. 

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CBOT futures closed steady to lower as fundamentals and money flow weighed on the market. After two days of much higher corn prices, corn closed moderately lower and near the day’s lows.  After yesterday’s brief respite, cattle futures took another leg down to new lows.

CBOT futures closed mixed with prices continuing to react to Friday’s USDA reports on grain stocks and prospective plantings.  The reports were generally negative for soybeans and positive for corn.  Cattle futures closed lower with traders believing the cash market will continue to move lower; this was supported by a weaker boxed beef market. 

CBOT futures closed lower with wheat and soybeans closing near the day’s lows. Corn traded narrow ranges while soybean futures dropped to new lows for this down move that started in February. Traders prepared for tomorrow’s USDA reports.  Cattle futures closed moderately lower with the trend returning downward after yesterday’s one-day bounce.

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A feature story with Danny VanMeter, a Grayson County leader in strawberry production.  He says interest in strawberry production is on the rise.  He says spending nights in the field, protecting the crop from freezes like the one last month are just one of the challenges; but he feels a growing number of producers could find the crop very rewarding. 

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It was the warmest end of winter that UK Horticulturist, John Strang, has ever seen; and then came the mid-March freeze.  All in all, peaches took a major hit in some regions, but damage to other fruits could have been far, far worse.  

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