There’s a 2018 Farm Bill planning session scheduled for April 10 at Hopkinsville Community College, and a guest speaker will be Kentucky’s new 1^st district congressman, James Comer, a member of the House Ag Committee.  Ky Farm Bureau’s Joe Cain discusses some of the various elements of this federal safety net for the nation’s farmers.

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A case of low pathogen avian influenza has turned up in western Kentucky.  Ky Ag Department State Veterinarian, Bob Stout says it may have arrived via migrating wild fowl, and efforts are now underway to contain the occurrence. He encourages all poultry producers to take all bio-security measures on their farms to prevent any further outbreak.

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Part of the Kentucky Forest Industries Association annual meeting this week in Lexington will be a major focus on white oak production.  UK forester, Jeff Stringer, says there’s high demand from both the bourbon and wine industries, and industry officials want to make sure this valuable crop is handled sustainably for its long term value to Kentucky.

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CBOT futures had another day of small price changes as traders are focused on Friday’s USDA reports. Large crops in South America and the bearish bias of the spec funds should cap futures until new fundamentals appear.  Cattle futures closed higher on short-covering.  

CBOT futures closed steady to higher with fairly narrow trading ranges. Cattle futures closed slightly higher following Monday’s big losses.  Lean Hog futures closed moderately lower, adding to sharp losses the past two trading days.

CBOT futures closed steady in corn and lower in wheat, soybeans and meal futures. Wheat was pressured by a wet forecast for the Plains; KC wheat led the declines. Corn and soybeans are under pressure from fund selling and big South American crops.  Cattle futures closed sharply lower and near the day’s lows as traders reversed some bullish trades made last week when countries banned Brazilian beef.

With the discovery of avian influenza (AI) in West Kentucky, it’s important to get ahead of such a situation and get solid, factual information to the general public. So much misinformation can make its way to the airwaves, so getting the facts out is vital to our top agriculture commodity.

As the population grows and as the need for domestically grown food increases, it’s important to get correct information out to consumers so they may make a sound choice no matter the choice when it comes to their food.