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Milk prices are expected to rise, a pilot program is introduced to pay you for incorporating new cropping practices and yes-- 2020 wouldn't be complete without a blue moon.

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Need a quick catch up on the news of the week? Here are seven ag stories you might have missed.

1. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension dairy economist Bob Cropp says Class III milk prices for October will increase to about $21.40. Retail cheese prices have been relatively strong, he said, and the federal government is purchasing cheese under the third round of the Farmers to Families Food Box program.  – Wisconsin Agriculturalist

2. Meyer Hatchery says there has been an increase in chicken popularity. The hatchery has seen customers change over the last few months from those seeking color in their flock to consumers just wanting chickens to lay eggs. —Ohio Farmer

3. Bayer’s Carbon Initiative pilot program was launched this fall that is designed to sequester carbon in the soil. In fact, there is already a waiting list for farmers who want to participate. It offers corn and soybean farmers in nine states — North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan — to incorporate new cropping practices and get paid. The company is offering $10 per acre for farmers in this introductory phase of the program. —Missouri Ruralist

4. Let’s face it, there aren’t many positives to come out of 2020. However, there is a silver lining for beef producers. More consumers are eating beef due to the pandemic. Consumers have become even more conscious of quality and health claims associated with food, and despite 82% (survey conducted by Midan Marketing) of them being concerned about the economy, they are trying to keep themselves healthy due to COVID. In fact, a survey found 62% of them, have found themselves trying new recipes, cooking, and preparing meals as their options for eating out were limited or shuttered. – BEEF magazine 

Related:Talking beef prices and rail logistics

5. With rising Covid cases, consumers are stockpiling food again. But this time, food producers are making sure there is more available this time. General Mills Inc., the maker of Cheerios and Annie’s boxed mac and cheese, added 45 external production lines through contractors since the first round of pantry loading this spring. Campbell Soup Co. spent $40 million to expand production of Goldfish crackers and is building capacity for chip brands like Cape Cod. Conagra Brands Inc. boosted third-party manufacturing and warehousing, while Stonyfield Farm, a producer of organic dairy products, is buying more milk from its direct supply network of farms. Food companies are expecting even more stockpiling as the holidays are on the way. – Bloomberg

Related:A deeper dive into EPA’s dicamba re-registration

6. Farmers who have struggled to justify the expense of planting cereal rye can now give it a virtual shot, thanks to a tool that simulates a field’s past and future growing seasons with the cover crop.In the first of many versions, this cover crop decision support tool gives farmers projections for managing cereal rye termination and calculating how much nitrogen the crop keeps from leaching into waterways. The Farmdoc project at the University of Illinois plans to release updates to this cover crop analyzer in the future.—Prairie Farmer  

And your bonus.

7. For the first time in decades, there will be a full moon visible across the entire U.S. on Halloween night. The last time this occurred was in 1944. – USA Today

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