Author: staff

Key Takeaways Corn is behind the 5-year average progress: 94% in dough stage (vs 96%), 61% dent (vs 70%), and 14% mature (vs 18%). Most small grains are nearly done: Spring wheat and barley at 97% harvested, oats at 98%.  Crop conditions are generally good: Minnesota’s corn and soybeans are rated mostly good-to-excellent, with topsoil/subsoil moisture also mostly adequate. USDA published the latest Crop Progress report on Monday, Sept. 8. Here’s a closer look at recent weather and the status of Minnesota’s most important crops as September started out. Weather Jared Goplen, agronomy manager for Wyffels Hybrids, said some areas have…

Key Takeaways Across the top 18 corn states, only 4% of corn was harvested as of Sept. 7, with most progress in southern states.Disease and dry conditions, among other things, are expected to impact yield.Some states are ahead on maturity — Iowa at 26%, Illinois 27%, Wisconsin 10% — but harvest in some places hasn’t kicked off. Across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states, corn harvest reached 4% the week ending Sept. 7, according to USDA’s latest Crop Progress report. The bulk of the progress comes from southern states like Texas and North Carolina, while Corn Belt states have only…

Almost a year after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina, Tar Heel State farmers have some more financial help coming their way.  Late last week, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden announced $221.2 million in USDA funding to provide recovery assistance to eligible North Carolina farmers. “Today’s announcement is about delivering on our promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with America’s farmers in times of need. By signing this block grant with North Carolina, USDA is ensuring that producers have the resources to rebuild stronger after Hurricane Helene and keep producing the food and fuel our nation depends on,” Vaden said.…

This week’s Interesting Iron isn’t about horsepower or paint codes — it’s about people. As a matter of fact, it started with a man in Illinois who I’m pretty sure I made mad a few months back. It all started in May when I posted a video on our social channels asking folks to share the most interesting tractor story on their farm. I was hoping for stuff like an M that was won in a card game or a clapped-out 4430 that saved the home farm from a field fire during harvest, because I know those stories are out…

By Cami Koons The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it had improved and expanded its Farm to School Grant program and would invest up to $18 million to connect locally grown food to child nutrition programs.  The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants program was initiated in 2013, but according to a news release, the fiscal year 2026 investment represents the “largest total amount” the department has offered in a given year.  The Farm to School Grant announcement was made alongside U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s latest Make America Healthy Again report, which called for more…

By Mary Steurer North Dakota and 11 other states are advocating for the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the arguments of North Dakota ranchers in a dispute with an energy company. WBI Energy used eminent domain to take a portion of the northwest North Dakota landowners’ property for a pipeline project in 2018. The ranchers were compensated for their land under a confidential settlement with WBI in 2021, though the parties disagreed as to whether the group was also entitled to legal fees. A North Dakota federal judge initially ordered WBI to pay the landowners about $380,000 in legal expenses,…

By Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, Sept. 12 (Reuters) – High levels of fungal disease are lurking in corn fields across the U.S. Midwest, threatening to reduce yields of a record-large crop and cause headaches for farmers during the autumn harvest, growers and crop experts said. The outbreaks are a blow to farmers in the world’s biggest corn-producing country as they struggle to make money due to low grain prices and rising costs for fertilizer, seed and other inputs. Farmers had hoped to produce the biggest possible yields to offset low prices, and crop diseases put that plan at risk. “I’ve never seen disease as…

1. Grains, Soybeans Little Changed Ahead of WASDE Grain and soybean futures were little changed in overnight trading as investors square positions ahead of today’s supply and demand reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The government is expected to slightly reduce its new-crop production forecasts when it releases its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report at noon in Washington.  USDA will likely forecast corn production at 16.516 billion bushels on yield of 186.2 bushels an acre, according to analysts polled by Reuters. That would be down from the August forecast for 16.742 billion bushels on yield…

When her grandparents were curious about her work in a seed production business during college, Emma shared her experience by filming videos. That was the beginning of Ag With Emma. Today, her YouTube videos have had more than 54 million views, and hundreds of thousands of people follow her on Instagram and TikTok. Her motto: Bringing you along in the buddy seat. Watch Our Interview Meet Emma Agriculture was always a part of Emma’s life. She has fond memories of tagging along as her grandfather fed cows on the family’s Wisconsin dairy farm, and when she moved to southern Idaho…

The Make America Healthy Again Commission unveiled a final report which suggests easing some regulations on farms, increasing research on precision agriculture technology and removing restrictions on whole milk sales in schools. Agri-Pulse Newsmakers asked Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall about the report and how MAHA could expand through states in the future. Then, T.A. Hawks with Monument Advocacy and Mike Stranz with the National Farmers Union discuss trade, concerns about brain drain at USDA and the prospects for emergency farm assistance as well as a skinny farm bill this fall. Watch the Episode Want to receive Newsmakers in your inbox…