Author: staff

Ohio is a tale of disparate weather this year by area. USDA published the latest Crop Progress report on Monday, July 14. Here’s a closer look at recent weather and the status of Ohio’s most important crops in mid-July. Weather In Seneca county, in north-central Ohio, Steve Berlekamp raises corn and soybeans with his daughter, and said he hasn’t seen a year this bad in his 71 years. He said they got 5 inches of rain in one week in mid June and it’s been a deluge ever since.  The cold, wet spring delayed his planting until right before the June 5…

The daily darkening of the skies, paired with the sting of sweat and suffocating humidity, is more than just a sign of July — it’s a harbinger of corn disease season. As corn crops move into reproductive stages, foliar disease pressure is intensifying across the Midwest. Tar spot, Southern rust, gray leaf spot, and northern corn leaf blight are emerging as widespread concerns. Weather patterns marked by heat, high humidity, and frequent rainfall have created ideal conditions for infection and spread, prompting agronomists to sound the alarm. Tar Spot Isn’t the Only Threat First confirmed in Kansas for the second…

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is receiving major support from anti-“Big Ag” activist organizations for his newest bill, the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, which was introduced Thursday. The bill, which he claims would “ensure that pesticide manufacturers can be held responsible for the harm caused by their toxic products,” has almost 20 organizations lobbying for its passage, including the Environmental Working Group, RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine Children’s Health Defense, Moms Across America, Farm Aid, and the Friends of Earth Action.  Specifically, this bill would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 (FIFRA) to create a federal right of…

The European Union (EU) said it’s ready to strike back with tariffs if President Donald Trump follows through on threatened August tariffs affecting EU exports to the U.S. Speaking of trade, Trump nominated Julie Callahan to be U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) chief ag negotiator.   The president also made news about Coca-Cola, saying the iconic global soft drink will start using cane sugar in its U.S. product instead of corn syrup. But Coke has yet to confirm. Long-term conservation funding got a boost in the reconciliation bill just signed into law, but that boost could come with short-term costs. And the USDA…

Image by National FFA Organization The National FFA Organization has announced the 16 finalists for its 2025 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement, and American Star in Agriscience. The American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. The award recognizes FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies by completing a supervised agricultural experience program. A required activity in FFA, an SAE allows members to learn by doing. Members can own and operate an agricultural business, intern at an agricultural business,…

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed a week of generous rainfall brought widespread improvements in drought conditions across large parts of the Midwest and High Plains. However, drought intensified across much of the Northwest and interior West, deepening an east-west divide in conditions. U.S. map showing drought conditions for July 15, 2025. From Iowa through Illinois and Missouri, rainfall totals exceeded 200% of normal over the past seven days, helping to ease drought and abnormal dryness that had persisted into early July. Northern Illinois experienced improvements in abnormally dry-to-severe drought conditions, while eastern Iowa and northwest Iowa also benefited from moderate drought…

Agriculture specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge Cargo Lot intercepted three “First in Nation” pests in different shipments in recent weeks, protecting America’s agricultural and plant resources from invasive species and diseases. According to a news release from the agency, the first interception occurred on May 16 when a shipment consisting of banana leaves, dasheen, and chayote was referred to the dock for an intensive agriculture inspection. Upon inspection, CBP agriculture specialists found a pest which was submitted to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist for identification. The initial identification…

Brooke Rollins apparently heard that I gave her debut as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture a mixed bag. No sooner was the column published than she dropped her strategic plan for the department: the National Farm Security Plan. (Fine, maybe my assessment wasn’t the entire reason why …) The NFSP is a spin on President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda that equates farm security with national security. The concept isn’t so far-fetched. If a country can’t feed and fuel itself, it can’t keep and protect itself. So what kind of policy supports agriculture security? Rollins sets it out…

By Ryan Hanrahan The Wall Street Journal’s Costas Paris and Jack Pitcher reported that “China’s government is threatening to block a deal that would transfer ownership of dozens of seaports to Western investors if Cosco, China’s largest shipping company, doesn’t get a stake. The proposed sale includes two ports at the Panama Canal and more than 40 others around the world, all owned by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison.” “China is pushing for state-owned Cosco to be an equal partner and shareholder of the ports with BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Co., a containership operator, according to people familiar with the deal…

Just after 9 a.m. CT, December corn was up 7¾¢ at $4.28¾ per bushel. November soybeans were up 14¢ at $10.40½ per bushel. Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting said, “Sizable gains are being shown [Friday] morning with the soy complex leading the charge higher. Soybeans are benefiting from short covering and the addition of risk premium. Immediate weather is mostly favorable across the U.S., but more forecasts are adding heat going into August which is when we see more of an impact on soybean development.” Setzer added, “Corn and wheat are also firmer this morning with short covering…