Author: staff

The Agriculture Department will soon roll out the second stage of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. We asked Richard Fordyce, undersecretary of agriculture for farm production and conservation, about the program and when — or if — the trade aid payments previously teased by the administration will be announced. Plus, Joby Young outlines what’s included for agriculture in the deal lawmakers struck to reopen the government and Dan Halstrom with the U.S. Meat Export Federation discusses the impact of the U.S.-China trade deal for the meat industry. Emily Skor with Growth Energy also weighs in on the biofuel sector’s continued…

After years of research and development, autonomous technology has arrived. With labor shortages and changing weather conditions creating smaller productivity windows, autonomy may be the key farmers are looking for.  Autonomous solutions have finally moved past the trial stage, with limited commercial availability in 2025. Previously, manufacturers had provided farmers with autonomous technology to test — but 2025 marks the first growing season in which farmers bought and used this technology for themselves.  Autonomous equipment is now out in the fields seeding, spreading fertilizer, weeding, tilling, and hauling grain carts. Heavy Machinery AGCO has adjusted its strategies to ensure its…

By Cami Koons Republican and Democratic legislators agreed Thursday that water quality is a pressing issue in the state along with property taxes and public health — all of which will be necessary to balance as the Legislature returns in January.  Water quality, cancer, and conservation efforts in Iowa were a key topic on day two of the Iowa Nature Summit at Drake University as a panel of Iowa lawmakers discussed potential 2026 policies.  Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said water quality, especially after a lawn watering ban was issued in central Iowa over the summer due to elevated nitrate…

By Tim Henderson In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids, even as it scours Democratic-led cities for immigrants who are in the country illegally. “We really haven’t seen agriculture targeted with worksite enforcement efforts, and early this year we did,” said Julia Gelatt, associate director of U.S. immigration policy at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.…

Not long past 9 a.m. CT, March corn was down 2¼¢ at $4.35½ per bushel. January soybeans were down 7½¢ at $11.15 per bushel. March CBOT wheat was down 3¾¢ at $5.37 per bushel. March KC wheat was down less than a penny at $5.23½ per bushel. March Minneapolis wheat was up 1½¢ at $5.82. January feeder cattle were down $6.25 at $310.13 per hundredweight (cwt). February live cattle were down $3.18 at $212.23 per cwt. February lean hogs were down $2.53 at $77.13 per cwt. January crude oil was down $1.48 at $57.52 per barrel. The U.S. Dollar Index…

One day after the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry House unanimously advanced the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, the full Senate approved it. The bipartisan bill would allow for whole (3.25 percent) and reduced-fat (2 percent) milk to once again be served in school cafeterias nationwide. It now heads to the U.S. House for consideration, where it is expected to pass. A similar bill in 2023 had overwhelmingly passed the House but stalled in the Senate. Whole and 2 percent milk were removed from school meals programs beginning in 2012 as part of an effort to…

As 2025 winds down, many farmers are ready to put this challenging year behind them. From low corn and soybean prices to stubbornly high input costs and ongoing trade tensions, farmers faced a long list of headwinds. In conversations with farmers and ag experts, I ask, “What can Successful Farming do to help farmers weather this storm?” Resources for 2026 Those conversations didn’t just spark concern — they sparked ideas, including two print feature stories for next year: “Is U.S. Ag in the Midst of a Long-Term Downturn?” in February“Surviving the Financial Squeeze” in April When our staff discussed those…

I was bad last week. My law partner was out of the office for a personal day. I figured it presented the perfect opportunity to play the tending “AI homeless man” prank on her. It was. I did. She fell for it. We all had a good laugh (after she calmed down…). If you don’t yet know, the prank goes something like this. The prankster waits until his or her boss or colleague is out of the office. He or she then uses AI tools to generate very realistic images of a disheveled-looking man inside the co-worker’s office. The prankster…

With harvest nearly wrapped up across the U.S., we asked agronomists to reflect on the 2025 season. According to the USDA Crop Progress report released on Nov. 17, 91% of the U.S. corn crop and 95% of the U.S. soybean crop had been harvested. Across the Corn Belt, the growing season left its mark. Threatened In Illinois, Phil Krieg, agronomy service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection, summarized the season by the word “threatened.”  “The corn crop was threatened by late planting due to too much rain—wettest April on record,” Krieg said. “The threat continued throughout May and June for many.…

By Roberto Samora SAO PAULO, Nov. 19 (Reuters) – Brazilian soymeal exports in November are estimated at 2.68 million metric tons, a roughly 200,000-ton rise compared to last week’s forecast, putting Brazil on track to hit a monthly record for shipments. According to data from grain exporters group Anec on Wednesday, the previous monthly record was set in Oct. of last year, when Brazil exported 2.46 million tons of soymeal, which is mainly used as animal feed and is mainly destined for importers in Europe and Asia. Compared to Nov. of last year, Brazilian soymeal exports could increase by more…