Author: staff

This week, one-fifth of the nation’s corn crop was rated excellent by the USDA, the highest recorded in that category since 2018. Yet tight tassel wrap is still raising concerns. Here’s a quick look at the status of the corn crop in the nation’s top three corn-growing states, according to the USDA’s Crop Progress report, plus agronomist and farmer input. Iowa Although Iowa’s corn is some of the best in the country — USDA rated 87% of the crop good/excellent — tight tassel wrap is still concerning growers in some parts of the state. “Tassel wrap and pollination issues continue…

According to the latest Crop Protection Network map, positive cases of southern rust have been reported in 39 counties so far this growing season. This season, southern rust has also been confirmed in neighboring South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois. Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida have reported positive cases in 2025 as well. Weather Unusually wet July weather has created the right conditions for disease. “Warm (80s [degrees Fahrenheit]), wet (high humidity and/or frequent precipitation/irrigation) conditions favor southern rust development,” wrote Alison Robertson, Iowa State University professor of plant pathology in a mid-July…

By Ryan Hanrahan Progressive Farmer’s Jerry Hagstrom and Todd Neeley reported that “with the release of the Trump administration’s plans to reorganize the USDA including moving more than 2,000 employees out of Washington, D.C., agriculture interest groups, federal lawmakers, and others expressed concern about whether the move would disrupt services.” “Most headquarters employees in Washington will be relocating to five regional USDA hubs in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah,” Hagstrom and Neeley reported. “Agriculture groups say they are closely watching the situation while members of Congress are calling for…

1. Soybean, Grain Futures Down in Overnight Trading Soybean and grain futures were lower in overnight trading on skepticism about trade talks between the U.S. and China set for this week.  Negotiators from the world’s two largest economies are scheduled to meet this week in Stockholm, Sweden, in a bid to hammer out a trade deal amid ongoing tensions.  The South China Morning Post reported that negotiators are expected to refrain from introducing new tariffs that would deepen the trade war and kick the can down the road for another 90 days.  The U.S. temporarily halted curbs on technology exports…

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, July 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. and the European Union agreed on a framework trade deal, ending months of uncertainty for industries and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Here are the main elements of the deal: Almost all EU goods entering the U.S. will be subject to a 15% baseline tariff, including cars, which currently face 27.5%, as well as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. The 15% tariff is the maximum tariff and is not added to any existing rates. The U.S. is to announce the result of its 232 trade investigations in a few weeks and decide on tariff rates for the sectors under investigation. But the EU-U.S.…

Today, USDA published the 17th Crop Progress report of the 2025 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest corn, soybean, wheat, and oat numbers. Corn As of July 27, 76% of the corn crop across the country’s top 18 corn-growing states had reached the silking stage. Progress is just shy of the five-year average of 77%. USDA said 26% of the crop across all top states had reached the dough stage. The five-year average is 24%. The agency reported the condition of the nation’s corn crop as follows: Good/excellent: 73%Fair: 20%Poor/very poor: 7% Twenty percent of the corn crop earned an excellent rating…

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reached a framework trade deal between the U.S. and European Union. On Sunday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on the social media platform X, “POTUS is taking bold action to secure FAIR trade deals for America and our farmers — and he’s delivering.” She listed the following wins for the industry and said, “The Golden Age of Prosperity of American ag is upon us.” 15% tariffs on most European imports and 0% on most U.S. exportsEU to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy, including ethanol…and more…

By Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, July 28 (Reuters) – U.S. corn futures hit a two-week low on Monday and soybeans also fell as market players continued to brace for large crops and forecasts called for milder, non-threatening weather in the Midwest production belt. U.S. wheat futures pared losses and turned higher at times, gaining against corn and soybeans on inter-market spreading. On the Chicago Board of Trade as of 12:28 p.m. CDT (1728 GMT), benchmark December corn futures CZ25 were down 4-1/2 cents at $4.14-1/2 per bushel after dipping to $4.12-3/4, the contract’s lowest level since July 14. New-crop CBOT November soybeans SX25 were down 7-1/4 cents…

By Luciana Magalhaes, Lisandra Paraguassu, Bernardo Caram, and Ana Mano SAO PAULO, July 25 (Reuters) – Brazil is scrambling to avert punishing 50% U.S. tariffs in a week’s time, but high level talks are stalled and U.S. companies are reluctant to confront U.S. President Donald Trump over the issue, officials and industry leaders say. Trump linked the tariffs, which he has said would come into effect on Aug. 1, to Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over charges of plotting a coup to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. Lula has called the threatened duty “unacceptable blackmail.”…

By Michael Hogan, Ella Cao, and Lewis Jackson BEIJING/HAMBURG, July 28 (Reuters) – Chicago soybean futures fell on Monday, weighed down by abundant global supplies, sluggish demand and benign crop weather across the U.S. Midwest. Corn was pressured by expectations of a large U.S. harvest, with favourable weather expected in the Midwest crop belt. Wheat was weakened as accelerating harvests across the Northern Hemisphere boosted global supply prospects. Chicago Board of Trade most-active soybeans Sv1 were down 0.6% to $10.14 a bushel at 0935 GMT. Corn Cv1 fell 0.8% to $3.96 a bushel, wheat Wv1 dropped 0.9% to $5.33-1/2 a bushel. “Soybeans continue to be under pressure from the large…