By Joshua Haiar A South Dakota economic development board this week approved up to $2.8 million in tax relief for a solar farm, a $10 million state loan for a cheese factory and a $7,500 state grant to help local businesses grow.  Officials expect the projects to result in a…

By Brooklyn Draisey A study by Iowa State University (ISU) researchers shows the viability of using bio-oils to plug abandoned oil wells, an application that could drive economic growth for Iowans with farm and forest waste. ISU mechanical engineering professor Mark Mba-Wright led a “techno-economic assessment” of technology that uses…

USDA published the latest Crop Progress report on Monday, September 8. Here’s a closer look at recent weather and the status of North Carolina’s most important crops as September started out. Weather North Carolina has dried out since early June. In June, the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reported precipitation several inches…

DAILY Bites Corn: Forecast at 16.8 billion bushels, up 13% from 2024; planted area at 98.7 million acres (+9% YoY); yields at 186.7 bushels/acre, with multiple states expected to hit record highs. Soybeans: Production at 4.30 billion bushels, down 2% from 2024; planted area at 81.1 million acres (-7% YoY);…

The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor shows that abnormal dryness (D0) and short-term moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought continued to expand across the lower to middle Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Central Appalachians, Northeast, and Southeast last week. It wasn’t all degradations, heavy rainfall of 2 inches or more brought…

DAILY Bites Phosphate prices surged nearly 36% between January and August 2025, while nitrogen and potash markets remain volatile due to energy and trade disruptions. Global policy shifts, including EU tariffs on Russian fertilizer, Canadian potash tariffs, and China’s export restrictions, are tightening supplies and driving up costs. Higher fertilizer…