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RMA changes offer farmers added financial flexibility
Farmers will have some additional flexibility in the federal crop insurance program following two recent changes announced by USDA’s Risk Management Agency. RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, who is also an Iowa farmer, says one of those changes is the return of the Prevent Plant 5 buy-up option. The option will allow farmers to purchase an additional five percent of prevented planting coverage beginning with the 2027 crop year. Swanson says prevented planting coverage is already part of the...
What to expect from the USDA acreage and grain stocks reports
On Tuesday June 30th USDA will publish the planted acreage and quarterly grain stocks reports. These reports typically have been known to move the ag marketplace one way or the other based on the updated numbers for planted acreage and the grain on hand in the stocks...
US hog inventory edges lower; productivity ticks up
The U.S. hog and pig inventory totaled 73.7 million head as of June 1, down slightly from a year earlier and from March, USDA said Thursday in its quarterly report. Market hogs accounted for 67.8 million head, while 5.88 million were kept for breeding, according to...
Next week’s heat dome could stress Iowa crops
We’re roughly halfway through the growing season here in Iowa, and there are varying crop conditions across the state. Much of the crop looks very strong currently, but there are some areas struggling with disease, pest, and weather issues. Dan Bjorklund, technical...
Uncertainty around Brazil’s production forecast for 2027
Brazil’s corn and soybean crops could have a major impact on global grain markets. Joanna Colussi, a research assistant professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University, identified fertilizer as the root of the problem. Colussi discussed how the stagnant...
Screwworm far from Iowa, but worth watching
New World Screwworm remains hundreds of miles from Iowa, with confirmed cases confined to parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. While there is no indication the pest is moving into Iowa anytime soon, state officials say it's important for livestock producers to...
Heavier cattle weights bring bonuses and challenges at marketing time
As everyone knows by now, the total number of cattle in the U.S. herd is historically low. One of the ways that the low supply is being compensated for to meet the high demand for beef is by keeping cattle on feed longer and feeding them to heavier finishing weights....
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More Ag News
European weather supports wheat prices
The wheat market started the week after the Fourth of July holiday with a strong rally as traders responded to weather concerns in Europe. Although prices have since given back some of those gains, uncertainty surrounding overseas production continues to lend support...
U.S. Export Sales Report (7-9-26)
This week’s export sales were mostly within the range of estimates. Both corn and soybeans continue to see a lot of good news in the weekly reports. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn numbers were slightly low, but that doesn’t change the positive...
Hot and dry weather expected in the Corn Belt
A heat dome is moving northward from Southern California to the Dakotas and the Corn Belt, bringing temperatures more than 10 degrees above average for several days. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill describes the weather across the Corn Belt as hot and...
Adjuvants are vital to drone spraying effectiveness
When spraying with a traditional ground rig, adjuvants can help to improve the efficacy of the application by improving droplet spread, increasing the amount of product that contacts the target, and reducing drift. Those same benefits can also be found when adding...
Study: U.S. producers pay more for inputs than Brazil producers
The National Corn Growers Association says a new study confirms what many farmers have suspected for years: U.S. producers are paying far more for crop inputs than their biggest global competitor, Brazil. The report found American corn farmers paid an average of 68...
