Top Stories
Transportation uncertainty will continue in 2026
Heading into 2026, U.S. agriculture faces questions about transportation challenges. Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, said no one likes uncertainty. Steenhoek said one of the biggest challenges has been the consistently low water levels in the Mississippi River. Steenhoek said one of the biggest transportation positives in 2025 was railroad shipping. For more information, visit soytransportation.org.
China holding off on Brazil soybean purchases
High premiums on Brazilian cargoes are discouraging soybean buyers in China, which means the country has yet to secure much of its needed soybean supply for December and January. Reuters says the development could prompt the Chinese government to tap state reserves to...
Navigating tough decisions on fertilizer this fall
The discussion on fertilizer this fall has put a lot of farmers between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand prices for commodities are low but on the other hand fertilizer prices are elevated. That leaves the grower often wondering if they should cut back on...
U.S. Export Sales Estimates (10-16-25)
As the government shutdown persists, we still don’t have any official export numbers to look at. We can, however, look again at the weekly estimates. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn numbers are still projected to be well above the average. On the...
Falling oil prices should indicate cheaper fuel
For the past several weeks and even several months, oil prices have held fairly steady, remaining in the mid-$60 per barrel range. But, thanks to OPEC’s increased production, that trend is no more. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, said banks...
Secretary Naig announces eight additional abandoned mine land reclamation projects
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is beginning construction on eight additional abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation projects in southeast Iowa. The eight projects, which represent...
From the mine below to the fields beyond
In our previous story on Nutrien’s Allan Facility, we heard how Environmental Engineer Curtis Ferguson and his team work to protect the land, air, and water surrounding one of Saskatchewan’s largest potash operations. Today, we delve beyond the surface to explore how...
Video
More Ag News
China’s soybean purchases seen as symbolic, not transformative
It’s been months of uncertainty between the United States and China since President Trump placed new tariffs on Chinese goods, sparking another round of back-and-forth tension in the ag sector. Now, an agreement reached last week has China pledging to resume purchases...
Lots of yield variability as Iowa harvest wraps up
Harvest in Iowa is very close to wrapping up- in fact, many farmers have put away their combines already. At this point in the season, we have a pretty good idea of how the yields are looking. Northwest Iowa AgriGold Agronomist Jeff Morey said there’s been a lot of...
U.S. Export Sales Report (10-31-25)
With the recent news of a trade deal framework being reached between the U.S. and China, there wasn’t much focus on export sales estimates this week. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn numbers are still projected to look good for the ag marketplace....
Cattle markets quickly reacting to news headlines
In today’s social media world, all it takes are a handful of posts online and a few days of reactions to flip the cattle market upside down. That is the opinion of Cassie Fish, a cattle market analyst and blogger for “The Beef.” She says it is frustrating to see the...
Mexico: still no date to resume beef exports to the U.S.
Mexico and the U.S. haven’t yet agreed to resume Mexican beef cattle exports into the U.S. amid the outbreak of the New World Screwworm in Mexico. Mexico’s ag minister announced that during a press conference with President Claudia Sheinbaum. Julio Berdegue spoke with...
