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Pro Farmer Crop Tour concludes, projects lower corn, higher soybean yields vs. 2025
Pro Farmer is projecting a smaller U.S. corn crop in 2026 after its annual Crop Tour found lower yield potential across much of the Corn Belt. The organization estimates the national corn yield at 173.2 bushels per acre, with production totaling 15.344 billion bushels. The yield forecast is about 5% below 2025 levels and marks the first time in three growing seasons that Pro Farmer has not projected a record yield. Pro Farmer economist and Eastern Crop Tour lead Lane Akre said samples showed...
Risk Management Agency giving farmers more time to pay
USDA is giving farmers more time to pay their crop insurance bills. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is authorizing Approved Insurance Providers to give producers up to 60 additional days to pay crop insurance premiums, administrative fees, and other amounts with...
USGBC chairman sees opportunities for export growth
Strong export demand has provided an important outlet for U.S. farmers, but the new chairman of the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council says maintaining that momentum will require protecting established customers while continuing to develop new markets. Nebraska...
Research highlights where agrivoltaics works best
As more farmland is considered for solar energy development, researchers are exploring whether crops and clean energy can successfully share the same acres. The USDA-funded SCAPES project – short for Sustainably Colocating Agricultural and Photovoltaic Electricity...
Iowa farmers need to keep scouting crops amid disease pressure
While it’s not as bad as last year, Southern Rust is spreading across Iowa, and it can take over fields quickly. On top of that, this is also the point in the crop season where tar spot tends to impact corn fields as well. This makes effective crop scouting more...
Senator Grassley discusses farm bill fallout
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is back in Iowa after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its farm bill last Thursday and the Senate is in its August recess. Senator Grassley says he will be engaging with Iowa’s farmers to talk to them about...
Secretary Naig invites fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” with Choose Iowa
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is inviting fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” Choose Iowa during the 2026 Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13-23 in Des Moines. As an official sponsor of the Iowa State Fair, Choose Iowa will showcase the people, food, agriculture...
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Next-generation Big Boar Zoomer takes top prize at Iowa State Fair
Zoomer, a six-year-old boar from Atlantic Iowa, is the 2026 Iowa State Fair Big Boar contest winner tipping the scale at 1,246 pounds. Zoomer is owned by Todd Schuler of Atlantic and he tells the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network that Zoomer has the frame to put on...
Largest-ever combined corn and soy planted acreage
U.S. farmers planted a record amount of corn and soybeans in the 2026/27 season, USDA reported this week. Combined planted acreage of the two crops reached 183.5 million acres, more than 3 million acres higher than the previous combined crop record. The record was...
Major reports can cause sudden market shifts
As we saw with the August WASDE report, sudden surprises can cause the grain prices to jump up at a moment’s notice. With the right preparations, farmers can take advantage of those price rallies to get premium prices for their stored grain. Michael Weidner, director...
U.S.-Canada trade negotiations are vital to agriculture success
U.S. farmers and ranchers are paying close attention to the negotiations on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. Virginia Houston, the senior director of congressional affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, highlights the vital roles Mexico and Canada...
Active August weather could boost Iowa crops
Strong thunderstorms rolled through Iowa on the opening morning of the Iowa State Fair, putting the weather front and center. While the storms may not have been what fairgoers wanted to see, the broader weather pattern could be arriving at a good time for Iowa crops....
