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Chinese buying of U.S. farm goods remains weak
China's purchases of U.S. agricultural products outside soybeans are on track for their lowest level in seven years, despite a trade agreement calling for billions of dollars in annual imports. A Reuters analysis of Chinese customs data shows Beijing purchased just 7.2 billion dollars worth of other U.S. agricultural goods between January and September. That includes products such as meat and corn, with imports at their lowest for that period since 2019. The White House announced in May that...
Heavy rains reveal both water quality progress and needs
Heavy rains can put Iowa’s water quality challenges under a microscope. When water starts moving across farm fields, erosion and nutrient loss can become much easier to see. But those same conditions can also highlight the progress being made on farms where...
BASF pleased with herbicide weed control in 2026
This crop season has been defined by heavy rains across much of Iowa, especially as we get into harvest. Mid-season rains made weed control more difficult, but BASF has heard a lot of good feedback about the performances of their herbicide portfolio. Kurt Maertens of...
Trump administration weighs diesel export ban
Record-high diesel prices are pressuring farmers heading into harvest, and the Trump administration is considering whether restricting diesel exports could provide relief. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says officials are examining whether a full or partial export...
China’s ag purchase pledge back in spotlight ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China are set to meet Thursday September 24th in Washington D.C. Jim McCormick, co-founder of AgMarket.net, says that the agriculture industry will be closely following the meeting to determine what agriculture topics...
Oil prices move lower in response to peace talk rumors
After weeks of steady improvement, oil prices traded lower to start this week as they were down 4-5% in Monday’s trading action. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at Gasbuddy.com, said the markets are likely hopeful that the Trump administration is going to...
Naig warns against rushing fall applications
Recent rains have delayed harvest across Iowa, but the wet conditions are also putting more attention on water quality and how farmers manage nutrients and conservation practices heading into the fall. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the recent rainfall...
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More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (10-1-26)
Following yesterday’s bearish Quarterly Grain Stocks report, this week’s export sales came in mixed for corn and soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn sales are still behind the USDA’s expectations, which will likely cause a correction to be...
Crop harvest pace on track nationally despite Midwest weather delays
Harvest is off to a slow start in Iowa with many farmers unable to begin due to the wet weather conditions in the early portion of the fall season. Despite the delay in harvesting in parts of the Corn Belt and Midwest, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that...
Old Farmer’s Almanac predicting a stormy first half of winter
Fall has officially started, and already a lot of focus is on what the weather might look like this winter. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the first half of this coming winter might be similar to the winter of 1997-1998, which was one of the warmest and...
More farmer aid unlikely until after midterm elections
Republican lawmakers are warning that additional farm aid may not reach producers fast enough. Politico reported that Republicans are pushing to attach roughly $11 billion in direct farm assistance to a defense spending package. Payments likely would not arrive until...
USDA expands risk management options for farmers
Farmers enrolled in Agriculture Risk Coverage now have more flexibility when putting together their crop insurance protection. USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce says a previous restriction prevented producers from purchasing...
