Top Stories
Higher diesel costs can change the best grain delivery choice
Higher diesel prices may prompt farmers to rethink where they deliver grain, even when a buyer farther away offers a higher price. The Soy Transportation Coalition offers an online calculator to help producers compare delivery options by weighing grain prices against transportation costs. The tool works for soybeans, corn, wheat, and other commodities. In one example, the group compared two soybean markets: one 10 miles from the farm offering $12 per bushel, and another 50 miles away offering...
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....
August WASDE report drove U.S. grain prices higher
Overnight news of attacks on two Russian shipping ports had the markets higher to start the day, and the August WASDE report brought a few surprises that allowed to grain markets to hold on to those gains and go even further. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride...
Lower disease pressure gives Iowa corn growers more flexibility in 2026
Now that we are in the stretch run of the growing season, it won’t be long until corn growers fire up their combines and begin harvesting. However, there are still a lot of things that farmers can do the rest of the growing season and during harvest to optimize their...
Fertilizer, diesel costs remain elevated heading into fall
Fertilizer and diesel prices remain well above recent-year levels, adding pressure to farmers making fall input decisions for the 2027 crop. USDA data analyzed by the University of Illinois shows anhydrous ammonia averaged $915.50 per ton on August 7, up 16 percent...
Video
More Ag News
Growing corn supplies increase need for demand
The food versus fuel debate has followed corn ethanol for decades. Critics argue that using corn for fuel removes it from the food supply. Corn growers counter that ethanol production also creates livestock feed, while increasing yields leave farmers searching for...
Pork demand continues to build in consumers
A growing appetite for pork is building momentum with consumers. Dr. Glynn Tonsor, an economist at Kansas State University, said the pork industry is turning appetites into action by making pork a favorite every day. One of the key shifts has been looking more closely...
Cooler weather in store for the end of August
After bouts of extremely hot weather in July and early August, a week of cooler temperatures is welcome across Iowa. The cooler temperatures could even help with soil and crop conditions as we approach the final stretch of the growing season. USDA meteorologist Brad...
Farm Bureau urges U.S., Canada to resume trade talks
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall is urging the United States and Canada to return to the negotiating table after trade talks broke down and additional tariffs were imposed. Duvall said Canada has been one of U.S. agriculture’s most important trading...
Ag groups speak out against President Trump’s beef import plan
The Trump administration has announced a new plan aimed at lowering beef prices in the grocery stores, but the plan- which will bring up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef into the U.S. over the next 90 days- will negatively impact the farm economy. Beef industry...
