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South American Weather and Crop Update (5-19-26)
After several weeks of dry weather that started to raise concerns over crop conditions, farms in Brazil finally found some relief in some timely rains. Allendale commodity broker Ben Breisch said that rain may have still come in a little too late, however. Breisch said those weather concerns have allowed U.S. grain- particularly corn- to have a price advantage over Brazil when it would normally be the other way around. As a result, Breisch said now is a good time for U.S. farmers to be selling...
USDA says farmland values up, cash rents stable
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer says that USDA’s annual snapshot of farmland value and cash rents shows a slowdown in year over year growth. He expands on land values when breaking down the numbers for cropland and pasture values. Farm real estate value by state...
Secretary Naig announces start of construction on Middle Cedar watershed project
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that construction is starting on a “batch and build” water quality project in Tama and Grundy Counties. This project, led by Heartland Co-op, will include the installation of 14 saturated buffers and four...
Precision spraying expands on Iowa farm acres
Farmers and custom applicators are finding that using a mix of equipment is key to keeping up with the demands of modern crop management. For operations across Iowa, combining Hagie’s front-mounted boom sprayers with John Deere machines outfitted with See & Spray...
Taking a look at A-Frame Acres in southwest Iowa
When it comes to raising pigs, giving them plenty of space can be an effective method of promoting herd health. If you can keep your pigs happy and healthy, you’ll end up with an even better product. That’s the goal of A-Frame Acres down in southwest Iowa, where...
Tissue sampling is vital to managing in-season nutrition
The best way to manage in-season nutrition is by letting your crops tell you what they need. This is done through tissue sampling which will provide a checklist of the nutrients your crops are lacking. That is Ryan Steffensen, a branch manager with Helena Agri...
Farmers need to have a seat at the MAHA table
The much-anticipated recommendations from the Make America Healthy Commission will be released soon. In this week’s commentary, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said the commission must seek farmers' input. Duvall said they appreciate the communication from...
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More Ag News
Final Grain Stocks report causes bearish reaction in grain prices
Corn and soybean ending stocks for 2025 are both down from the previous year in the most recent Grain Stocks report from the USDA. However, feed and residual numbers were used to increase corn ending stocks from the last USDA report, which lead to a bearish reaction...
World Dairy Expo underway in Wisconsin
World Dairy Expo is underway in Madison, Wisconsin. Lisa Behnke, communications manager for World Dairy Expo, said that while the trade show began on Tuesday, the event actually started over the weekend. Cattle shows began on Sunday and will run for several more days....
USDA and DOJ sign MOU to study rising farm input costs
USDA and the United States Department of Justice have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study issues connected to rising farm input prices and their impacts on producers. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the initiative on Thursday. Secretary Rollins made...
Rural Mainstreet Index turns negative
The August Rural Mainstreet Index covering a multi-state region shows one-fifth of grain farmers will experience a negative cash flow in 2025. For the seventh time this year, the overall regional economic index sank below growth-neutral, falling to 38.5 in September,...
Iowa farmers face costly lessons from disease year
It was anything but a typical growing season, with shifting weather patterns and disease pressure forcing farmers to make quick, difficult decisions in their fields. For many, the call was not just about agronomy but also economics, as tighter margins made another...
