A farmer in eastern Kansas says rising labor costs tied to a federal visa program may not be financially sustainable for her operation. Lavell Winsor says wages for H-2A guest workers continue to climb at an unmanageable rate. “I know that in a year or two, we’re going to have to reevaluate whether or not…… Continue Reading
Dry conditions expand in parts of central U.S.
A climatologist says some areas of the Corn Belt saw some expansion of dry conditions over the last week. Lindsay Johnson with the National Drought Mitigation Center says most of the abnormally dry conditions are occurring in parts of the Eastern Corn Belt. “Once you get to southern Illinois and go east, a lot of…… Continue Reading
Current ag climate calls for farm bill
A northern Illinois farmer says he has numerous concerns about the state of the ag industry. Scott Brenner, who raises 1100 dairy cows and row crops in Carroll and Stephenson County, tells Brownfield, “Labor is always a concern.” He says, “Input costs are always a concern. Regulations. I would stress that I think there needs…… Continue Reading
Federal crop insurance coverage gets an update for 2026
A crop insurance specialist says federal crop insurance will expand coverage and subsidy levels for crop farmers starting in 2026. Rob Fronning with AgCountry Farm Credit Services says subsidy levels for the Enhanced Coverage Option, Supplemental Coverage Option and Margin Coverage Option have increased to 80 percent. “The subsidies would be happening on those products…… Continue Reading
Farmers take a closer look at ag tech
Farmers from across Missouri are learning more about tech and ways to improve profitability at the Ag Innovation Showcase. “If you’re not keeping up, you’re losing out.” Missouri Soybean Association President Renee Fordyce from Harrison County says there’s always new innovation happening in agriculture. “Our role at the Farm for Soy Innovation is to make…… Continue Reading
Crop insurance payments to impact net farm income
An ag economist says he’s expecting larger crop insurance payments in 2026. Greg Ibendahl with Kansas State University says lower commodity prices are likely to continue. “But, I think we’re going to see a nice kick in of government payments from the One Big Beautiful Bill. There were some changes to that, and government payments…… Continue Reading
Indiana farmland values reach record highs in 2025
Indiana farmland values have climbed to a record high in 2025, according to the annual Farmland Values and Cash Rents Survey. Purdue University ag economist Michael Langemeier says the 3 percent increase is driven largely by farmland’s strength as an asset. “The appreciation of land values is just as important, if not more important, to…… Continue Reading
Residue management can help farmers boost yields in 2026
A crop researcher at the University of Illinois says residue management can help farmers boost yields in 2026. Connor Sible says the strategy can be utilized on no-till systems or conventional tillage operations. “In no-till, it’s probably a stronger response with a greater return,” he says. “That doesn’t mean in a conventional till system that…… Continue Reading
Cattle, hog futures mixed Thursday
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures were mixed, watching the direct markets and waiting for Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report. Ahead of that report, placement of cattle into U.S. feedlots are expected to be sharply below a year ago. October live cattle were down $.12 at $234.72 and December was $.05 lower…… Continue Reading
July milk production up more than 3%
The trend of higher U.S. milk production continued in July. USDA says nationally, production was up 3.4% and production in the 24 major producing states was up 3.5%. Along with increased July production, USDA revised the June report showing it was also up 3.4 from 2024. Production in the major producing states was 18.8 billion…… Continue Reading
