Cool, dry end to 2025 for Indiana

Indiana was cool and dry during much of December. The USDA says the average statewide temperature for Indiana was a couple of degrees below normal, while precipitation fell more than an inch below most years. That pulled soil moisture levels lower, even as temperatures warmed up in the back half of the month, melting snow…Continue Reading

Illinois winter wheat rating lower than last year

Illinois’ winter wheat crop started 2026 in worse condition than 2025. The USDA says 64% of the crop is rated good to excellent, a decline of 5% on the year, partially due to the lower-than-a-year-ago soil moisture levels across the state. 33% of the crop is in fair condition, up 5%, and 3% is poor-to-very-poor,…Continue Reading

Arkansas soil moisture levels below a year ago

December was dry and mild for most of Arkansas. The USDA says more than half of the state has adequate to surplus soil moisture, but levels are well below a year ago. 15 counties ended 2025 under a burn ban because of the dry weather, which is also impacting winter forage growth. The USDA’s weekly…Continue Reading

Tariffs, quotas, and registration hurdles limit U.S. beef access to China

The head of the US Meat Export Federation says China’s recently announced tariffs on imports of beef are misguided. Dan Halstrom says the government is doing it to address inflationary pressures. “However, they should be looking at it from, in our opinion, let’s bolster consumer confidence in China,” he says.  “Because there’s enough demand in China for all…Continue Reading

Property taxes a 2026 priority as Nebraska legislature faces budget gap

A Nebraska farmer says a legislative priority for 2026 is addressing property taxes. But, Jan TenBensel, says the state is facing a $471 million budget shortfall and that may make that difficult for the Legislature to accomplish that. “Everything from property tax relief to how many dollars the state feeds into the K-12 state-aid formula…Continue Reading

What to Know Before Planting Cover Crops

Farmers should consider planting cover crops for the 2026 season. In this episode of Managing for Profit, Nebraska-based Channel Technical Agronomist Andy Swanson explains the key management strategies farmers should include on their winter-to-spring checklist. The post What to Know Before Planting Cover Crops appeared first on Brownfield Ag News.     Continue Reading

Avian influenza returns to Arkansas poultry flocks

There’s been an increase in Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza cases in Arkansas. State Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Fidler says there’s been eight effected poultry flocks since October, with the latest confirmed January 2. “It started off relatively slow in October and November, but then in mid-to-late December we had a number of of detections. We’ve been…Continue Reading

Playlist