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Farmers Voice Deep Frustration Over Disconnect With Washington Ahead of Midterms, New Poll Finds

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:13:05 GMT

From drought plaguing producers in the Plains and South to planters finally getting several uninterrupted days to roll, farmers across the country are focused on growing this year’s crop and weathering the extremes. But with the midterm elections now just six months away, a new survey is offering insight into how farmers and ranchers are feeling politically and financially heading into campaign season.

A Farm Journal poll commissioned by Amato Advisors surveyed nearly 1,000 farmers and ranchers across the U.S., with a heavy focus on swing states. The results point to mounting frustration over rising costs, economic uncertainty and what many producers describe as a growing disconnect with Washington.

“I don’t know if I would say surprise. I think they’re concerning, and I think there are some real alarm bells going off across the countryside,” says Mike Amato of Amato Advisors.

Farmers Say Washington Doesn’t Understand Agriculture Today

One of the most striking findings in the survey was the overwhelming number of farmers who believe elected officials do not understand the realities facing agriculture today.

“I think it also stood out to me that, I think in some ways farmers feel a little not heard in Washington, DC, and this is not a political statement. I think, it’s from both parties,” Amato says. “73% of farmers said that their elected officials don’t understand what it’s like to be a farmer or what’s happening on the farm. Uh and that and that to me was a strong signal that um there’s a disconnect between what’s really happening on the land and what’s happening in Washington DC.”

(Farm Journal)

The poll found nearly three out of four farmers surveyed said elected officials do not understand the realities they face. Only 19% responded that elected officials understood somewhat well, while just under 4% said they felt very well understood.

Global Conflict Adds to Cost Concerns

The survey also examined how geopolitical tensions are affecting producers’ outlooks. When asked how the conflict in Iran could impact their operations, farmers overwhelmingly pointed to concerns over rising fuel and fertilizer costs.

“94% said that it would affect fuel or fertilizer prices. And about 80% said it would effect both. So this is nearly all farmers being hit by this conflict,” Amato says.

When asked about the biggest challenges facing their operations today, 78% of respondents identified machinery and input costs as top concerns.

(Farm Journal)

Tyson Redpath, chairman of the Russell Group, a Washington-area government relations firm, says many of those concerns are tied directly to trade policy and tariffs.

“In the concern about input costs and machinery cost, this cost price squeeze that we hear so much about, I don’t wonder Tyne if a little bit of that, maybe a lot of that in terms of concerns over input costs and machinery costs are tied to tariffs, are tied to tariff policy in our trade policy currently,” Redpath says.

Affordability Becomes the Central Political Issue

Redpath says affordability will likely dominate campaign messaging heading into the midterms.

“Affordability, one way or the other, is the defining buzzword of this campaign,” Redpath says. “The administration, the president, his team, started the year on that note. And so the opposition is all too eager to use that and to call into question that.”

He adds inflation continues to weigh heavily on both rural and urban voters.

“It’s really been the central issue since we pumped $8 trillion into the economy during COVID and post-COVID,” Redpath says. “And when you pump $8 trillion into an economy, as we saw over the last four and a half years, inflation is not transient. It’s not transitory. It’s sticky and it’s stubborn.”

A Mixed Financial Picture in Agriculture

The survey found mixed sentiment regarding farm finances. Nearly 43% of respondents described their farm’s financial condition over the past 12 months as good. However, when asked to compare their current condition to three years ago, 34% said things were somewhat worse, while only 20% said somewhat better.

Callie Eideberg, principal at the Vogel Group, says those results are not surprising given the economic pressures producers have faced.

“It doesn’t surprise me because there have been quite a number of policy decisions over the last year and a half that have put pressure on both cost in raising those costs and the prices that folks are paying for everyday goods,” Eideberg says.

“So if you’re a farmer who is trying to produce a crop, every single line item in your budget is getting more expensive,” she says. “But you’re also seeing the price that you’re getting paid for those crops decrease. And that is not a winning equation.”

Redpath says the survey results also reflect growing divisions within the ag economy itself.

“The thing that stands out foremost is that to quote Charles Dickens, it is somewhat of a tale of two cities,” Redpath says. “It’s the best of times if you’re sort of on the livestock side and it’s not the greatest of times for row crops, though improving.”

He points to improving grain prices but notes overall sentiment remains divided.

“We have seen prices for corn, for wheat especially, and for beans continue to escalate. So moving in a positive direction,” he says. “But I think that’s reflected in just sort of, you know, the 50-50 split that you see between, frankly, the forecast and sentiment for farmers.”

Will Farmers Change Their Vote?

Despite frustrations over policy and economics, Redpath says the survey showed relatively little appetite among producers to dramatically change voting behavior.

“Only 7%, and I go from the bottom of the polling results up, right? Cause it’s easy to say 60% this or 70% this, but take a look at it’s sort of the bottom piece,” Redpath says. “Only seven percent, seven percent single digits said that they were prepared today to vote for someone else.”

The survey found 61% of respondents said they planned to vote for the same party they supported in the last election, while 17% said they were reconsidering switching parties or voting independent.

(Farm Journal)

Eideberg notes that historically, midterm elections often challenge the party in power.

“Usually the midterm election right after the presidential election does not go well for the incumbent presidential party,” Eideberg says. “And in this case, we have what we call a Republican trifecta, where the Republicans hold the White House, the House, and the Senate.”

“So it’s very, very difficult for any incumbent right now, especially an incumbent in the majority, to blame somebody else because all of the policies that farmers, consumers, and all Americans are facing right now are a direct result of policy decisions made by the current leadership in Washington,” she says.

Why E15 Is Gaining Political Importance

Eideberg says one issue gaining traction among rural voters is year-round E15 approval. especially in key swing states.

“E15 has really risen in importance,” Eideberg says. “At least in the DC circles and outside in the heartland too, is being seen as a way to save farmers from bankruptcy at this point.”

She says weakening export markets have increased the urgency around finding additional domestic demand.

“We need, farmers need a secondary market to sell into,” Eideberg says. “And so E15 has really risen in importance.”

But the bigger theme emerging from the poll released this week specifically dissecting the ag vote may be not only the dwindling trust in government among those in agriculture, but also the overwhelming number of farmers who say those in Washington simply do not understand what is happening on farms and ranches across the country.

When asked whether that frustration is actually being heard in Washington, Tyson Redpath says he believes policymakers are paying attention, but structural challenges are making rural voices harder to hear. But for Redpath, the notion of farmers not being heard is something that’s known in Washington.

“I think so,” Redpath says. “As we’re talking about redistricting and the brushfire that has swept the country in terms of trying to redistrict state maps, even this close before an election, you had a landmark ruling on the Voting Rights Act out of the Supreme Court the week before last. You had the Virginia Supreme Court overrule their redistricting effort late last week.”

“Why do I bring all that up?” he says. “The typical congressional district today represents 728,000 people. It was the reapportionment process was never supposed to lead to a House of Representatives where each congressional district represents 720,000. What that means is the voice of the farmer, the voice of rural America gets lost when you have congressional districts.”

https://www.agweb.com/news/policy/ag-economy/paying-1-500-day-fuel-two-tractors-farmer-calls-input-costs-worst-1980s

For Redpath, that raises concerns that farmers and ranchers are increasingly being pushed farther from the center of the political conversation, despite agriculture’s critical role in the U.S. economy.

“We are victims of our own success,” Redpath says. “We are the most incredibly productive system of agriculture and farming that the world has ever known. You combine that with the fact that a congressional district now represents over 700,000 people, and it’s just really hard for Ag’s voice to be heard. More importantly, hard for AG’s voice to be understood.”

Agriculture’s Voice in Washington

That growing disconnect mirrors what political scientist Nicholas Jacobs says has become a decades-long erosion of trust, particularly in rural America.

“Trust in government, trust in what government says, the data that it puts out, the data that informs its policies, and since the 1970s it has just plummeted nationwide in this country,” Jacobs says.

“As fast as it’s fallen nationwide, it has hit rock bottom in rural areas,” he says.

For Jacobs, rebuilding that trust may ultimately be one of the country’s greatest political challenges.

“When I think about our political problems, I sort of end and begin with this question of trust, how we work together and how we solve problems together,” Jacobs says. “You can be conservative, you can be progressive, libertarian, but if you don’t have trust in the people around you, you ain’t getting anything done.”

The Growing Divide Between Rural and Urban America

The growing political importance of rural America has also drawn attention from academics studying voting trends.

Nicholas Jacobs, a professor at Colby College and co-author of The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America , says the divide between rural and urban voters has been building for decades.

“We went all the way back until the early 1820s to understand whether or not this divide between cities and rural spaces is historically unprecedented,” Jacobs says. “You don’t have to buy the book. I’ll just tell you, it is.”

Jacobs says rural voters often prioritize local concerns differently than urban voters.

“Those issues tend to be very different than the issues that are talked about in national media,” Jacobs says. “People are thinking about their local community. I think people are thinking about what’s going on with the local school. Is my town government working? Are small businesses able to succeed?”

He says one of the biggest distinctions is how rural voters define progress.

“What we really need to ask them is, is your community better off than it was four years ago?” Jacobs says. “That is one of the biggest differences that we find between rural voters and urban voters is a different orientation to the political world.”

“What matters is the place, not always just the person,” he says.

Jacobs also notes that while fewer rural Americans work directly in agriculture today, farming still holds enormous cultural influence in rural communities.

“While a small and smaller still number of rural individuals are directly employed in agricultural industries, it’s like these industries are symbolically powerful and culturally meaningful,” Jacobs says.

Seismic Shift Unlikely in Midterms

He cautions against assuming any one issue or candidate will suddenly reshape rural voting patterns.

“This partisan realignment or this growing gap between rural and urban areas predates 2016,” Jacobs says. “It is decades in the making. And I think I’m not ever confident that a single issue or even a single candidate is really going to bring about a seismic shift in what has been a decades long transformation.”

Still, the broader message emerging from the survey may be less about partisan politics and more about trust.

“Trust in government, trust in what government says, the data that it puts out, the data that informs its policies, and since the 1970s it has just plummeted nationwide in this country,” Jacobs says.

“As fast as it’s fallen nationwide, it has hit rock bottom in rural areas,” he says.

For Jacobs, rebuilding that trust may ultimately be one of the country’s greatest political challenges.

“When I think about our political problems, I sort of end and begin with this question of trust, how we work together and how we solve problems together,” Jacobs says. “You can be conservative, you can be progressive, libertarian, but if you don’t have trust in the people around you, you ain’t getting anything done.”

Asian Copperleaf On The Move In Iowa And Illinois

Tue, 19 May 2026 17:14:48 GMT

Asian copperleaf isn’t a household name in the Midwest, but in a growing cluster of Iowa fields the weed is starting to reshape farmers’ herbicide plans and harvest decisions, according to Meaghan Anderson, Iowa State University Extension field agronomist.

She reports the weed is now confirmed in 10 Iowa counties: Black Hawk (first confirmation was in 2016), Boone, Buchanan, Calhoun, Fayette, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin, Humboldt and Wright.

Farmers who have identified the weed in their fields are taking measures to control it this season, Anderson says. Others may not realize they have the weed, as it is such a newcomer in the state and no one has determined how it arrived.

Key Corridor Of Concern

Asian copperleaf is non-native to the United States. The first confirmed populations of this species were documented in New York in 1990. Currently, in Iowa, the weed’s known footprint cuts a narrow but significant swath across the center of the state.

“What’s particularly interesting to me is that Highway 20 runs through that area,” Anderson says. “There’s something about that corridor, whether it’s that the environment is well-suited for the weed or whether there’s actually something to do with the highway, we’ve really got no idea.”

The weed expanded across state boundaries this past year. University of Illinois crop scientists confirmed Asian copperleaf in Stephenson County, northwest Illinois, following corn harvest last fall. This finding is the first confirmed Asian copperleaf population in the state.

The Risk To Crop Yields

As of now, there is no concrete data from Midwest fields on yield impact from the weed in corn and soybeans yet, but Anderson does not dismiss the risk.

“There is a paper from South Korea that said with extremely high populations of Asian copperleaf, (farmers there) could see anywhere from about a 17% to 29% yield reduction in soybean,” she says.

The weed often shows up in patches along field edges, in gaps in the crop canopy, and in wetter, slow-to-grow cropping areas within fields. Those patterns make formal yield trials tricky, but growing infestations in Buchanan and Fayette counties are big enough for in-field studies this year, she notes.

“As awful and unlucky as it is for some of these farmers, it means we can now do some research in the field,” Anderson says. “Hopefully we’ll gather some more useful information, and we may be able to gather some of the yield data as well.”

Management And Control Measures

For growers currently managing the weed, Anderson says the priority is to minimize seed movement and prevent the weed’s spread. On the chemistry front for control, she stresses that the recommendations are early and based on greenhouse screening plus limited farmer experience. Even so, some trends are emerging.

“When we sprayed one of the populations with post herbicides, it was quite clear that the contact products like our Group 14s and Liberty (glufosinate) were superior to basically any of the other options we screened for post-emergence control,” she says.

She adds that growth regulator herbicides and glyphosate appear to do “OK,” but she reiterates the strongest performance has come from Group 14 contact herbicides.

“It has a really long emergence pattern, so people can, for better or worse, think of it kind of like waterhemp right now,” Anderson adds. “It’s going to emerge fairly late into the summer, as long as it’s got enough sunlight and moisture.”

New Publication Details More Insights

The biggest immediate risk for farmers in areas where the weed has been found may be simple misidentification. Crop scientists from Iowa and Illinois have put together a new flyer to provide more insignts on the new weed species: Asian copperleaf publication .

Anderson urges farmers and agronomists to push pause whenever scouting weed pressure and something looks out of the ordinary.

“This time of year, the weed will be emerging through pre-herbicides. If you’re seeing a thick mat of something that looks like waterhemp but isn’t behaving like it, let us know,” she says. “We need as many eyes on this weed as we can get.”

Farm Bill Roadblocks & E15 Breakthroughs: What Ag Retailers Need to Know Now

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:04:00 GMT

Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association to break down the critical policy shifts currently moving through Washington, D.C.

Farm Bill With Hiccups In The House

The Farm Bill has passed the House, but retailers should be aware that several high-priority items were stripped during the amendment process. While the bill includes positives like the TSP Access Act and a plant biostimulant definition, it currently lacks language regarding:

Uniform labeling for pesticides.
NPDES pesticide general permit reforms.
Reaffirmation of EPA and state agency authority over product registration.

The ARA is looking to the Senate to potentially reintroduce these reforms this summer.

“We keep hearing we’ll see Chairman Bozeman’s language sometime pretty soon. We’re hopeful that if they can get moving this summer, do a markup, and then hold a vote sometime possibly this summer. We’re hopeful that we can get something done before the midterm elections,” Carpenter says.

Year-Round E15 Momentum

The House has passed legislation to enable the year-round sale of E15, an effort ARA has supported.

“We think expanding year-round E15 will expand consumer fuel choice, it strengthens domestic energy production, and it also preserves critical fuel infrastructure investments that have already been made by retailers,” he says.

However as Carpenter shares, the path forward in the Senate is less certain, requiring 60 votes. It may be attached to the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill or a separate energy package.

Monitoring Rail Mergers

The ARA is closely watching the potential merger involving Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The association is leaning toward outright opposition to the merger to ensure maximum competition in the rail marketplace, which is critical for keeping freight and shipping rates low for retailers.

Hear more details about the latest in ag policy and regulations in The Scoop podcast:

Beyond The Buzzwords: WinField Launches ‘Oz’ Artificial Intelligence, Expands BioVerified

Mon, 18 May 2026 22:04:53 GMT

Since the initial November 2025 announcement of the Oz AI tool, WinField United has moved from development into a full-scale launch for the 2026 season.

From Manuals to Minutes

The tool is now fully operational, transitioning from limited beta to a primary resource. By digitizing the 800-page WinField United Crop Protection guide, Oz allows agronomists to replace manual lookups with instant, data-backed answers. Built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, the tool processes decades of Land O’Lakes’ proprietary data more securely and faster than previous iterations.

The project has two goals: support retail agronomists in their recommendations and support decisions with a focus on return on investment. Read more here.

A More Proactive AI

The “new” Oz is designed to be conversational. If a retailer’s query is vague, the AI prompts for “missing context"—such as soil type or weed pressure—to ensure the recommendation meets BioVerified standards for accuracy and ROI.

Expanding the BioVerified Portfolio

The BioVerified list has grown to 12 total products, aiming to bring clarity to biological placement and timing . Recent additions include:

Trurow Attack: A PGR for corn and soybeans to increase sugar movement and seed size
DASH PBC & PBS: Planter box seed treatments that act as lubricants with biological benefits
Ascend ST3: A seed treatment PGR for early-season stress in soybeans, wheat, and cotton

Integration with the “Total Tech Stack”

Oz is integrated into the existing digital ecosystem rather than acting as a standalone chatbot. It aligns with the R7 Field Forecasting Tool and NutriSolutions data, allowing retailers to move from general recommendations to field-specific prescriptions. Additionally, a new co-marketing agreement with Agri Spray Drones helps translate Oz’s insights directly into aerial application plans.

Balance The Nutrient Checkbook: Why This Year’s Sidedress Is A 'Make-or-Break' Moment

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:33:40 GMT

With a planting season marked by everything from drought to dust storms, frost, hail and a pounding rain event, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie is urging growers to treat sidedressing corn as an important opportunity to balance their nutrient checkbook.

In his latest Boots In The Field report, Ferrie says this spring’s combination of extreme weather and altered fertilizer plans have created a “make-or-break” moment for some farmers.

“If you pulled dry fertilizer out of your plans or switched products, you have to account for that missing nitrogen,” Ferrie notes. “For example, if you eliminated 200 pounds of DAP or switched to triple superphosphate (0-46-0), you are missing approximately 36 pounds of nitrogen that must be replaced during sidedress to maintain yield potential.”

He emphasizes that sidedressing should not be treated as a routine pass this year, but as a strategic correction point.

“Most likely,” he adds, “right now is your last or best chance to get that done before the crop’s nitrogen needs outpace what’s available.”
While his comments are targeted to corn growers in central Illinois, he adds that the need to balance nutrient plans applies to farmers across the country this year.

The Risks Of “Blind Sidedressing”

With windows of opportunity tightening, some growers are considering “blind sidedressing” their crop — applying nitrogen before the corn has emerged or at spike. While GPS and steering technology make this practice less risky, Ferrie urges caution. Ideally, growers would wait for emergence to assess stands and adjust rates based on actual plant populations.

If you choose to move forward with blind sidedressing, he says to keep these three cautions in mind:

1. Seedbed Disruption: If the applicator “crabs” in the field or the GPS shifts, injection knives can inadvertently dig up seeds and/or ruin the seedbed.

2. Ammonia Burn: UAN (28% or 32%) or anhydrous ammonia can work well with this practice, but application depth matters. Ensure you are deep enough to prevent nitrogen burn on the emerging coleoptile or young roots.

3. Soil Conditions: Ferrie says to avoid running heavy injection coulters if the soil is too wet, as this can cause smearing and sidewall compaction next to the furrow and restrict early-season root growth.

Navigating Erosion And Safety Hazards

The recent “pounding” rain events in central Illinois have left many fields scarred with deep gullies and washouts. Ferrie emphasizes the importance of mapping these hazards now. Once the corn canopy closes, these washouts become invisible, posing a significant threat to equipment and operator safety during sidedressing, spraying and even harvest.

“After these events, many growers are realizing they need to reinstall waterways they once thought were unnecessary,” Ferrie says. In the short term, he adds, ensure your team identifies and flags these washout areas before the corn gets too tall to see them.

Hear Ferrie’s full recommendations and early-season crop review in this edition of Boots In The Field at the link below:

Paying $1,500 a Day in Fuel for Two Tractors, Farmer Calls Input Costs Worst Since 1980s

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:24:23 GMT

Farmer sentiment heading into the midterm elections is being shaped by rising input costs, trade uncertainty and growing concerns about the future of rural communities, according to a new poll of Farm Journal readers .

More than half of the farmers surveyed say federal policies have negatively impacted their operations over the past year. And as input prices, including diesel and fertilizer, continue to climb, one Ohio farmer says these expenses, and the strain they’re shaving on his farm, haven’t been this bad since the 1980s.

Input Costs Continue to Climb

In the recent poll of nearly 1,000 farmers and ranchers, input costs ranked as the top concern among the farmers surveyed, with fertilizer, fuel and machinery expenses all contributing to tighter margins.

Fred Yoder of Plain City, Ohio, says when you break it down between the three, fuel costs are particularly burdensome this season.

“They’re all important this year, but unfortunately right now fuel is really costing us about $1,500 of cash per day to run two tractors,” Yoder says. “That’s a lot.”

(Farm Journal)

He says while diesel prices are causing the biggest concern today, fertilizer prices have also risen dramatically over the course of his farming career.

“I’ve spent many years buying potash for $90 a ton, and now it’s $670 to $700 a ton,” Yoder says. “The same potash, but it’s just a different time.”

Machinery repair costs have become another challenge, he says, because many replacement parts are imported and subject to tariffs and duties.

“A lot of those machinery repair items are made overseas and so they’re subject to tariffs and duties,” Yoder says. “It’s really kind of a perfect storm. You combine all that with inflation. We can blame the administration, we can blame the world economy, we can blame a lot of things, but they are all coming together at once.”

Yoder calls the current environment the toughest he has seen in decades, as the perfect storm of rising input prices are hammering farm operations across the country.

“It’s just ridiculous,” he says. “I’ve never seen anything this bad since the 1980s.”

Young Farmers Feeling the Pressure

Yoder says conditions have worsened over the past year, especially after many farmers delayed fertilizer purchases in hopes prices would decline.

“Why we didn’t book our fertilizer last fall for this year is because we thought it was going to go down,” Yoder says. “Instead we sat around and we booked it for a much higher price this spring.”

He says younger farmers are under increasing financial stress as margins tighten.

“I see a lot of our young farmers that are just struggling,” Yoder says. “We’ve had more dispersal sales planned for this coming year than I’ve seen since the 1980s. And that’s really unfortunate because that’s our future and we have to make sure that they have a way to survive.”

Trade Uncertainty Weighs on Farmers

While input costs are also a concern this year for Kristin Duncanson of Mapleton, Minn., she says uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade policy are both weighing heavily on producers and contributing to broader economic concerns across rural America.

(Farm Journal)

“It would be easy for me to say that it’s just trade and tariffs and the lack of knowing exactly what’s going to happen when, but that kind of leads into the overall economy,” Duncanson says. “The price of our inputs is high. And I also have huge concerns about the slowing of the ag economy on rural communities. The implications are pretty great. And I’ve not in my 40 years, granted it’s only 40, seen a situation like this.”

Fewer Ag Voices in Washington

The Farm Journal poll also found nearly 74% of producers believe elected officials do not fully understand the realities farmers are facing.

Duncanson says agriculture still has advocates in Washington, but fewer lawmakers have direct ties to farming communities.

“Fred and I both spend a fair amount of time working with elected officials, and there are just fewer champions for us,” Duncanson says. “The members don’t have that much of an ag base anymore. And if they do, they are very caught in a real dilemma between the economy and doing things for the greater economy and really focusing on ag.”

(Farm Journal)

She says agriculture is still being heard, but by a smaller group of policymakers.

“I’m not going to say we aren’t listened to,” Duncanson says. “There’s just fewer people that listen to us.”

Yoder agrees and says the shrinking farm population has also changed public perception of agriculture.

“In my own community, we have so much lesser number of farmers,” Yoder says. “People are asking me, ‘Well, you got your planting done?’ or ‘Groceries are high, so you must be making lots of money.’ But unfortunately, it’s not true.”

He says consumers often do not realize how little producers receive compared to retail food prices.

“You take even beef, the amount you pay in the store compared to what the actual producer gets could be half,” Yoder says. “Everybody adds their cost to it.”

Yoder says farmers no longer receive the same level of understanding and support they once did.

“We’re fewer in numbers,” he says. “We’re still very efficient. But we just don’t have the perception that agriculture or farmers are hurting.”

Healthcare and Tariffs Could Shape Votes

About one in four farmers surveyed say they are open to changing how they vote in the midterms depending on the issues at stake.

Duncanson says healthcare access remains one of the biggest concerns for rural communities.

“I think a big one for us is healthcare, not just the cost, but the accessibility,” Duncanson says. “We’ve seen several rural hospitals and clinics in our area close. It’s tough to attract folks or keep folks out here when there’s not a good healthcare system.”

She says the issue ties directly back to the broader rural economy.

“Those services have closed because of healthcare costs and reimbursement rates, as well as just people not being out here or our ability to attract doctors,” she says.

(Farm Journal)

Duncanson also says renewable fuels and trade policy remain important issues for farmers heading into the election season.

“Just where people are on moving and getting creative of other things we can do with ag products and where we can sell them are also important,” she says. “Trade is a big thing still. NAFTA is up for renewal soon. We’ll all watch those things.”

Yoder says tariffs continue to dominate conversations among Ohio farmers.

“The majority has got a very, very hard line against tariffs,” Yoder says. “We hate tariffs. We want markets, and we want market-oriented programs.”

He says farmers also need policies that encourage innovation and reduce risk.

“There’s a real reason why farmers are raising mainly corn and soybeans because there’s the least risk in there,” Yoder says. “We’ve got to come up with ways that farmers cannot have such a risky time but maybe find a new alternative, a new corn, a new soybean or something to replace some of these things and maybe some of the input costs that we’re having now.”

What else did the new poll reveal? You can read the full results here.

Financial Strain & D.C. Disconnect: Shaping the Rural Vote

Sat, 16 May 2026 10:33:00 GMT

Frustrations over the skyrocketing costs of doing business, trade policies and lack of E15 expansion have put producers’ votes – many in competitive political battleground states – in play, according to an exclusive poll of Farm Journal readers.

The poll, which surveyed producers through April and was commissioned by the agriculture-focused public affairs firm Amato Advisors, shows the following:

Four in 10 producers are currently undecided or considering voting for a different party.
Half of those surveyed report fair to poor finances. Twenty-five percent fear they will restructure or leave farming or ranching entirely.
Rising input costs are listed as the top challenge; of those listing tariffs at the top, almost 90% have a negative view.
Year-round E15 approval is a decisive voting factor for nearly half of all producers.
The biggest frustrations that can move voters vary by state. In Iowa, it’s E15 and trade, but in Wisconsin, it’s healthcare and input costs.

Researchers, lobbyists and analysts who reviewed the poll for Farm Journal stress this is not a realignment toward Democrats. Rural America remains Republicans’ home turf.

Instead, producers increasingly think neither party knows nor cares to understand them, let alone solve their problems, according to the findings. If a candidate from either party can prove they are serious about farm-country issues that could be enough to win votes and change the course of up-for-grabs midterm elections.

“The frustration is not simply with ‘government,’” says Nicholas Jacobs with the Bram Public Policy Lab at Colby College , who reviewed the poll’s findings. “It is with a government that is too removed from the consequences it creates and poorly aligned with the realities of rural economies. When people feel squeezed while also believing elected officials do not understand their lives, that creates real political vulnerability heading into a midterm election.”

Amato Advisors ’ founder Mike Amato , who served in senior positions in the Biden-Harris and Obama-Biden administrations, says the findings apply to both parties.

“[The results show] a strong signal of disconnect between what is happening on the land and what is happening in D.C.,” Amato explains.

This Farmer & Rancher Policy Sentiment Survey polled farmers and ranchers from April 2 to April 24. A total of 974 producers from 44 states responded. About one-third live in “swing districts” with competitive elections in November, including areas in Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Ohio. Amato Advisors details more of the data here .

The findings come at a crucial moment for agriculture and the political direction of the country.

Year-round E15 stands front and center. Producers and retailers consider E15 expansion as the single fastest way to generate real, immediate demand for corn and reduce reliance on government support. Resentment reached a boiling point when legislators continued to delay a vote .

On Wednesday, Congress passed a bill by 15 votes that would allow nationwide year‑round sales of gasoline containing 15% ethanol. It now faces a tough battle for passage in the U.S. Senate .

In the meantime, Republicans have been losing what were comfortably safe districts, including some with agricultural voters. For example, Democrats flipped two Iowa state Senate seats in 2025 special elections (Iowa’s 1st and 35th Senate districts).

Anecdotally, producers have shared their frustrations over policies during the second Trump administration. But this Farm Journal-Amato Advisors survey is among the first to try and measure whether any of those changes will result in changes at the ballot box.

Status Quo or Shakeup? What Moves the Rural Voter

According to the poll, 61% of producers say they plan to vote for the same party as usual. However, nearly 1 in 5 say they aren’t sure yet, and 17% are actively considering either a different party or an independent/third-party candidate.

“That leaves a lot of rural America potentially up for grabs,” says Jessica Schulken , a lobbyist with the Russell Group based in Washington, D.C., who viewed the results of the poll.

Jacobs looks at it as roughly 40% of respondents express either uncertainty, openness to independents or willingness to consider another option.

“That does not mean Democrats are suddenly competitive everywhere,” he says. “It does mean this block of rural voters – who tend to be even more conservative than their neighbors – are feeling downright frustrated with the status quo.”

Noting that machinery costs, input prices, trade policy and tariffs are pinching margins for producers, Callie Eideberg , a principal with Washington lobbyist the Vogel Group , says these issues are also policy choices made by the administration.

“The administration was not forced to take action on trade and input costs, and these policy choices can be reversed or muted at any time,” she says. “If you assume respondents understand the president chose to implement policies increasing machinery costs and dismantling trade agreements, then their reporting that 61% will still vote for the same party in November implies they are also choosing to keep those policies in place.”

Rural ag voters don’t hold much confidence in the current slate of elected officials to grasp their situation. Nearly three-quarters say office holders don’t understand the realities farmers face.

So how does that translate to the rural vote?

23% say nothing would change their vote. “Until Democrats stop showing up in an election year in rural areas and then disappearing again, nothing will change my Republican vote. Words don’t help, action does.” — says a Congressional respondent
26% say candidate quality is the primary determinant. “ … I am open to voting for a solid candidate, regardless of party, which brings a strong knowledge and positive position to the table for the rural landscape and production agriculture in particular.” — says a Congressional respondent
51% name specific conditions or issues that could move them. “High input costs, tariffs causing market volatility, loss of health insurance, frustration with SNAP changes, high interest rates, high fuel prices and global conflicts coinciding with planting and harvest.” — says a Congressional respondent

“Partisanship in rural America has become increasingly layered on top of older frustrations that predate any single administration or price fluctuation,” Jacobs says. “For many rural voters, dissatisfaction with economic conditions does not automatically translate into openness to Democrats because the Democratic brand itself remains deeply unpopular.”

He says it would be similar to asking why urbanites didn’t revolt against Democrats when housing prices shot up or when schools keep failing.

The Split: Row Crop Strain vs. Livestock Optimism

When farmers were asked to describe the overall financial condition of their farming operation over the past 12 months, about half say they’re in good to excellent shape. More than 1 in 10 consider their economic condition poor or very poor.

“The farm economy at 50/50 shows the split between livestock profitability versus row crops,” adds Tyson Redpath , chairman of advocacy and business strategy for the Russell Group.

Eideberg looks at it another way.

“Just 43% of respondents reported their farm’s financial condition was ‘good’ and 38% reported ‘fair’ financial conditions,” she says. “This stands in opposition to the repeated proclamations from this administration that the ag economy is turning around.”

Rising Input Costs and Trade Policy: Farmers Rank Top Challenges

In the poll, participants were asked to identify the three biggest challenges currently facing their operation. Machinery and input costs top the list at more than 78%. Another 44.3% say it’s commodity price volatility, and another quarter say either weather or trade policy and tariffs.

When it comes to farmers who would consider changing their vote, one congressional respondent says: “I’m fed up with the U.S. financing other countries when our farmers are going bankrupt. Our politicians need to do their job on a bipartisan level!!!”

Of those citing tariffs and trade, nearly 88% say the policy is either somewhat or very negative, and 65.5% say tariffs will hurt long term.

When asked to describe the overall effect of federal government policies on their farming operation over the past year, 54.6% of nationwide respondents describe the effect as moderately or significantly negative. Just under 1 in 5 describe the effect as positive to any degree.

Why Input Costs and Trade Lead Farmer Concerns

As producers look past this vote and to the next presidential election, respondents ranked nine policy areas in order of priority for the current administration. Regardless of whether respondents are in targeted swing districts or the broader nationwide sample, input costs rank first by a wide margin, followed by trade policy and export markets. Conservation programs come in at the bottom of the priority list.

“If you look at the top issues identified by producers, input costs and trade policy, there’s not a whole lot that can be done about either one of those that will directly impact the farmers’ bottom line before the elections,” Redpath says.

Based on his analysis of the survey results, Jacobs says farmers and ranchers are searching for stable rules and better prices.

“I think both parties should pay attention to the fact that these concerns are overwhelmingly operational rather than ideological,” Jacobs says. “Rural voters are not saying the government should disappear, but rather that it needs to get its act together.

Year-Round E15 and Competition: Critical Factors for Rural Voters

The tariff and trade debate is all about finding and developing new markets for U.S. ag goods as global competitors erode a once dominant position. There’s been no bigger “new market” debate than year-round E15.

When asked how important year-round E15 approval was as a voting issue, 45.5% of nationwide respondents say it is very or extremely important — making it a direct candidate selection factor for nearly half the sample. Another 28.2% say it is somewhat important.

The poll results show E15 is one of the few issues in the survey where support for a specific policy is explicitly tied to electoral behavior rather than just expressed as a preference. Voters in key swing states and districts rate E15 as a voting issue at a slightly higher clip, which appears to reflect the higher concentration of corn and ethanol-producing states in the sample.

While trade and export markets continue to rank high, respondents are also focusing on competition abroad. More than 85% say they are very or somewhat concerned about global agriculture competition from producers in Brazil, Argentina and the European Union. The poll shows this is one of the highest rates of agreement on any issue in the survey.

How Ag Priorities Vary Across the Rural Vote

According to this poll, not all swing states are focusing on the same issues. For example:

Iowa. The most swing-available state in the sample with the highest E15 mobilization.
Wisconsin. The most financially distressed state — and the only one where Democrats are genuinely competitive on healthcare.
Nebraska. The most economically conservative electorate — but with the highest E15 intensity and notable tax concerns.
Ohio. A distinct issue mix – commodity prices and weather dominate, not input costs or tariffs.
Michigan. The highest vote motivation and switch potential in the survey — Democrats lead on farm labor.

“People do not experience politics as detached issue-by-issue calculators,” Jacobs says. “That does not make economic concerns irrelevant – and they are clearly not in this poll – but it does mean that dissatisfaction alone is often insufficient to fully reorder political loyalties.”

As Nov. 3 approaches, Amato describes midterm elections as an accountability checkpoint – a referendum on whether political actions match campaign words.

“Polls like this, combined with additional advocacy and farmers using their voices to talk to elected officials, can help close the gap so federal policy actually meets farmers where they are,” he says. “I hope this poll sends a signal to everyone who’s in elected office, or who wants to be an elected official, to take into consideration the challenges producers are facing today.”

Don’t Rush The Replant: Field Conditions And ROI Outweigh The Calendar

Thu, 14 May 2026 20:34:56 GMT

Corn and soybean growers facing slow emergence, shrinking planting windows and cool soils shouldn’t reach for the replant button too quickly, say University of Wisconsin’s Harkirat Kaur and Shawn Conley. They emphasize that field conditions, stand uniformity and return on investment matter more than the date on the calendar.

When damage occurs in corn, the first step is to diagnose what happened to cause the loss, advises Harkirat Kaur, Extension corn specialist at the university.

“Are you seeing stand loss because of seedling issues? Was the hybrid vigor not there? Is there waterlogging? Those things are important to understand, because replanting a field which is damaged is still an extra cost that we incur,” Kaur says.

She believes stand uniformity often matters more than the plant population for corn.

“A uniform stand at a low population is better than having a stand which is at a higher population but has quite a few gaps in it,” she says. “No. 1, it will impact your overall nutrient uptake for the entire field. Secondly, it will also impact your overall operations as you move further into the season.”

Calendar date, surviving stand quality and hybrid maturity all have to be weighed together in the decision.

“If you are looking at a surviving stand which is less than 70% of what your original target was, then you might want to go for a replant,” Kaur says. “But is that replant going to be this soon? It depends if the field is clearly showing no signs of recovery, showing a complete loss of uniformity across the field.”

In many cases, she recommends patience – especially when a frost or hail event enters the picture.

“It is always good to give the crop some time to recover,” she advises, particularly when hail strikes while the growing point is still below ground. “Most of the corn plants in May or early June have their growing point still under the ground (in Wisconsin), and those plants often have the ability to recover from these stresses.”

Running The Corn Replant Math

To frame the replant decision, Kaur walks through a replant return-on-investment scenario for a southern Wisconsin field that was planted May 5 with a full-season 113-day hybrid.

Extension corn specialist Harkirat Kaur shared this example of when replanting would deliver more ROI than sticking with the existing crop. The decision to replant would make sense, depending on how many acres would be able to deliver this financial advantage.

(Harkirat Kaur)

In her example, a stress event drops the stand from a target of 34,000 plants to around 18,000 — roughly 60% to 65% of the original population. That moves expected yield from about 215 bushels per acre to a range of 130 to 160 bushels, or roughly $602 per acre in gross income at current price assumptions.

Replanting later in May means giving up some yield potential to fewer heat units, but it may still pencil out.

“With replanting, the yield potential comes down to about 80% to 85%, which brings the number to approximately around 180 bushels per acre,” she says. “Then we need to account for the replant cost — the cost for new seed, the cost for your fuel, and the time that you’re spending.”

In her example, even after those expenses, the net return on replanting comes out ahead.

“That would bring us to a net of around $675 per acre,” Kaur says. “We are having anywhere around a net advantage of replanting of about $70 to $72 per acre, which could be a bigger number when we are looking at hundreds of acres.”

Still, she frames replant as a decision of last resort.

“Replanting only when the ROI is likely to be positive is critical,” she says. “Keeping ROI over all the operation in mind is the No. 1 thing.”

Nitrogen, Natural Gas And Timing

Kaur also links replant timing to nitrogen management and volatile natural gas markets.

“Natural gas is very critical for agricultural production, because it drives the production of our nitrogen fertilizers,” she says. “When we are looking at overall gas price instability, it reflects in our agricultural cost anywhere between two to eight weeks when it is happening at the global scale.”

Before deciding to replant, she urges farmers to know where they stand on nitrogen availability.

“We need to ensure how much nitrogen is already in the ground and how much nitrogen is still available to be used for the crops,” she says. “Doing another soil analysis might be of use. It might help save the cost of applying more nitrogen, or also putting in hours of applying that fertilizer.”

Kaur says split nitrogen application strategies become more valuable in a tough economic year like this.

“Protecting existing nitrogen investment is critical,” she says. “If you (can), plan for a sidedress. Then replanting before the sidedress is something that can help you save some of your time and also some of your money.”

For Soybeans, ‘Don’t Change Anything’ — Except Row Width

On the soybean side, Shawn Conley, Extension soybean and small grains specialist at the University of Wisconsin, offers his take on next steps at this point in the season.

“In short, basically, don’t change anything except maybe narrow your soybean rows up if you can,” he says. “

Most of his university research plots across Wisconsin are already planted, though some beans are still sitting in dry soil waiting on a rain.

Conley adds that he expects Wisconsin farmers to plant roughly a half-million more soybean acres in 2026 than they did in 2025, based on current projections and spring conditions.

Prioritize Corn Now, Finish Beans After

For growers juggling both crops, Conley says the yield penalty curve has flipped solidly in favor of corn.

“At this time of the growing season, where we are sitting in May, we’re really in this significant decline in yield penalty for delayed planting in corn versus where we are with soybean,” he explains.

“We’re obviously losing yield by delaying soybean planting, too, but not to the extent that we are with corn,” he adds. “It pains me to say, and I tweeted this out last week — it’s time to prioritize corn planting, if possible, if the ground is fit.”

His message to farmers: get corn wrapped up, then come back and finish soybeans.

Seeding Rate And Replant Thresholds

Conley does not see a need to bump soybean seeding rates for now, even with cooler conditions.

His economic analysis shows little payoff to cutting rates aggressively at this point, once seed cost and yield are both considered.

Optimal seeding rate for planting would be 100,000 seeds per acre, even in mid-May, according to Shawn Conley. “But, that really doesn’t take into effect delayed canopy and management of waterhemp,” he notes. For replanting considerations, Conley says he tells farmers that unless they have under 60,000 plants per acre and actively growing, his advice is “don’t do anything.”

(Shawn Conley)

“Optimal seeding rate would be 100,000 seeds per acre, even in this May 13 timeframe,” he notes. “But, that really doesn’t take into effect delayed canopy and management of waterhemp.”

In high weed pressure, Conley says most farmers should stay with about 140,000 seeds per acre unless they have a “very strong weed management plan on the waterhemp.”

On replant decisions, his threshold is clear.

“Generally, what we tell farmers is that unless you have under 60,000 plants per acre and actively growing, don’t do anything,” Conley says. “Don’t even touch that crop.”

If stands fall below that mark, he recommends what he calls a repair plant, not a full reset.

“If it is under 60,000, just do a repair plant, which means you don’t start over from scratch,” he says. “You just go into that field, set the planter at an angle so as not to run over or disturb any of those existing growing plants, and then just plant into your existing stand.”

“The population that’s in the field right now has a higher yield potential than anything you’d be putting in the ground today,” he adds.

Consider Row Spacing

Row spacing is the one area where Conley does advise a change for mid-May and later planting — when farmers have the equipment to do it.

“As our yields have increased due to earlier planting, the yield difference between wide rows and narrow rows shrank,” he says. “However, as we get into lower yield potential — i.e., later planting — then we see those yield differences still remain.”

That shows up particularly in 30-inch rows planted in mid-May and later.

“The longer it takes from planting date to when those soybeans hit R3, the smaller the yield difference between row spacings,” he explains. “Because we’re delayed planting, the number of days between when you plant today and when you get to R3 is going to be in that 50- to 60-day range. You’re going to see a yield penalty if you stick with the 30-inch rows.”

“If you have the capacity — you still have a 15-inch row planter and you maybe haven’t been utilizing that — I think you need to be able to break that out and use that for finishing off your soybean planting,” he says.

American Soybean Association Clears Up E15 Stance as Senate Debate Intensifies

Thu, 14 May 2026 19:09:57 GMT

The House vote to expand year-round E15 on Wednesday should have been a clean policy victory lap for ethanol supporters. Instead, it’s become a multi-layered debate involving competing economic models, social media confusion, and an increasingly complicated Senate runway that may determine whether the win in the House actually translates into law.

The House narrowly passed legislation Wednesday allowing year-round sales of E15, 218 to 203, marking a major win for ethanol advocates and corn growers. But that bill also included reallocation of Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs), which some groups say made the bill more complicated than just a straight bill that would clear the way for year-round sales E15.

But even as supporters celebrate, the conversation around what’s actually in the bill, and who benefits most, has only intensified.

And according to the American Soybean Association, much of the online backlash in recent days is rooted in a misunderstanding of the legislation itself.

“We Support Year-Round E15. 100%.”

ASA CEO Stephen Censky told Farm Journal the organization is not opposed to year-round E15.

“Absolutely. We have always supported year-round E15. We think it’s positive,” Censky says.

But Censky argues the social media controversy stems not from the ethanol provision itself, but from additional language in the House bill that deals with Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

“It’s those other provisions that provide exemptions to small refineries that undermine that positivity,” he says, also noting that multiple independent analyses suggest those provisions could shift the broader farm economy in less favorable ways.

ASA Statement on House Passage of Year-Round E15 Legislation: pic.twitter.com/bbewbGSF6c
— American Soybean Association (@ASA_Soybeans) May 13, 2026

FAPRI Study Adds Fuel Ahead of Vote

One of those studies came from the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI). Just ahead of the House vote, new modeling from FAPRI added fresh insight into the debate show that when you add in the reallocation of SREs, the House bill is a net negative for agriculture.

The analysis found that year-round E15 alone is relatively modest in its near-term market impact, largely shifting demand between corn and soybeans. But when paired with changes to Small Refinery Exemptions, the economic picture becomes more complicated.

“It takes what is really a trade-off between corn and beans and makes it an overall negative for both what the government spends and for the farm income for the sector,” says Seth Meyer, director of FAPRI.

NCGA Disputes Modeling Assumptions

After the report was released on Tuesday, groups like the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) pushed back on the recent economic analysis by both FAPRI and the CBO.

NCGA Chief Economist Krista Swanson argued that key assumptions in the studies underestimate both policy strength and adoption speed.

“Year-round E15 saves drivers money at the pump, supports America’s corn farmers and improves energy security for our country,” she says, adding that the group’s own modeling shows stronger outcomes for farm income.

ASA Pushes Back on “Corn vs. Soy” Narrative

Even though controversy swirled on social media, claiming ASA’s lack of support for the House version of the bill shows a split between corn and soybean groups, Censky rejects the idea.

“No, I mean, again, I think that comes from a misunderstanding or maybe too simplistic of looking at things,” he says. “We support year-round E15, so does NCGA.”

He points to shared support from the NCGA, while emphasizing that the disagreement centers on refinery exemption language, not ethanol blending policy itself.

“It’s those other provisions (SREs) that were attached to that bill that we have the problems with,” he says,.

Senate Outlook: A Far More Complicated Road Ahead

If the House vote represented momentum, the Senate introduces a much higher degree of uncertainty .

Washington analyst Jim Wiesemeyer says the House approval was still a meaningful breakthrough for ethanol supporters, but the path forward now runs into procedural hurdles, committee jurisdiction battles and a Senate math problem that doesn’t easily resolve.

“Senate passage remains uncertain,” Wiesemeyer notes, pointing to the fact that Clean Air Act authority tied to E15 summer sales rests largely with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, not the Senate Ag Committee.

Wiesemeyer reports while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has expressed support for including year-round E15 in a broader farm bill effort, the jurisdiction split complicates the path forward. EPW Chair Shelley Moore Capito has supported compromise language similar to the House bill, but without the more controversial SRE-related reforms. Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), meanwhile, is expected to oppose expansion efforts tied to ethanol policy under Clean Air Act authority.

That leaves Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) in a key position, but without full control over the underlying regulatory levers.

But even Boozman was clear after the Senate vote that the House version could face resitance in teh Senate. Boozman, who akso serves as Chairman of the House Ag Committee, telling Politico the House version may not have enough support to make it through the upper chamber, saying after the vote, “I think we have a good chance to pass an E15 bill. I don’t know if it will be that one.”

Senate Ag Chair John Boozman tells @politico the House-passed E15 bill doesn’t seem likely to survive the Senate:

“I think we have a good chance to pass an E15 bill. I don't know if it will be that one.”

Reiterates he and other Rs have small and medium size refinery issues https://t.co/4suzybfgrr
— Meredith Lee Hill (@meredithllee) May 13, 2026

Even if a path emerges through committee, Wiesemeyer notes that a stand-alone bill would still need 60 votes for cloture on the Senate floor, an uphill climb given opposition from refining-state senators and lawmakers concerned about emissions, fuel volatility, and air-quality standards.

That bipartisan resistance could force supporters to consider alternative strategies.

One option, according to Wiesemeyer, is something increasingly discussed in Washington: attaching year-round E15 to a must-pass legislative vehicle later this year, such as a broader energy package, government funding bill, or end-of-year omnibus-style agreement, where controversial policy riders are often resolved in larger negotiations.

For now, Wiesemeyer’s bottom line mirrors the broader tone emerging from both the economic analysis and the policy debate: the House delivered a meaningful win for ethanol supporters, but in the Senate, the path forward is anything but settled, and the final outcome is still very much in play.

Where the Uncertainty Really Sits

Much of the debate now centers on variables that remain unresolved: how quickly E15 is adopted, how EPA interprets Renewable Fuel Standard obligations, and how aggressively Small Refinery Exemptions are implemented in practice.

Those unknowns, analysts say, will ultimately determine whether the legislation is a modest reshuffling of crop demand or a more meaningful shift in long-term farm income trends.

ARA Applauds House Passage of Year-Round E15

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:57:53 GMT

The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing legislation that would allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline in all 50 states, permanently eliminating the annual regulatory uncertainty that has long hampered agricultural retailers, fuel retailers, and the farmers they serve.

“This is a victory for rural America,” said ARA President & CEO Daren Coppock. “Year-round E15 is a market-driven, no-cost solution that strengthens farm income, lowers prices at the pump, and reinforces America’s energy independence. We commend the House for acting, and we urge the Senate to move swiftly.”

H.R. 1346, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, would make permanent what emergency EPA waivers have only temporarily provided: the ability to sell E15 year-round without disruption. Ethanol consumes 5.6 billion bushels of U.S. corn annually, and broader E15 adoption could generate demand for an additional 2.4 billion bushels each year — critical market support for farmers facing weakening commodity prices and rising input costs. Consumers would also benefit, saving 10 to 30 cents per gallon compared to conventional gasoline.

ARA believes ethanol and biodiesel fuels, including soy-based renewable diesel, are critical to strengthening America’s energy independence. While the House action on year-round E15 is an important step forward, we encourage Congress to continue advancing policies that strengthen all domestic biodiesel and renewable fuel pathways.

Beyond the Surfactant: Product Focuses on Water Optimization

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:08:30 GMT

Huma has announced the California registration of Surf-Max, a next-generation water optimizer and surfactant designed to help growers “make every drop count” amid tightening water allocations. Moving beyond traditional surfactants, Surf-Max is positioned as a water efficiency optimizer that reduces surface tension by 50%, ensuring moisture and nutrients reach the root zone instead of pooling or evaporating.

Official California Registration

The most significant news is that Surf-Max is now registered for use in California. This opens up access to 9.6 million acres of irrigated land where water scarcity is an issue. While previously available in other parts of the West and Southwest, this registration allows Huma to target the high-value specialty crop market in California directly.

Data-Driven Results: 7 Years of Significant Water Savings

The product is backed by a substantial seven-year research study from Spain (Agron) that demonstrated a 10% to 30% reduction in water use while maintaining consistent yields.

“Previously, this product was mainly marketed a surfactant, and then there’s been some recent research that’s come out of our distributor in Spain that says, holy cow, it’s really a water efficiency utilization tool,” says Fred Nichols, executive vice president, chief sales & marketing officer.

Specific highlights include:

22% water savings in lettuce
20% water savings in olives
15% water savings in tomatoes

“Making Water Wetter” with Micro Carbon Technology

Nichols describes the product as a “water efficiency optimizer” rather than just a traditional surfactant.

“There’s all kinds of surfactants on the market, and a lot of times, it’s the lowest price wins. This is not that. This is something totally different thanks to the Micro Carbon Technology,” Nichols says.

Powered by Huma’s proprietary Micro Carbon Technology, Surf-Max reduces water surface tension by 50%. This prevents pooling, puddling, and evaporation, instead creating a “wetting bulb” that moves water and nutrients horizontally and vertically into the root zone (down to about 15 inches).

“It’s a two-for-one. It’s a water optimizer, while being an excellent carrier with our humic-based liquid carrier. It delivers what you want, where you want it. And when you put that on with your fertigation, it will not pool, it will not puddle, which leads to higher evaporation,” Nichols says.

Enhanced Nutrient Density & ROI

Beyond hydration, the product acts as a high-efficiency carrier that improves nutrient uptake. Field results showed significant increases in nutrient density for processed tomatoes, including:

50% increase in phosphorus
28% increase in copper
11-17% increase in iron and manganese

Small Dose, Big Impact: One Pint Per Acre

Surf-Max is designed for modern irrigation systems, including drip tape and pivots, without the risk of clogging or equipment damage. It features an low use rate of just one pint per acre, making it an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for growers looking to maximize their return on investment (ROI).

“This is an eco-friendly, biodegradable product that is a great fit for fertigation,” Nichols says.

Strategic Evolution for Huma

This launch represents a shift in Huma’s brand positioning. By moving beyond traditional soil amendments into “water optimization,” Huma is broadening its portfolio to provide diverse, technology-driven solutions for the “today’s reality” of restricted water allocations.

“In the past, this product was a modest product for us. But with the new registration, the long-term study from our distributor, and our better placement in market, we are changing the reach of this product,” Nichols says.

US House Passes Bill Allowing Year-Round Sales of E15 Gasoline

Thu, 14 May 2026 12:31:16 GMT

The U.S. House passed legislation on Wednesday that would allow nationwide year‑round sales of gasoline containing 15% ethanol, handing a major win to biofuel producers and farm groups while raising concerns among refiners about higher compliance costs.

The H.R. 1346 bill , or the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, approved by a vote of 218 to 203, would permit fuel retailers to offer E15 year‑round, removing seasonal restrictions linked to smog concerns.

The legislation would need to pass the Senate, where it needs 60% of votes, and get a signature from President Donald Trump to be enacted.

Supporters say allowing year-round E15 sales would expand biofuel demand and help lower fuel prices that have spiked since the start of the Iran war. Critics argue it risks raising costs for refiners already facing higher compliance burdens under federal biofuel mandates.

Some lawmakers have also raised fiscal concerns, with Representative James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, saying the measure will add billions to U.S. debt.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would increase direct spending by $2.7 billion while raising revenues by $0.4 billion, resulting in a net deficit increase of about $2.3 billion between 2026 and 2036, based on an assumption that the legislation would take effect in August 2026.

High fuel prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, have become a major vulnerability for President Donald Trump and his Republican party ahead of the November midterm elections.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul)

‘We Need Rain’: Dry Fields Stall Corn Planting

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:06:23 GMT

Planting season sounds different across central Kansas this year. By mid-May, planters usually run full tilt, pushing long days and short nights as growers race to get corn, soybeans, and grain sorghum into the ground. Instead, silence hangs over many fields. Drought-stressed soils, soaring fertilizer costs, and mounting economic pressures have kept many farmers from even starting, according to Matt Splitter.

“We’ve had 1.2 to 1.5 inches of rain this year during a window where we should be at 28 inches,” says Splitter, who farms in the I-35 corridor between Kansas City and Wichita. “It is dry. I can’t even find the right words for how dry it is.”

The data backs up his frustration. Approximately 65% of topsoil moisture in Kansas is currently rated as “short” or “very short,” according to the May 11 Crop Progress & Condition Report.

#DroughtMonitor 5/12: Drought worsened in large parts of the Northwest and Plains. Also the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.

Improvements in AZ, CO, and the Southeast.

Mixed for WY, S. Plains, South, Northeast.#Drought2026’s Footprint: 51.3% of the USAhttps://t.co/mljsjQE3B9 @NOAA pic.twitter.com/ONOWe9IEfP
— NIDIS Drought.gov (@NOAADrought) May 14, 2026

On a recent school run, Splitter looked across empty fields that would typically be full of machinery.

“I took the kids to school and didn’t see one machine in a field — no tillage, no applications, no planting,” he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk. “Planting progress here is non-existent.”

Personally, Splitter gambled early on planting his corn, hoping the scant moisture near the soil surface would be enough to get a stand.

“We went early, thinking we were probably making the wrong decision,” he says. “We had just enough moisture for germination. The corn is up, but it can’t hang in there much longer.”

The National Picture

Corn planting in central Kansas, other parts of the High Plains and in the Southeast has been slow-going this spring. However, some states are surging ahead. Nationwide, 57% of the 2026 corn crop is in the ground, outpacing the five-year average of 52%.

The Crop Progress Report indicates the national average is being buoyed by high-efficiency corn planting in parts of the mid-South and Midwest:

The Early Birds: Tennessee and Kentucky are nearly finished, reporting 92% and 87% completion.
Midwest Movers: Iowa leads the I-states at 72% planted, while Illinois sits at 54%. Minnesota is at nearly 70% completion.
Emergence: Nationally, 23% of the crop has emerged — trailing last year’s 26% due to cooler, drier soils across the Central Plains.

Farming From A Desk in Kentucky

In central Kentucky, millennial farmer Quint Pottinger is planting corn from behind a desk, watching his fully autonomous tractor crawl across his fields, thanks to a computer screen. Pottinger says technology is his primary weapon against the brutal economic environment U.S. farmers are dealing with.

High expenses led him to equip a 100‑hp tractor with a Sabanto retrofit kit, sell his big-frame 8,000‑series tractors and 40‑foot planters, and move to a smaller 20‑foot planter. The result: he’s running a lot slower, but cheaper.

“We sold two large tractors, two big planters. That was the only way we knew how to cut costs in this economic environment we’re in, and we had no idea if it would work,” Pottinger says.

The trade-off is speed, but the gain is efficiency. “I can slow this planter down to 2.5 miles an hour to get the right depth as the soil dries out,” he adds.

Despite a smoother start than the flood-plagued springs of the last two years, weather remains a hurdle. A sudden frost during pollination “dinged” his wheat crop, causing a 20% loss in some areas.

The one bright spot? His rye grown for the whiskey industry is looking good. “It just grinds through this weather and keeps going. It’s a whole different animal,” Pottinger says.

The Fertilizer Squeeze

For both farmers, the drought collides with a second crisis: fertilizer prices. In Kansas, Splitter is trimming his nitrogen rates by 25% to 30%.

“We’re so dry that even if you apply fertilizer, the risk of volatilization is just too high,” Splitter explains. “We’re not spending as much money, because it wouldn’t do any good anyway. But there’s no truly ‘good’ decision here — it’s a perfect storm of bad options.”

Moisture outlook for farmers in Nebraska and Kansas is DEPRESSING. Opportunities this weekend are isolated in nature, and anyone who gets a drink probably deals with severe weather impacts. Another opportunity in late May, early June.

30-day outlook from EPS weeklies: pic.twitter.com/a36c7FuXWQ
— Andrew Pritchard (@skydrama) May 14, 2026

In Kentucky, Pottinger’s attempt to lock in prices failed when global political shocks in the Strait of Hormuz voided his deferred pricing contracts. He was forced to buy at market price — when he could find supply at all. He worries the fallout will last years, especially if natural gas production for nitrogen doesn’t fully recover.

“This should be a problem for 2027, not 2026,” Pottinger says. “I fear farmers will get taken advantage of in both seasons, potentially stretching into 2028.”

Searching For Optimism

Despite the stalled planters and market anxiety, both men are looking for reasons to stay positive — be it through cost-saving technology or policy shifts like higher ethanol blends that could drive demand.

“In tough times like this, everybody’s trying to find something to be optimistic about,” Splitter says. “We should be that way as an industry as a whole. We shouldn’t be pitting one guy against the other. That’s not what American agriculture is about.”

For now, optimism for Splitter and Pottinger depends on a simple, old‑fashioned variable neither farmer can control.

“We need rain,” Pottinger says. “We need rain now.”

Hear the full planting discussion and more on AgriTalk at the link below:

Rethink Your Herbicide Strategy In High-Residue Systems

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:24:45 GMT

Waterhemp and other tough weeds are forcing farmers to rethink how they use herbicides in high-residue cropping systems, from heavy corn stalks to thick cereal rye covers.

Extension weed scientists say they increasingly hear from growers who did “everything right” with applying their preemergence products yet still see waterhemp push through and survive. Increasingly, one of the challenges is those fields carry a lot more residue than they used to.

“Every year, we have some situations where we get less than expected control of weeds for various reasons, and I’ve come around to appreciate the impact that residue can have on our success,” says Tom Peters, Extension agronomist and weed control specialist for North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota.

Oftentimes, the assumption has been that rainfall will wash herbicides off the residue and down into the soil, where they can do their job. Peters says that belief does not hold up in reality.

“I would argue that some of our performance challenges have been related to those herbicides sticking to the residues,” contends Peters, who made his comments during the 2026 Field Notes program.

That problem is on the increase as farmers are dialing back their tillage passes, planting into more corn and soybean residue and seeding more cover crops.

Reduction In Control Assessed

During graduate work with the University of Minnesota, Eric Yu, now a regional crops Extension educator, measured just how much product residue can intercept herbicides. In cover crop plots, he and his colleagues placed water-sensitive cards below cereal rye crops, applied a preemergence herbicide and then evaluated the results.

“We were seeing about a 50% reduction in the amount of product that reaches the soil compared to our control plots,” Yu says. “Yet despite that 50% reduction, we were seeing still significant weed control, specifically waterhemp control.”

The message, Yu says, is not that residue makes the use of pre products pointless. It is that farmers need to account for residue when they design their weed-control programs — and still keep a strong preemergence herbicide in the plan.

Peters agrees. Even when residue cuts the amount of product reaching the soil, pres are still the foundation of a good program, especially as waterhemp increases in resistance to postemergence herbicides.

“Start the season with pre products, observe your results and then decide what the best postemergence program is,” he advises.

For farmers managing crops in high-residue systems, Peters and Yu point to several practical steps:

Prioritize Soil Contact: Ensure herbicides are actually reaching the soil surface. In cases of extreme residue, it may be necessary to manage or move stalks and straw ahead of planting.
Adjust Product and Rate: Work with agronomists to select products and rates that can withstand some interception while still delivering enough active ingredient to the soil to be effective. Using full labeled rates is increasingly a best-practice solution for control and to reduce selection pressure for further herbicide resistance.
Tighten the Timing Window: Because residue can blunt the effectiveness of a pre product, escapes are more likely. Small waterhemp is much easier to control; once the weed reaches the 4- to 5-inch range, control becomes significantly more difficult.

Researchers Evaluate 21 Herbicides

A group of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists recently studied which herbicides make it to the ground and provide residual waterhemp control in high-residue farming systems. The controlled-environment study evaluated 21 single-active-ingredient corn and/or soybean herbicides compatible with high-biomass cereal rye. Here are the results, courtesy of GROW/Take Action :

Corn herbicides identified as effective for waterhemp control and compatible with high-biomass cereal rye in this study included:

Acetochlor (Harness – Group 15)
Dimethenamid-P (Outlook – Group 15)
Pyroxasulfone (Zidua – Group 15)
S-metolachlor (Dual II Magnum – Group 15)
Atrazine (Group 5)*
Isoxaflutole (Balance Flexx – Group 27)
Mesotrione (Callisto – Group 27)

*waterhemp population used in this study is still susceptible to atrazine applied preemergence.

Soybean herbicides identified as effective for waterhemp control and compatible with high-biomass cereal rye in this study included:

Dimethenamid-P (Outlook – Group 15)
Pyroxasulfone (Zidua – Group 15)
S-metolachlor (Dual II Magnum – Group 15)
Flumioxazin (Valor – Group 14)
Fomesafen (Flexstar – Group 14)
Metribuzin (Group 5)

The Wisconsin researchers say soybean growers should pay close attention to application timing restrictions. Flumioxazin-containing products for instance must be applied within three days of soybean planting, while metribuzin must be applied prior to soybean emergence. The remaining soybean herbicides listed above can be applied preemergence or early postemergence, offering flexibility for growers who plant early and delay cereal rye termination until after soybean emergence.

A standard program in planting green systems where the cereal rye is terminated after soybean emergence may include glyphosate for cereal rye termination, combined with soil residual herbicides fomesafen plus a Group 15 herbicide (e.g., pyroxasulfone, S-metolachlor, or dimethenamid-P) and a Group 2 herbicide such as imazethapyr (Pursuit), cloransulam (FirstRate), or chlorimuron (Classic) for broad spectrum weed control.

Corteva Launches New Fungicide For Sugarbeets

Wed, 13 May 2026 13:31:03 GMT

Corteva Agriscience announced Wednesday the U.S. launch of Verpixo fungicide, a new tool designed to combat Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) in sugarbeets.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has registered the product for the 2026 growing season. Verpixo features Adavelt active, which the EPA has designated as a reduced-risk chemistry.

New Mode of Action

Verpixo introduces a Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) Group 21 mode of action to the sugarbeet market. Derived from a naturally occurring compound in soil bacteria, the fungicide offers broad-spectrum control and provides growers with increased application flexibility.

Cercospora leaf spot is considered the most economically damaging fungal disease for the U.S. sugarbeet industry. According to the Beet Sugar Development Foundation, the disease could have caused more than $900 million in economic losses during the 2024 production year if left unmanaged.

“Extensive lab and in-field testing confirm the efficacy of Verpixo fungicide with Adavelt active against CLS, which can cause up to 30% annual yield loss,” says Colleen Kent, specialty crops portfolio marketing lead with Corteva, in a press release.

Combating Resistance

The disease is characterized by brown spots on leaves that inhibit a plant’s ability to photosynthesize, directly reducing sugar content and root weight. Because CLS is polycyclic—meaning it can produce spores multiple times in a single season—ongoing management is required.

Current fungicides and some genetic traits have seen a decline in efficacy due to resistance. Verpixo uses translaminar movement to protect both the top and bottom of leaf surfaces.

“Verpixo fungicide with Adavelt active has no known resistance, making it ideally suited for resistance management programs,” Kent reports.

Environmental Impact

Corteva stated that the product’s natural origin and environmental profile are compatible with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, allowing beneficial insects to thrive while controlling the fungal pathogen.

The fungicide is now available for use in the 2026 season and is compatible with standard tank-mix practices.

Why High GDUs Aren’t Guaranteeing Quick Emergence This Year

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:35:28 GMT

While farmers keep a close eye on the thermometer and their favorite weather app during planting season, Phil Long says the most important metric right now might be the one they can’t see: the temperature beneath the soil surface.

Long, a regional agronomist with Liqui-Grow, says growers in north-central Iowa are reporting sluggish emergence for corn and soybeans. That’s despite the fact the region accumulated roughly 197 Growing Degree Units (GDUs) from April 10 to May 1, outpacing the 30-year average of 121 GDUs.

“It takes about 130 or so GDUs to get corn or beans out of the ground,” says Iowa-based Long. “So why aren’t more crops emerged?”

The discrepancy, he contends, lies in the difference between air GDUs and soil GDUs. While air temperatures are important, seed reacts almost totally to the heat of the soil surrounding it. For a seed to germinate and push through the soil surface, it requires consistent warmth that hasn’t materialized during recent chilly conditions in some areas.

“What’s most important to the corn and beans out there in the ground is soil GDUs,” Long says. “Even corn up to V6 is regulated primarily off the heat in the ground.”

Why Some Crops Have ‘Just Sat There’

The formula for calculating GDUs relies on a base temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and a ceiling of 86 degrees. When nighttime temperatures dip into the 30s, as they have recently in Iowa and parts of the Eastern Corn Belt, the soil temperature can linger in the 40s and 50s. At those levels, the “heat engine” for the seed essentially stalls.

“We’re not getting that soil temperature up there very far,” Long explains. “That does not stack up GDUs very quickly.”

Long notes that along with the chilly weather conditions, two additional factors can act as “buffers” against soil warming: crop residue and cloud cover.

While heavy residue is often a benefit in the heat of July, it can act as an insulator in the spring, preventing the sun from reaching the soil. In some cases, high-residue fields can see a 50% reduction in GDU accumulation compared to conventionally tilled ground, Long notes.

Furthermore, a stretch of overcast days will rob the soil of solar radiation.

“If there’s heavy cloud cover, that can reduce solar radiation by 80%,” Long says. He explains that even on a cool 55-degree day, direct sunlight can push soil temperatures much higher. But persistent clouds have kept the ground locked in a cool cycle.

As planting continues into the heart of May, Long advises farmers to look beyond the air temperature and keep in mind the micro-climate of the seedbed as they plant.

“Although we’re ahead in terms of air temperature GDUs for this year compared to the ‘average’ year, we’re probably behind in terms of those seeds sitting in the ground,” Long says. “That soil GDU is a big factor when it comes to getting crops out of the ground.”

House E15 Bill Could Boost Corn Prices While Pressuring Soybeans, FAPRI Finds

Tue, 12 May 2026 19:43:45 GMT

As the House prepares to vote on year-round E15 , there’s a new study out from the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) , and it’s is giving agriculture and biofuels groups an early look at what expanded year-round E15 sales and changes to Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE) could mean for farmers and rural America. While there are positives for ethanol and corn demand, the report also highlights some clear tradeoffs, especially for soybean oil, biodiesel and even short-term farm income as soybeans could be negatively impacted by the House’s legislation.

According to FAPRI Director Seth Meyer, the study’s clearest takeaway is that year-round E15 alone doesn’t dramatically reshape the farm economy in the near term, but proposed changes to small refinery exemptions could pressure farm income while increasing government spending.

Meyer says the headline is pretty straightforward. The biggest market disruptions in the analysis don’t actually come from allowing year-round E15 sales. Instead, the larger economic consequences show up when the House proposal to reduce SRE reallocations gets layered into the equation.

“The key of the report is that E15 itself is not, at least in the short term, a major disruption to the market in terms of producer incomes or government costs,” Meyer says. “It becomes mostly a tradeoff between corn and soybeans.”

SRE Allocations Changes the Story

Meyer says the study found that if it was just a clean E15 bill, the results would be different. But when you factor in the SREs, and the fact it’s still unknown on how big that volume would end up being, the House version of the bill becomes a negative for the entire agriculture sector very quickly.

“I think what was important was to put out some information that says E15 in and of itself is largely, at least in the near term, a trade-off between corn and beans,” says Meyer. “It’s good for the corn part of the balance sheet, maybe a little harder on the soybean part of the ballot sheet because there are trade-offs. But then the bill also proposes small refinery exemptions that are essentially a reduction in the mandates, and that is a negative overall. That takes what is really a trade-off between corn and beans and makes it an overall negative for both what the government spends and for the farm income for the sector.”

In FAPRI’s modeling, reducing the amount of waived refinery obligations that get redistributed across the rest of the refining sector effectively lowers Renewable Fuel Standard volumes. That shift weakens biofuel feedstock demand and creates more pressure on soybean markets and farm income.

“It is the addition of the small refinery exemptions and the proposal to not reallocate 75% of those obligations that government costs we track begin to rise and farm income begins to fall,” Meyer explains. “Those SREs are the main drivers of government costs and reductions in farm income because they are, in effect, a reduction in the RVOs or mandates.”

The FAPRI analysis looked at three scenarios tied to HR 1346, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act:

E15 expansion alone
E15 plus 600 million gallons of SRE reductions
E15 plus 900 million gallons of SRE reductions

Under the model, E15 adoption gradually grows by 0.25% annually, eventually pushing the average ethanol blend rate to 13% by 2035. That increase would add roughly 2 billion gallons of domestic ethanol use by the mid-2030s, while simultaneously changing the balance between ethanol and biomass-based diesel under the RFS structure.

What Happens to Corn and Soybeans?

FAPRI’s findings show E15 expansion boosts corn demand and corn acreage over time. By 2035, corn prices rise about 14 cents per bushel versus baseline levels, with additional corn acres pulled into production as ethanol demand expands.

But, according to the report, the gains for corn do not translate evenly across the broader crop sector. As ethanol demand rises, biomass-based diesel demand weakens, which directly pressures soybean oil values and eventually soybean prices. That’s especially true under the SRE scenarios, where lower mandated renewable fuel volumes further reduce demand for biodiesel feedstocks.

“So while corn may benefit, a reduction in the RVO has negative implications for soybeans that outweigh those corn benefits,” Meyer explains.

The report projects soybean prices could fall between 38 and 43 cents per bushel by 2035, depending on the SRE scenario. Soybean acreage also trends lower throughout the projection period as acres shift toward corn production.

Meanwhile, soybean oil prices take an even larger hit because biodiesel absorbs much of the downside under reduced RFS obligations. Meyer says that dynamic is rooted in how current mandates are being met today.

“You see bio-based diesel decline in all cases because, at the moment, the majority of the marginal gallons to meet the mandates are biodiesel,” Meyer says. “If you expand the small refinery exemptions, those volume reductions are no longer a tradeoff between ethanol and bio-based diesel, but a reduction in the marginal gallon, which is bio-based diesel.”

Farm Income Turns Negative Before Recovering

One of the more notable findings in the study is that net farm income trends negative for several years under the SRE scenarios before eventually recovering later in the outlook period. While stronger corn demand helps offset some losses, it isn’t enough in the early years to counter the broader drag from weaker soybean and bio-based diesel markets.

Under the larger 900-million-gallon SRE scenario, net farm income falls by as much as $1 billion annually during the early 2030s before improving later in the decade. FAPRI also projects higher government outlays under the SRE scenarios as weaker commodity prices trigger additional farm program support.

Meyer says soybean losses are the biggest driver behind the weaker farm income projections. He also notes that ripple effects extend into livestock feeding costs because of tighter soybean meal supplies and higher corn demand.

“The notable driver in the outcome is the losses for soybeans as the SREs cut mandates,” he adds.

The livestock sector also sees higher feed costs as corn demand rises and soybean meal supplies tighten. Over time, those higher feed costs work their way through animal agriculture and eventually impact consumer meat prices as producers adjust inventories and production decisions.

Key Points From the Study

E15 expansion alone modestly boosts corn demand with relatively limited disruption to overall farm income.
Reduced SRE reallocation lowers effective RFS mandates and creates the largest negative impacts on crop receipts and government outlays.
Biomass-based diesel demand declines more sharply than ethanol demand under the proposed changes.
Corn acreage rises while soybean acreage falls across all scenarios.
The long-term outcome depends heavily on how quickly E15 adoption actually happens — and whether EPA eventually expands the conventional ethanol “gap” above 15 billion gallons.

That final point may be one of the biggest wildcards in the entire discussion, said Meyer. FAPRI’s analysis assumes the conventional ethanol portion of the Renewable Fuel Standard effectively remains capped near 15 billion gallons. If EPA policy or future legislation allows that cap to move higher, the economics for agriculture could look considerably different.

“You call out a very important assumption,” Meyer says. “If the passage of E15 were to drive an expansion of that 15-billion-gallon conventional gap to 16 or 17 billion gallons and raise total mandates by that same amount, this would increase benefits or reduce losses in the ag sector across all the scenarios.”

Corn Growers React, Disagrees With “Two Fundamental Assumptions”

The recent analyses examining the potential impacts of year-round E15 adoption are drawing sharp disagreement from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which says key assumptions in those models undercut the policy’s real-world effects.

In response to the reports, Krista Swanson, NCGA’s chief economist, argued that the studies fail to account for recent federal biofuel policy changes and underestimate how quickly E15 could be adopted in the marketplace.

“We disagree with two fundamental assumptions with recent analyses related to year-round E15 adoption: they do not factor in the historically high final RVO volumes recently set for biomass-based diesel and they assume slower E15 adoption than industry projections,” Swanson says.

Swanson added that NCGA’s own modeling reaches a very different conclusion on the policy’s impact on farm income and fuel markets.

“NCGA has also conducted its own analysis of year-round E15 and all outcomes point in the same direction: E15 strengthens corn demand and farm income for corn farmers, most of whom also raise soybeans. Year-round E15 saves drivers money at the pump, supports America’s corn farmers and improves energy security for our country. H.R. 1346 deserves a yes vote.”

The Biggest Unknowns

Meyer says there are still several major uncertainties surrounding both E15 adoption and how EPA ultimately implements future RFS obligations. Those unknowns could significantly alter how these market impacts unfold over the next decade.

“I don’t think there is a single assumption on this complicated issue, so let me state three,” he adds. “First is the true path of E15 expansion and more importantly, the second is how that might drive changes in mandates as a result. Third, what is the true volume of exemptions that would result from the legislation? Because we don’t have this information, we did two scenarios.”

The pace of actual consumer adoption also matters. While the model assumes gradual E15 growth over time, Meyer says a slower adoption curve would likely soften some of the corn demand benefits while making the negative impacts tied to SRE reductions more apparent.

“If growth in E15 is slower and we look just at the ‘clean’ E15, it just changes the amount of tradeoffs between corn and soybeans,” Meyer said. “But if we had slower E15 growth with SRE reductions, we would show more negative impacts on crop prices and farm income from the SREs.”

USDA Projects Smallest US Wheat Harvest Since 1972 Due to Plains Drought

Tue, 12 May 2026 19:00:03 GMT

U.S. farmers this year will harvest their smallest wheat crop since 1972, as a severe drought in the U.S. Plains has curbed production of hard red winter wheat, the largest variety grown in the U.S., the Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday.

This autumn, U.S. growers will also harvest their second-largest soybean crop on record, while corn production is expected to drop 6% from last year, the USDA said in its first official forecast of the 2026/27 crop season.

Rising fuel and fertilizer prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent grain production costs sharply higher, heaping further stress on the U.S. farm economy already reeling from trade disruptions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff battles.

May 12, 2026 WASDE Winter Wheat

(Farm Journal)

U.S. growers expanded plantings of soybeans, which require less fertilizer than grains like corn and wheat. Winter wheat was already planted when the war began at the end of February, but soaring fertilizer costs curbed spring nutrient applications for winter wheat and spring-seeded crops like corn, soy and spring wheat.

Benchmark hard red winter wheat futures KWv1 and soft red winter wheat futures Wv1 on the Chicago Board of Trade rallied by their daily 45-cent-per-bushel trading limits.

The USDA projected U.S. wheat production in the 2026/27 season at 1.561 billion bushels, down from 1.985 billion in 2025/26, as a severe drought in the U.S. Plains was likely to slash the hard red winter wheat crop by 25% from a year earlier. Analysts polled by Reuters, on average, expected the USDA to project a 1.735-billion-bushel all-wheat crop.

The USDA rated just 28% of the U.S. winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition in a weekly crop conditions report on Monday, the lowest rating for this point in the growing season in four years.

May 12, 2026 WASDE Corn & Soybeans

(Farm Journal)

The USDA pegged the 2026 U.S. soybean harvest at 4.435 billion bushels, up from 4.262 billion bushels last year, but below the average trade estimate of 4.445 billion.

Corn production was forecast to decline to 15.995 billion bushels from a record 17.021 billion bushels last year. The estimate was above the average analyst estimate of 15.934 billion bushels.

But soybean demand remains unclear as top importer China has slashed purchases from the U.S. amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing and abundant supplies from rival exporters Brazil and Argentina.

China and the U.S. may reach a farm deal at their summit this week that expands Beijing’s purchases of grains and meat, but market watchers said they did not expect major new soybean purchases beyond what was agreed in a deal last October.

The USDA projected U.S. soybean exports in the current 2025/26 season at 1.530 billion bushels and at 1.630 billion bushels in the 2026/27 season.

U.S. soybean stocks were forecast to shrink to 310 million bushels by the end of the 2026/27 marketing year, from 340 million at the end of the current season on August 31.

Corn supplies were expected to remain ample at 1.957 billion bushels at the end of the 2026/27 season, down from 2.142 billion for 2025/26.

(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio)

Xi-Trump Summit May Yield Farm Deal, But China Has Limited Soybean Appetite

Tue, 12 May 2026 19:00:21 GMT

China and the United States may reach a farm deal at their summit this week that expands Beijing’s purchases of grains and meat, but market watchers said they did not expect major new soybean purchases beyond what was agreed in a deal last October.

Agriculture is among the less-contentious areas of the bilateral relationship, but the final shape of any deliverables from the May 14-15 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping remains uncertain just days out, officials, traders and analysts said.

The White House is seeking bigger commitments from Beijing on soybean and other agricultural purchases, said a person familiar with the talks.

“They know it’s something that they need. They know it’s something we want to sell. So, whether it’s at the trip or shortly thereafter is to be seen,” said a senior U.S. official who briefed reporters on the trip, without specifying any products.

More than a dozen CEOs and top executives , including Brian Sikes, chair of U.S. grain trader Cargill, will join Trump on his visit, according to a White House official.

However, traders and analysts said any deal is likely to be limited by what they see as Beijing’s unwillingness to buy more soybeans, the biggest-ticket crop, beyond a commitment made last October , given weak demand and cheap alternatives from Brazil.

Instead, markets are looking for new deals for corn, sorghum and milling wheat as well as beef and poultry, some of which was hinted at during high-level talks in March.

“There’s still some space to strike purchase deals for other major U.S. exports. That could take the form of volume purchase deals for key products like corn and sorghum,” said Even Rogers Pay, director at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China.

In 2024, before Trump returned to office, China bought roughly $4.5 billion of those products, a sum dwarfed by $12 billion in soybeans.

China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Soybean Status Quo

China has dramatically scaled back its reliance on U.S. farm goods since Trump’s first term, sourcing roughly 20% of its soybeans from the U.S. in 2024, the year before he returned to office, down from 41% in 2016.

Last year, China bought just 15% of its soybeans from the U.S.

Markets are awaiting clarity on how China will fulfil last year’s commitment to buy 25 million metric tons of soybeans annually until 2028, which would be the most since 2022.

“China hasn’t ever officially confirmed the details of the agreement. It’s also not clear whether the targets apply to calendar years or crop years,” said Pay.

Any confirmation of renewed Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans would likely lift Chicago soybean Sv1 prices, which are already near two-month highs, partly on expectations China will step up purchases.

“When President Trump and Xi meet, we’d be thrilled to see additional purchases from China that would put us closer to the typical amount of exports in a typical year,” said Virginia Houston, director of government affairs for the American Soybean Association, declining to specify a target volume.

(Reporting by Ella Cao, Lewis Jackson and Trevor Hunnicutt in Beijing, Naveen Thukral in Singapore and Heather Schlitz in Chicago; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Soybean Gall Midge Emerges As Top-Tier Threat

Mon, 11 May 2026 20:19:27 GMT

Soybean gall midge is no longer just a curiosity or annoyance for many Midwest farmers. The pest is chewing into yield and profitability for soybean growers across parts of at least seven states – Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.

Iowa State University Entomologist Erin Hodgson reports the pest’s footprint is significant, present in at least 42% of the 45.4 million acres of soybeans farmers harvested across the seven states in 2025.

“At least 19 million soybean acres are potentially impacted by this pest,” Hodgson says, noting that the pest continues to spread. Eight new counties were confirmed in 2025, with five of those being in Iowa .

According to a recent farmer survey led by University of Nebraska Entomologist Doug Golick, the pest has become a major threat in parts of Nebraska. “In the last year or two, soybean gall midge is approaching as near high of concern as herbicide-resistant weeds for survey respondents,” Golick says.

Since 2018, the soybean gall midge has spread to 185 total counties in seven states, including five new counties in Iowa this past year, according to Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University Extension entomologist and professor.

(Erin Hodgson)

Look For Small Orange Or White Larvae

Damage from the insect starts at the base of the soybean plants, largely out of sight. Adult midges emerge from the ground in May and June, then seek out tiny fissures in young soybean plants near the soil line to lay eggs, according to Thales Rodrigues da Silva, a master’s student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The larvae cause severe, localized yield losses from 20% to 100% loss along field edges and 17% to 50% reductions in entire fields average under heavy infestation, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension. The larvae – small, orange worm-like pests – feed inside the base of the stem, causing plants to wither, die, and lodge (break), with damages sometimes extending 100+ feet into fields. Scouting for the pest should occur after the second trifoliate (V2) growth stage, according to the Crop Protection Network.

This damage in a soybean plant at the soil level shows the result of soybean gall midge larvae feeding.

(University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension)

Because the pest often feeds along field edges, the damage in affected plants is often mistaken for issues caused by compaction or herbicide injury, according to Stine Seed Company .

To confirm the pest’s presence, Stine agronomists recommend digging up compromised soybean plants and splitting open the stem. If white or orange larvae are found feeding within the inner layers, growers should check the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network tracking system to determine whether the pest has been reported in their area. Next, they should contact their local Extension specialist to help confirm the diagnosis and report the finding if their county is not yet documented in their area.

Cultural Practices Show Promise

Unfortunately, there are few strategies to manage and control soybean gall midge, according to Tony Lenz, Stine technical agronomist.
With no labeled, consistently effective in-season insecticide program and no established treatment threshold, researchers are testing cultural and mechanical tactics that might give farmers at least partial relief.

Tillage ahead of planting — a tough sell in no-till systems — shows some promise in reducing early infestations in current-year soybean fields.

“Turns out that disking alone, at least in (our) study… did reduce infestation,” says Justin McMechan an entomologist and associate professor at UNL.

“There’s a significant reduction as we move from no-till to that… where it’s just disked and planted into, and then disking and hilling (a practice used in growing potatoes), which really is effective, because you’re covering up the infestation site,” McMechan adds.

He notes that even subtle changes in seedbed shape may help by covering fissures or altering microclimates at the stem base.

On planters running row cleaners, McMechan says adjustments at field edges might be one of the more accessible tools.

“There are not huge differences, but they are statistically significant,” he adds.

Field edge management has been another area of experimentation, including mowing or managing dense vegetation next to infested fields. Results are mixed, but McMechan says there are situations where mowing modestly cuts pressure.

“Nebraska saw on occasion where mowing would reduce infestation and lead to marginal yield benefit… we’re talking like 6-bushel differences,” he says, adding that weather and nearby corn canopy can override those gains.

There are no insecticides currently available to control soybean gall midge. A combination of cultural practices and mechanical efforts is likely the best option, for now, to stop or slow the pest.

(Justin McMechan)

Scientists Evaluate ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Practices

Other work by researchers is pushing even further outside the box to find control measures. At UNL, graduate research assistant Kristin Heinrichs Stark is testing whether a biodegradable surface barrier called BioWrap can physically trap larvae in the soil and prevent emergence.

The work is early-stage and raises reasonable questions about cost and field-scale application rates, but it points to the kind of layered, non-chemical tactics Extension researchers say will likely be needed to address the pest.

Even as these cultural and physical strategies are developed, Hodgson reminds farmers that the ag industry still lacks any clear control option once larvae are inside the soybean stem.

“We really don’t have a treatment threshold, or a rescue treatment option at this time,” she says. “We know that the soybean gall midge certainly can cause yield losses, plant death, and that directly relates to yield. But we don’t really have great answers on like, how many plants does it take? How many larvae per plant (causes yield loss)?”

For now, farmers dealing with soybean gall midge are being asked to combine careful field scouting, crop rotation, and targeted cultural tactics to address the pest as the research community races to find answers and close those gaps.

Specialists from three Midwest universities provided the latest updates on soybean gall midge (SGM) this spring in a webinar, available at the link below:

Year-Round E15 Faces Vote In The House This Week

Mon, 11 May 2026 19:21:27 GMT

This week, the House is expected to take a vote on legislation to allow year-round E-15.

In the latest schedule published by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, HR 1356, Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 (Sponsored by Rep. Smith (NE) / Energy and Commerce Committee) is on the calendar for Wednesday. This may be the last hurdle to enable more widespread sales of the fuel blend that includes 15% ethanol, which is compatible for use in 96% of cars on the road today.

Temporary Waivers Have Been A Band Aid

The legislation could bring clarity and predictability to issue that has been dealt with piecemeal solutions. There’s been the “summertime ban” on E15, which is typically restricted from June 1 to September 15 due to outdated volatility regulations under the Clean Air Act. Proponents argued that the Farm Bill was a natural home for the policy to support corn growers and lower fuel prices.

Earlier this year, the EPA issued an emergency waiver allowing for summer sales of E15. While it gave some certainty of E15 availability for the time being, the temporary waivers didn’t meet the threshold of industry advocates.

Then, more recently, year-round E15 was included in the Farm Bill but was stripped out before vote. The goal was to provide a permanent legislative fix, which has iterated to become the pending action on legislation this week.

Standalone Legislation

H.R. 1356 has industry and farm group support. The American Farm Bureau Federation highlights:

E15—also sold as Unleaded 88—can save drivers 10–30¢ per gallon while supporting rural jobs and retain energy dollars in the U.S.
Expanding access to E15 could increase corn demand by up to 2.4 billion bushels annually.

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, announced now more than 5,000 retail locations sell E15. This milestone comes after a 15% to 24% increase annually in the number of stores selling E15 since 2020.

“An important part of this legislation is to finalize the rule making that clears the air on infrastructure,” says Emily Skor CEO of Growth Energy. “It would kind of grandfather in some of the underground storage so that it’s easier for a retailer to just simply say ‘I want to start offering this’ and not have to change our infrastructure or invest in infrastructure.”

Fuel retailers sold nearly 2.5 billion gallons of E15 in 2025. Skor adds her group expects to see 1,200 more locations add E15 in 2026, and if Congress allows year-round sales, that number will be “exponential growth.”

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, which has initiated a member alert for grassroots action, “This is a critical moment for farmers and rural communities. Year-round E15 is a market-driven, no-cost solution that increases demand for U.S. corn, strengthens farm income, lowers gas prices, and improves America’s energy independence.”

Will it Get Passed?

Skor says the issue has been punted twice, but unlike previous efforts the standalone bill is proceeding differently because it’s the first time the House has got to vote on just this issue.

“There’s mounting pressure to get something done and take action,” Skor says. “My attitude is one step at a time. If we get a successful–I’ll say when we get a successful House vote–it will help us, because it will signal to the Senate the House does support it and it can be done.”

She adds, “Our opposition is small, but they’re spreading a false narrative. So we really have to get in there and educate people. At the end of the day, for those people if they may not be swayed by the importance of this to the farm economy, they’ve got to be swayed by the price savings at a time when gas prices are at a four year high.”

Turn Daily Farm Work and Data Into a Custom Podcast With Help from AI

Fri, 08 May 2026 20:19:19 GMT

Instead of listening to music or making calls on his way to work, Mitchell Karstetter tunes into his favorite podcast. It’s not a celebrity or news pundit; it’s two digital hosts, powered by artificial intelligence, talking about data from his farm during harvest season.

“I like that it’s breaking down everything that we’re doing,” says Karstetter, the owner of RJK Farms. “It’s giving me real-time data that I can use to make decisions faster.”

A grower pulls up his HarvestReplay dashboard. HarvestReplay provides operational insights in the form of daily, updated intelligence briefing to inform real-time decision making, like where to shift a harvest crew or when to start them, based on a grower’s own data such as daily harvest labor and on-farm weather sensors.

(Innov8.ag)

Karstetter is using Innov8.ag’s HarvestReplay system to collect data and make decisions based on their workforce. Each day, it gathers data from the farm and then synthesizes and relays it to growers in the form of an audio podcast.

“ With HarvestReplay, they now have access to the kind of operational insight they have gotten used to having on the row crop side of their business,” says Steve Mantle, CEO and founder of Innov8.ag .

He says right now, this new technology is helping specialty crop growers due to the labor-centric nature of the business, but there are plans for growth into other areas of farming.

How HarvestReplay Scanners Provide Real-Time Insights

For the HarvestReplay to work, they need an automated labor and tracking system. FairPick and FairTrak , which have two ways to track how much a single employee has harvested throughout the day, are examples of these systems.. The first option is for employees to put their harvested product on a scale-like scanner, where it tracks work output, such as pounds per hour picked. The second option is to have their badge scanned by a phone-like handheld scanner to report their statistics. At RJK, they are currently using it on around 600 acres of apple and cherry trees. This allows farmers to track and follow worker’s efficiency and ultimately their productivity.

“It gives you something where you can go, ‘Why is this guy, who’s normally my best guy, not performing as well,’” Karstetter explains. “It helps you identify problems faster.”

Field laborers weigh their cherry bins using Innov8.ag’s FairPick harvest scales, ruggedized, legal-for-trade field scales that record every pick weight, time, GPS location and picker ID, creating automated, real-time harvest labor data used to inform HarvestReplay.

(Innov8.ag)

The HarvestReplay also tracks future weather conditions to help make important decisions, such as when the best times are to harvest or spray. It uses on-farm or state-operated weather sensors, such as AgWeatherNet .

It can also incorporate a grower’s harvest data from previous years to help provide insights into the farm’s historical trends. Adding it all together, AI hosts can then educate farmers on things like how early frost impacts crop volume and quality.

“It’s giving me insights into fields that were not as productive as I thought they were on cost, labor or efficiency,” says Ellie Norris, owner and CEO of Oregon’s Norris Blueberry Farms.

The Three-Tiered Power of HarvestReplay’s Data Ecosystem

The system produces three types of podcasts, depending on who’s listening and their role in the operation:

CFO/owner podcast focuses more on economics, such as comparing orders from different buyers.
The farm manager podcast can be either in English, Spanish and/or other languages. It discusses what happened on the farm and offers advice on decision-making for the upcoming day or season.
The crew lead’s podcast is typically in Spanish. This revolves around recommendations for improving operational efficiencies that affect the bottom-line economics of the farm.

It’s part of a bigger smart data interface. The podcast is only one-third of the HarvestReplay system:

Replay History looks to turn multi-year harvest and labor records into reports and goals. This shows the past performances and economics of previous harvest decisions.
Replay Live gives same-day feedback using GPS labor tracking. It can raise or flag issues such as congestion, slowdowns or misallocated crews so managers can adjust.
Replay Podcast is an AI-generated audio briefing built from the grower’s own harvest data.

“Farms don’t have data analysts, IT teams or CTOs,” says Mantle. “HarvestReplay handles the heavy lift of data aggregation and integration while keeping their data private and the decision-making customized to their operations.”

Leveraging Real-Time Data to Protect Farm Profitability

In 2025, there was a 46% increase in U.S. farms declaring bankruptcy from the previous year. HarvestReplay’s goal is to target areas where farms lose money such as labor, crop production and decision-making.

The system uses the data it collects to recommend changes in order to provide a path for growers to save money. Karstetter shares an example of quickly using the HarvestReplay’s information to switch things up.

“We can go into a block and see that some cherries have been on the smaller side, so we need to prune heavier,” Karstetter explains.

It also allows him and his managers to make decisions on the crews that are working. Karstetter says that in the latest podcast entry, it shared that one group was being more productive than the other. Now he can use this information to see what one group is doing differently and how it sets them apart.

“It’s giving you a kind of like a real-time look at what you’re doing and where you’re at,” Karstetter says. “We really don’t have that unless you sit down and input all this stuff manually.”

Beyond Amber Waves: Oklahoma State Introduces High-Antioxidant Purple Wheat to Cater to Consumers

Fri, 08 May 2026 21:05:28 GMT

The “amber waves of grain” are a patriotic staple of the American summer, painting a familiar slice of Americana across the horizon. While rolling fields of hard red winter wheat have long defined the landscape of the Plains, researchers at Oklahoma State University (OSU) are beginning to change that picture with a wheat variety that is anything but ordinary.

Known as OSU P92, this variety stands out for its deep purple hue and its potential to revolutionize the nutritional profile of staple foods.

A Class of Its Own

For decades, Oklahoma’s wheat industry has been built on hard red winter wheat and the occasional hard white variety. However, according to Brett Carver, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences at OSU, their latest development represents a departure from the status quo.

“This is not just any other new wheat variety,” Carver explains. “It’s very different. We normally talk about hard red winter wheat... but this is not either one of those. This is a class we don’t even have.”

While the crop may grow and behave like the hard red winter wheat farmers are used to, it is actually a new innovation known as “purple wheat.” The grain boasts a deep purple hue on its outer layer, but the real breakthrough lies beneath the surface.

The Science Behind the Color

The unique appearance of OSU P92 is driven by anthocyanins, which is the same class of phenolics that provide the vibrant colors in blueberries, blackberries, black beans, and peppers. By bringing these compounds into a grain staple, OSU is bridging the gap between traditional row crops and high-antioxidant superfoods.

“Those colors come from a compound called anthocyanins,” says Carver. “So this purple wheat has those anthocyanins that would be present in common fruits and vegetables. That benefit we get from eating the fruits and vegetables also come now through the wheat.”

Breeding for the Real World

Creating a nutritionally superior grain is one thing, but making it viable for a commercial farm is another. The development process was far from simple. Researchers had to breed a variety that could handle Oklahoma’s volatile climate, resist local diseases, and still deliver the strong yields that keep farmers profitable.

To achieve this, Carver’s team had to look beyond traditional plant breeding. “Doing all these extra things meant we had to branch out a little bit because we just don’t have the expertise to measure phytochemicals,” Carver says.

The team leaned heavily on the expertise of OSU’s Nutritional Science Department. Notably, Carver credits a student researcher for driving the project forward, stating that her findings directly influenced the decision on how to advance the variety.

Stability from Field to Table

One of the biggest hurdles in developing purple wheat was ensuring the color, and the nutrients they bred into the wheat, lasted. Anthocyanins are notoriously unstable, but the team eventually selected a line that maintained its integrity.

“To maximize the color at harvest, we want to make sure we have that deep color that persists,” Carver notes. “With these compounds, they aren’t the most stable. But with this one, it’s one of our more stable colors.”

What’s in the Name?

While the variety is groundbreaking, its name remains humble: OSU P92. The “P” stands for purple, and “92" was its experimental selection number. Carver says the goal wasn’t to have a flashy name, but to let the performance and the final products—like breads and tortillas—take center stage.

If OSU P92 delivers on its promise of high performance and enhanced nutrition, it could do more than just change the color of the fields; it could redefine what farmers grow to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers.

Are Your Fields A Green Light? Use the Three-Factor System To Guide Planting Decisions

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:52:22 GMT

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie is urging farmers to pay close attention to soil conditions and local weather forecasts as planting accelerates across the Midwest.

Ferrie and his team at Crop-Tech Consulting recommend using a “red-yellow-green light” system to guide planting decisions. The practice is based on three factors: soil moisture, seed chilling risks and the 10-day emergence forecast.

The information on the green-yellow-red color system for planting is pretty self-explanatory, says Ken Ferrie. Once you know the light color, you can see the meaning and the action he recommends taking.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

Regional Forecast And Recommendation

Despite ongoing weather struggles from cold and rain in some parts of the country, planting progress continues across much of the upper Midwest.

For central Illinois, Ferrie says there is a green light for Monday, with some areas getting a yellow or red light for Tuesday. The U.S. National Weather Service says a weak cold front will bring the next chance for storms later on Tuesday, some of which could be severe. Temperatures will turn cooler for midweek.

Ferrie warns that the first 12 to 24 hours seed corn is in the ground are the most critical. During this window of time, the seed absorbs 30% of its weight in water. If that water is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the cells lose elasticity and tear. Chilled seed corn can easily result in a 10% stand loss.

“You can literally tell the difference between fields that were planted in the morning compared to in an afternoon that’s going into a cool night,” Ferrie says. “That is why you’ll see our lights change at noon some days, trying to get enough water absorbed before the soil temperature drops.”

You can get more information from Ferrie on the perils of seed corn chilling in this brief video:

Ferrie says if corn takes longer than 11 days to emerge, those kernels that were planted “spike down” will struggle to compete.

“The spike-down plants can be a week or two weeks behind the spike-up plants,” Ferrie explains. “At that point, they will be more than a collar behind and not produce a regular-sized ear.”

Listen to Ferrie’s complete recommendations in his Boots In The Field podcast:

Soybean Farmers Detail ‘Sustainable Practices’ That Can Pay Off

Fri, 08 May 2026 12:57:17 GMT

Cover crops were nearly scratched off Laurie and Jim Isley’s list of practices on their Michigan farm a few years ago. The reason? Production costs were adding roughly $35 an acre to their budget, which was already stretched beyond thin.

“Things were really limited for us, so we looked at that practice really, really hard,” says Laurie, who farms with her husband near Palmyra, Mich. “We can absolutely be environmentally sustainable, but the bottom line is we’re not going to stay in business unless we are profitable.”

The use of cover crops is back on firmer economic ground now, she adds, thanks to cost-share programs such as Farmers for Soil Health (FSH), which help make soil health investments possible for income-strapped growers.

Making Cover Crops Cash-Flow

The biggest hurdle for cover crops has always been the upfront cost versus the delayed gratification of better soil structure. The Farmers for Soil Health initiative is currently bridging that gap for growers in 20 states. Isley says the program offers up to $35 per acre in cost-share, plus technical assistance.

For many farmers, the frustration with government or industry programs often lies in the “fine print.” Isley highlights two specific features of the FSH program that make it a more useful tool for many row-crop growers:

The “No Look Back” Policy: Unlike many programs that only reward “new” adopters, FSH is open to almost any grower. “You are eligible for this program whether you are planting cover crops for the very first time, or whether you’ve been planting them for 10, 15 or 20 years,” Isley says.
Short-Term Commitment: “It’s a one-year contract, but you can re-enroll in it year-after-year (with up to 2,000 acres per operation) through the length of time Farmers for Soil Health continues,” Isley notes.

Beyond the dollars, the program addresses the “how-to” hurdle. Each state has designated advisers to help with cover crop species selection, seeding methods (including the use of drones), and termination timing.

“It isn’t just, ‘Go forth and find cover crops,’” Isley says. “Sometimes you just need some expert help in order to get started on something. Even if you say, ‘I’m only going to do 100 acres this year,’ that’s still 100 acres you’re going to get that $35 an acre on to get started.”

High-Oleic Soybeans: A Revenue-Side Opportunity

While cost-shares help manage expenses, Matthew Chapman is looking at the other side of the ledger: revenue. For his east-central Indiana farm, high-oleic soybean contracts have been a game-changer.

“This project’s really been a home run for the whole soybean industry,” Chapman notes. He says that backed by checkoff investments and partnerships with industry giants like Bayer, Corteva, and Beck’s, the specialty beans have already delivered over $400 million in total returns to U.S. farmers.

Chapman started off growing high-oleic soybeans on 20% of his acreage and eventually scaled to 100%. The premiums — ranging in his area from $0.75 to $1.25 per bushel last year — were a huge boost to his bottom line. But he says they have some requirements that farmers need to consider.

“Oftentimes you’re going to need to store this crop, depending on how far away your purchaser is,” he notes. “Your weed program and your plan need to start in the fall. There’s just a lot to consider ahead of time.”

The market is also evolving. High-oleic oil is prized by restaurants for its long fry life and trans-fat-free profile, and new markets are emerging. Chapman notes that his 2026 crop is destined for dairy feed — the beans will be roasted, cracked and fed whole.

United Soybean Board (USB) projections suggest that by 2027, about half of the U.S. high-oleic soybean crop could be headed to the dairy sector. Industrial uses are also gaining traction in asphalt, bioplastics and fire-resistant hydraulic oil, especially in sensitive environments like mining or near waterways.

Navigating The Carbon And Fuel Frontier

While the federal process for carbon intensity (CI) modeling is still unfolding, farmers see opportunity in markets tied to carbon scores and renewable fuels.

USB is currently funding research to ensure farmers aren’t left behind as these markets mature. One surprising finding from Iowa State University: simply planting earlier can reduce nitrous oxide emissions, a major contributor to CI scores.

“That really costs us nothing to do,” Isley says. By documenting this “free” practice change, farmers can potentially lower their CI scores and increase the value of their grain in renewable fuel markets.

However, participation requires data. Chapman emphasizes that farmers need to be the masters of their own information.

“Whenever you’re selling the data off your farm, which is what this is, it starts with knowing what we have,” he says. “It’s hard to sell something unless you know what you’ve got when you start off.”

In southeast Kansas, farmer Charles Atkinson sees this playing out in the biodiesel and renewable diesel sectors. He believes that using the product on the farm is the best way to support the market.

“It’s a product that we’ve developed, that we’ve raised, and it should be No. 1 on our priority list to use it,” Atkinson says.

The “Plan A Through F” Mindset Is Needed

Beneath all the programs and markets, the three growers say long-term profitability still depends on flexibility: having enough tools and plans on the shelf to adjust to whatever the season and markets throw at them.

The need for flexibility shows up in day-to-day decision-making. Atkinson describes his operation, based near Great Bend, as one that constantly shifts among no-till, cover crops, chemistry options and even occasional tillage, depending on the year’s weather, pests and markets.

“It seems like we have plan A, B, C, D, E and F, and depending on what gets thrown at us and what Mother Nature gives us, we have to figure out what plan to run,” he says. “Last year, I had a beautiful plan together. It was all going to work. And I think we were down to plan D before we got finished up.”

Chapman takes a similar view. He says farmers like having “a lot of tools in the toolbox,” even ones they rarely use.

“As the world’s always changing, we want to be proactive and we want to do stuff that we can voluntarily do on our farm,” he says. “Move towards that goal of leaving the farm better than you found it, and hope the day never comes that something’s your only option.”

Isley says programs such as Farmers for Soil Health, along with EQIP, CSP and state or watershed initiatives, help move more growers toward that toolbox mentality by reducing risk.

In her view, profitable sustainability isn’t about any single practice, but about using the right mix of programs, premiums and practices to fit each farm.

“I think we often are hesitant to look for help, because we want to be self-reliant,” she says. “But sometimes it really makes a difference if we look for technical assistance and for those resources that are out there and available to us.”

Isley, Chapman, and Atkinson shared their perspectives in a webinar, “How Sustainable Production and Economic Viability Can Coexist,” on Thursday. The program was hosted by Agri-Pulse in partnership with the United Soybean Board.

The Only Thing That Lasts: How Ted Turner’s 2 Million Acres Redefined Land Ownership

Thu, 07 May 2026 17:58:49 GMT

Ted Turner’s rise to the top of the Land Report 100 marked a transformative era of American land ownership. Once the largest private landowner in the U.S., Ted Turner had many titles, business accomplishments and accolades as well.

With his death on May 6, 2026, the discussion of his legacy began. And undoubtedly his impressive 2 million acres is the driving force with a “save everything” philosophy toward land stewardship.

“If you visit any of Ted Turner’s properties, there’s a bumper sticker available that reads, “Save Everything,” says Eric O’Keefe editor of The Land Report. “That was his approach, as far as being a landowner. He was a conservationist, first and foremost.”

Turner built a revolutionary business empire—taking father’s billboard company to building a global media powerhouse, pioneering 24-hour news with CNN and acquiring the MGM film library. His business success fueled his land purchases as he reinvested those profits into large tracts of land across the country, and notably in the western states.

“He was one of the original, in this generation, of corporate magnates who plowed their profits into land, O’Keefe says. He adds Turner was friends with the current No. 1 largest landowner John Malone, who he “gave the land bug to.” And it was Turner’s investments that inspired others including Bill Gates.

Turner’s acquisitions gained momentum in the 1990s, making his the first No. 1 largest landowner when The Land Report started its first ranked list in 2007. In the 2025 Land Report list, Turner was the fourth largest with 2 million acres located in Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia and more.

“He looked around corners in ways that few of us can really comprehend. He was buying the greatest ranches in the American West, and these phenomenal quail plantations decades before anyone else,” he says.

O’Keefe says a hallmark of Turner’s land buying was not only in its accumulation but how he enhanced it with conservation efforts.

“I love that Gone with the Wind quote, and of course, Ted acquired the MGM Library and, owned Gone with the Wind. And the quote is, ‘land, it’s the only thing that lasts.’ And at the end of the day, that was, to him, in my opinion the most powerful element of his legacy.”

Southern Rust in Corn: A Retailer’s Guide to Proactive Control Strategies

Wed, 06 May 2026 19:09:13 GMT

Help your growers avoid a southern rust corn calamity—and possible yield losses of up to 45%—by calmly and clearly advising them on fungicide for rust ahead of this disease’s arrival.¹ Generally, treatment is most effective at VT stage, which happens around mid to late July.

As a trusted adviser, you can assist growers by interpreting disease pressure maps, recommending fungicides with multiple modes of action and determining the economic ROI of treatment depending on the crop’s growth stage and environmental risks.

Here’s what you need to know to support growers in treating southern rust in corn before it escalates.

Consult regional monitoring and alert tools

A free online tracker from university experts, such as the Crop Protection Network’s Southern Rust of Corn Map or ipmPIPE’s Current Map for Southern Corn Rust , can help you keep tabs on encroaching corn rust in neighboring counties. Your local county extension office can also be a valuable resource.

If corn rust is detected in an adjoining county, it’s important to be vigilant. Southern rust spreads rapidly via wind currents. The disease presents as numerous small and round pustules on the upper part of leaves that leave orange or tan streaks on your fingers when rubbed off.²
It’s most common when temperatures hover between 77 F and 82 F, with at least six hours above 95% relative humidity.³

You can also share this free fungicide efficacy tool from Crop Protection Network with your growers so they can start evaluating fungicide for rust treatment options.

Talk through evaluation timing, efficacy and modes of action

Explain to your growers that for maximum disease suppression and economic return, it’s important to target fungicide applications between corn’s tasseling (VT) and milk (R3) growth stages.

Recommend fungicides such as BASF’s Veltyma® fungicide or Headline AMP® with multiple modes of action. With these products, your growers can experience southern rust control that typically lasts beyond the two-week protection period that often comes with a single mode of action.⁴

Explain the growth stage cutoff for fungicide efficacy

Your growers should be aware that applications of fungicide for rust fungi after milk stage rarely pencil out. That late in the season most grain fill is done, and the potential gain in yield protection isn’t substantial enough to recoup the cost of fungicide, fuel and time needed for treatment.

At the same time, later applications might reduce your growers’ losses from low test weight and lodging. As with any decision, advise your growers based on their unique situation.

Help growers fight southern corn rust damage throughout the season

Work with your growers through the dent stage (R5) to monitor and manage around southern corn rust damage. The disease has a tendency to reduce test weight and damage stalk integrity, which creates greater risk of lodging.

If this persists at harvest, consult extension resources on harvesting fields with southern rust for specific combine settings that can help.

Experts are available to help you and your growers make their southern rust corn treatment decisions. Reach out to a nearby extension office agent or your regional BASF representative .

________________________________________________

Endnotes

Jackson-Ziems, Tamra, and Jenny Brhel. “Corn Disease Update: Fungicide Expectations for Disease Control.” CropWatch, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 15 Aug. 2024, https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2024/corn-disease-update-fungicide-expectations-disease-control/ . Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Duffeck, Maíra. “Corn Disease Update – July 14, 2025.” Oklahoma State University Extension E-Pest Alerts, July 2025, https://extension.okstate.edu/e-pest-alerts/2025/corn-disease-update.html . Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Jackson-Ziems, T. et al. “Corn Disease Update: Fungicide Expectations for Disease Control.”
Mueller, John. “Fungicides and Southern Rust in Corn.” Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service Blog, 11 June 2021, https://blogs.clemson.edu/sccrops/fungicides-and-southern-rust-in-corn/ . Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.