ROW CROPS

USDA Delivers Thousands of Bridge Payments In a Matter of Days

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:56:32 GMT

In an afternoon general session, adjusted to fit USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ schedule, the agency leader welcomed a record crowd of 12,000 to her home state of Texas as she stares down one of the most challenging moments in farming history. Farmers are facing high input costs, trade uncertainty and surging grain production.

“Between 2020 and last year when I spoke at this incredible event, fuel costs had increased 33%, seed costs had increased 19%, fertilizer prices had gone up 48%, labor up 44% and interest expenses up 71%,” said Rollins.

The frustration in the room was palpable following a year in 2025 where strong production was again unable to overcome swelling costs and expenses. Farmers here are now looking harder to Washington for answers as another season of negative margins stares them in the face.

“We’re seven years out from this last farm bill and all of this information that we’re trying to work with is so outdated, our costs are so different, we have to get something done,” said Jed Bower, the current president of the National Corn Growers Association and an Ohio farmer. “They have forgotten about rural America.”

Help is on the way

USDA did roll out an $11 billion rescue program called the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program as a way to help tide farmers over until safety net pricing adjustments kick in this fall. Those weren’t passed in a new Farm Bill but instead included in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed last year. Sign-ups for Bridge payments are currently underway with FSA even allowing Commodity Classic attendees to finalize their applications on the tradeshow floor. Some of those payments are already in farmers’ hands as Rollins told farmers help is on the way.

“I will not declare victory, we still have so much work to do, but I will declare that we have made great progress on the promises that were made,” said Rollins. “Since [the last time I was here] we have had 15 new trade deals and/or frameworks for US agriculture in key markets like the European Union, UK, Japan, Mexico and Southeast Asia.”

The secretary also pointing China’s return to the market and pending presidential meeting scheduled for later this month. Economists are forecasting the agricultural trade deficit to fall from $41.5 billion in 2025 to $35 billion this year. That shift is happening around a strong export year in 2025 for things like ethanol where exports were up 11%, dairy exports were up 15% and corn exports ending the year 29% higher.

Separately from trade, Rollins noting a litany of deregulation happening across agencies. In a post on X.com, the secretary listed a number of changes already underway. Rollins writing that to date the administration has cut 129 regulations for every new one, resulting in $211.8 billion in net cost savings. She says accomplishments in USDA deregulation agenda include:

Reversing the EPA endangerment finding impacting vehicle emissions standards
Raising poultry line speeds → ~16% lower chicken prices
Rescinding the Roadless Rule → opens 59M acres for timber
Cutting USDA NEPA regs by 66% (streamlining 7 rules into 1)
Reforming H-2A AEWR → saves farmers >$2B/year in labor costs
Clarifying WOTUS per recent Supreme Court ruling
Modernizing Forest Service oil/gas & minerals leasing rules

I’m in Floresville, TX today launching @USDA’s new Deregulatory Agenda for American Agriculture & Consumers! Thank you to the amazing Boening Family for welcoming us to your beautiful farm!!! The Trump Admin is cutting red tape to unleash innovation on farms & ranches while… pic.twitter.com/5NOdTT2dpX
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) February 26, 2026

USDA systems get an upgrade

While the world focuses on precision agriculture and technology adoption, the systems helping support American farmers has been embarrassingly slow to evolve.

“A GAO audit found that barely 15% of previous upgrades were delivered,” said Rollins. “We have been left with ancient technical architecture with 500 different custom-built systems and databases managed by over 1,000 different contractors that cost the taxpayer over $1 billion.”

The secretary announcing the ‘One Farmer, One File’ initiative as a way to streamline the data collection and services from USDA.

“This creates a single, streamlined record that follows you, the farmer, no matter where you go in USDA system,” explained Rollins. “When this initiative concludes, producers will be able to access their USDA data in a single, modern, secure system built to today’s cybersecurity standards.”

USDA Secretary Rollins watches as a producers enrolls at Commodity Classic

(USDA (X.com))

Rollins says it’s part of the administration’s broader vision of revamping how Americans interact with the government’s digital front door. She also made it clear that these new tools are optional.

“What does this mean? Do I have to do everything on a computer? No, these FSA offices will stay open. You will always have someone to walk into and sit down with to help with paper applications and traditional acreage reporting,” said Rollins. “This is not a mandate to digitize. We are not telling you we’re moving everything to your phone or your computer at home, but instead it is an expansion of options for our farmers.”

This is the first phase of a multi-year initiative. The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program is the very first program running fully on this new platform.

“After 72 hours we had over 30,000 applications go through the application process at login.gov” said Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation. “When the producer sees the form on their virtual device and hit sign here, that immediately goes to the county office. It’s then signed and certified and sent for payment, immediately.”

“The results have been stunning,” said Rollins. “In just the past few days, we have seen 50 times more producers sign up online than ECAP did over its entire five-month sign-up period last year. Adoption is up over 5,000% and several billion dollars have already been obligated. Many of you told me you’ve already had the check hit your bank account faster than any program ever before in the history of USDA.”

Rollins called it a new standard for the delivery of services. She says the IT and system upgrades are scheduled to be completed within the next 2 years.

Focus on 2026

Rollins laid out her priorities for the new year as farmers at Commodity Classic look for answers to the difficult balance sheet decisions awaiting their return to the farm. The top 5 boiled down to this:

Continue to deregulate
Strike new trade deals
Lower the cost of inputs
Expand markets at home with biofuels
Strengthen the farm safety net by passing a new Farm Bill

That will be easier said than done as each step comes with its own set of challenges. Rollins will be navigating closing Washington D.C. offices and moving staff to new regional hubs which she hopes to have done by the start of school next fall. Throw in global political uncertainty, stubborn inflation and stiff competition from Brazil, and the challenges are big.

“I want every American to understand that if we are not able to reverse the trend, the farm economy, the increase in inputs, the fewer markets around the world, protection from lawfare, if we’re not able to reverse that trend, then we not only will lose the greatest industry in American history, but we will also lose our country,” said Rollins. “There is no freedom unless we are able to feed and fuel ourselves.”

Christmas Comes Early: Trump Administration Announces $12 Billion in Bridge Payments for Farmers

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:35:23 GMT

Help is on the way for farmers impacted by the Trump administration’s trade policies. The White House released some details of its long-anticipated trade aid package, totaling $12 billion .

Up to $11 billion will go toward a newly designed “Farmer Bridge Assistance” program targeted toward row crop farmers hit hardest by trade disruptions. Those payments will be sent by the end of February, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. The remaining $1 billion will be set aside and is designated for other crops affected by the ongoing disputes.

President Donald Trump announced the package Monday, joined by Rollins, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and several growers. Trump said during the roundtable that tariffs will be used to fund the payments, while a release from USDA says the bulk of the funding will run through a new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and funded under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).

Rollins framed the package as near-term help while trade and farm-safety-net updates ramp up. She made comments during the roundtable on Monday, surrounded by farmers.

“President Trump will not let our farmers be left behind, so he directed our team to build a bridge program to see quick relief while the president’s dozens of new trade deals and new market access take effect,” Rollins says. “The plan we are announcing today ensures American farmers can continue to plan for the next crop year … it will allow farmers to leverage strengthened price protection risk management tools and the reliability of fair trade deals so they do not have to depend on large ad hoc assistance packages from the government.”

FARMER VERY GRATEFUL TO @POTUS: "YOU BROUGHT CHRISTMAS TO FARMERS"

Cordt Holub, Corn and Soybean Farmer from Iowa: What you're doing here in D.C. is working... I'll be able to potentially pass on a farm to my children because of you. pic.twitter.com/E3vq6jsTMM
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) December 8, 2025

When Are Farmer Assistance Payments Expected?

Based on information released from USDA on Monday, the timing of the payments are as follows:

Dec. 19, 2025 (5 p.m. ET): Deadline for producers to make sure 2025 acreage reporting is accurate.
End of December 2025: USDA expects to release commodity-specific payment rates.
By Feb. 28, 2026: USDA says eligible FBA payments should be released.
Oct. 1, 2026: USDA points to farm bill-related improvements in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), including higher statutory reference prices for major commodities, reaching eligible farmers starting on this date.

What Farmers Need to Know

Here’s how the new tariff-funded aid package breaks down and what producers can expect it to mean for their operations.

$12 billion total in one-time assistance tied to 2025 conditions, framed as a short-term bridge while new trade access and longer-term safety net changes take effect.
Up to $11 billion is slated for the FBA Program focused on row crops, using a “simple, proportional” national formula intended to cover a portion of modeled 2025 crop-year losses.
$1 billion is reserved for commodities not covered by FBA, including items such as specialty crops and sugar, but USDA says details and timelines are still being developed.
No crop insurance link required to receive FBA payments, though USDA is urging producers to use OBBBA risk management tools going forward.

Which Crops Are Covered Under the New FBA?

USDA says FBA applies to producers of a broad list of row crops and oilseeds, including:

Barley
Corn
Cotton
Peanuts
Oats
Rice
Sorghum
Soybeans
Wheat
Plus crops such as canola, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame and sunflower, among others.

Is $12 Billion Enough?

The administration had been expected to roll out as much as $15 billion in aid back in October, but Rollins said the 43-day federal government shutdown pushed back the timeline.

During his first term, Trump directed about $23 billion in aid to farmers. Reuters reports producers this year were already on track to receive nearly $40 billion in ad-hoc disaster and economic assistance.

The new trade aid package is widely welcomed, but many U.S. farmers say the damage from the trade war, and China’s boycott of U.S. soybeans through harvest, has already taken its toll. Billions of dollars in lost soybean sales pushed China toward South American suppliers, creating long-term financial and market consequences.

While USDA finally unveiled its long-needed trade aid package, delayed by the 43-day government shutdown, many question whether it’s sufficient. Ed Elfman, senior vice president of agriculture and rural banking policy at the American Bankers Association, says the support will help but won’t fix structural issues.

“Any aid will help,” Elfman says. “It’ll help make cash flow work a little better. It’ll make the margins look a little better. Profitability will go up, but at the end of the day, it’s just a Band-Aid. It’s not a long-term solution.”

For some farmers already in financial distress, the relief comes too late.

“A financial bridge is vital for keeping many of our farmers in business going into 2026,” says Caleb Ragland, president, American Soybean Association. “There are some deep losses that have been incurred, and it’s been piling up over a two- or three-year period.”

Northwest Corn Belt Saw Wide Basis

In the northwest Corn Belt, the trade truce and renewed Chinese soybean purchases were too late to prevent wide basis levels and a storage crunch during harvest.

“A lot of producers were forced to sell that crop early, maybe earlier than what they wanted to,” says Kevin Deinert, president, South Dakota Soybean Association. “Given that we had some very depressed prices at that beginning October time frame before any trade deals were announced, some farmers are still reeling from that.”

Elfman says the financial strain is uneven across the country.

“One thing we’re learning from bankers, it’s creeping into the upper Midwest. The ‘I states’ are starting to feel it more and more, but really the mid-South to the South has been feeling it for three or four years now,” Elfman notes.

And while the aid helps slow the losses, he warns it doesn’t erase them.

“We are seeing with our surveys when we talk to bankers right now that they believe 50% of their producers will not be profitable next year,” Elfman says.

Ragland adds that soybean producers appreciate the lifeline but ultimately want reliable markets.

“We do not want to be dependent on the next aid program or financial bridge to stay in business,” he notes. “We need opportunities within the market.”

Meanwhile, trade negotiations with China continue. China’s Vice Premier held a video call Friday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Reports say both sides engaged in an in-depth and constructive exchange on implementing the consensus reached in an October meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi.

Under that agreement, the U.S. committed to trimming tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on illicit fentanyl trafficking, resuming U.S. soybean purchases and maintaining rare earth exports.

Senators React, Thank Trump For Having Farmers’ Backs

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., praised the White House’s newly announced farm assistance package, calling it a bridge to help producers until the benefits of recent trade deals and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” show up in farm country.

In a statement, Boozman said farm families share Trump’s goal of expanding market access and that delivering the assistance will bridge the gap until farmers see gains from the new trade agreements and added certainty from the legislation. He added the announcement provides “much needed relief to rural America” and said the Senate Agriculture Committee is prepared to pursue additional steps to support farm families.

Boozman attended the White House roundtable for the announcement alongside Trump, Rollins, Bessent and farmers from across the country.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was also in attendance on Monday. She praised the USDA farm assistance package announced by Trump during a White House agriculture roundtable on Monday.

“Today’s farm assistance package is welcome news as we work to get the farm economy back on track,” Fischer said. She credited Trump and Rollins for stepping up to support producers and said she looks forward to working with the administration to expand trade opportunities and strengthen markets for Nebraska agricultural products.

AgZen, Corteva Team up on AI-Powered, Retrofit Sprayer Tech

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:08:47 GMT

AgZen announces an agreement with Corteva to further “explore the commercial potential” of AgZen’s AI-powered crop spraying optimization technology, RealCoverage.

The news comes on the heels of Corteva’s big announcement on Oct. 1 , detailing the crop protection multinational’s plan to split its crop protection and seeds businesses.

AgZen, a tech startup spun out of MIT, is making a name for itself by pioneering feedback optimization for spray applications — a new approach the company thinks has potential to improve farmer outcomes and reduce crop input costs.

(AgZen)

AgZen’s first product, RealCoverage, is a retrofit kit that can be bolted onto any sprayer to measure and optimize the number of drops of agrochemicals applied to crops. The system features a boom-mounted sensor that analyzes the coverage and quality of spray applications in real-time, displaying actionable data to a tablet mounted in the cab. Farmers can use the data to optimize the physical settings on spray rigs, both self-propelled and pull-behind, to increase coverage.

The startup says its system works by leveraging AI and cutting-edge computer vision, and customers have used RealCoverage to save 30% to 50% on input costs.

Farmer Feedback

(AgZen)

Northwest Indiana farmer Bryan Brost slapped a RealCoverage system onto his Hagie STS 16 high-clearance sprayer to use on his waxy corn and soybean crops. He says it has helped boost his spray program efficiency overall by reducing application rates while maintaining optimal coverage throughout his 12,000-acre operation.

“The payback came in the first year,” he tells Farm Journal via text message. “We have increased our acres [covered] per day with less hours on the machine, the operator and the nurse tanks supplying product [to the sprayer].”

Corey McIntosh set the technology loose across his 4,000 acre spread in Missouri Valley, Iowa. He is looking forward to using the data to improve his application efficiency across the board. He’s also letting his neighbors and local retailer in on the secret.

“I was getting a chem shuttle refilled at [the] co-op, these guys have always been complimentary of our weed control, I asked them: ‘What percentage of leaf surface area do you think you are covering with your sprayers?’ One of their best operators said he thought 50% coverage. The salesman next to him said it would definitely be more than 60%,” McIntosh says.

“They were shocked when I told them we were at 9% to 10%, but nobody has had ever had a way to quantify this before,” he adds. “We are really looking forward to making improvements.”

Since launching on the market in 2024, AgZen says it covered more than 970,000 commercial acres of application across the U.S. on row crops and specialty crops.

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July Weather Outlook: Goodbye Rain, Hello Heat

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:11:21 GMT

The Pacific Jet Stream has been going strong since early spring, sending heavy rains down through the Ohio River Valley, delaying farmers’ planting efforts there, then more recently, moving large amounts of moisture into the central Corn Belt.

“Nobody would have thought three months ago that we were going to have this much rain occurring across key crop areas, especially in the southern half of the Plains and in the Delta and Tennessee River Basin,” says Drew Lerner, president and senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather.

But be advised, the engine driving that jet stream is about to turn off, says John Hoomenuk of EmpireWeather.com . He anticipates that by early July, some farmers will see those heavy rain events turn into a trickle.

Weather outlook for early July.

(BAM Weather)

Weather Brewing For July

“As we get into the second week of July or so, we’ll see the ridge push a little further north, and we’ll see some drier forecasts starting to appear, starting in Kansas and Nebraska, and then spreading a little bit into southwestern and central Iowa at times as well,” Hoomenuk says.

“That’s really caught our attention, because we just haven’t seen that [pattern] so far this year, and it’s a pretty big change compared to where we’ve been,” he adds.

As July goes on and August nears, Hoomenuk says the weather data indicate the jet stream will go up into Canada and drop into the Great Lakes.

If that occurs, he says farmers in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio are likely to get some precipitation dropping on the east side of the ridge. But across the Central Plains, Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas, and maybe even into parts of Iowa, farmers will see their conditions trend a little drier.

“I think that’s not a huge concern just yet, but it’s a pretty big change up compared to where we’ve been the last couple of weeks,” Hoomenuk told AgriTalk host, Chip Flory, on Tuesday.

Drought Risks Remain In Place

The outlook for drier weather in July is not a surprise, based on the patterns some meteorologists saw shaping up last winter.

“The central United States is at about a 60% drought risk. Some of the best weather forecast models we have out there are trying to put the epicenter of that drought somewhere between Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and southern Minnesota by the time we get into July and August,” says Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Nutrien.

Much of the western U.S. has been enduring dry, hot conditions already this year. Much of the central Midwest is about to experience the same.

(The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)

“When you think about those particular states, developing drought from spring to summer in any year is somewhere in the neighborhood of 28% to 38%,” he says. “Essentially, the risk is doubled this year.”

Snodgrass explains the canary in the coal mine for a drought will come from a combination of the Gulf of Alaska ocean temperatures and the Bermuda high, which is an area of high pressure that can influence weather patterns and tropical systems. If the Gulf of Alaska ocean temperatures begin dropping this summer, that’s a sign moisture will be lacking.

The silver lining, Hoomenuk says, is many farmers have either had excess or sufficient moisture this spring, so no alarm bells have been ringing yet for corn and soybean crops that are now in rapid growth.

His concern is the current weather patterns will stagnate, causing temperatures to rise.

“Most of the long-range data we’re seeing, if you look at July as a whole, is showing some pretty substantial [temperature] numbers in the Central Plains. We’re talking somewhere between four and five degrees above normal in some areas of Kansas and Nebraska, two or three degrees above normal for the month on average, surrounding that in parts of southwestern Iowa and the Dakotas,” he says.

As for states further east, such as Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, Hoomenuk says farmers there will likely see temperatures “closer to normal” for July, based on data he’s reviewed.

“The thing I keep seeing is temperatures looking to be about normal, maybe slightly warmer than normal – just a couple days of heat followed by a cool down and some rain, which is is pretty ideal,” he says. “It doesn’t seem like we’ll get into that long-term heat there in those eastern regions of the U.S, so the concern level out there is pretty low right now heading into July.”

Your next read: Crop Quality in the Midwest: Most States Soar, Some Flounder

Renegade Colorado Farmer Pushes Deeper into Unconventional Agriculture

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:13:23 GMT

Who plants at least 12 different crops a season, slashes nitrogen applications by over half, aims to seed 3”-row grain in 2025, grows rice in bone-dry conditions, and steadily uncovers unique market demand? Roy the renegade.

Roy Pfaltzgraff’s row crop operation, a hive of unconventional research, is set to push even further to the blade’s edge.

“We’re going to build an online community, Seeding Circles, that teaches farmers where and how to find markets, and brings buyers to growers,” Pfaltzgraff says. “I want to show people a way to recruit food companies and know what’s being asked for.”

Survivability
Outside Haxtun, under the armpit of the Cornhusker line, Pfaltzgraff works 2,000 dryland acres in northeast Colorado. Split between Phillips County’s low hills and flats, his fields (60% sand, 20% clay, and 20% loam) sometimes see below 6” of moisture during the worst growing season, but average 13” of precipitation per year.

Pfaltzgraff operates a farm in flux—steady adaptation. Whether double-cropping, applying table sugar in-furrow, drastically reducing herbicide applications, or trialing crops when the nearest likeminded producer is 1,000 miles distant, Pfaltzgraff is the epitome of outside-the-box.

In the rows, during field days, at speaking events, or by email—Pfaltzgraff gets the same question from farmers: How do you find markets?

(Photo by Haxtun Heritage Mills)

Walk his rows and expect to see black beans, buckwheat, black-eyed peas, clover, camelina, non-GMO corn, open pollination corn, chickpeas, flax, milo (both red and food grade white), oats, pinto beans, and sunflowers. (Sesame is on the crop roster for the first time in 2025, and Pfaltzgraff intends to grow mushrooms in containers.)

“Every farmer I interact with is concerned about survivability. That means having something to pass to the next generation,” he says. “That can only happen if there’s genuine profitability, soil health, and market opportunities. Our on-farm research is geared toward those needs.”

In the Crosshairs
In 2025, Pfaltzgraff intends to begin installation of a full-time, on-farm education center. Annually, he has six to eight research projects across his operation.

· Rebuilding an air seeder to test 3” row spacing in cereal grains and edible beans—super-narrow to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. (Drilling corn, grain sorghum, and sunflowers on 12” centers has been standard for Pfaltzgraff for several years.)

“We’re going to build an online community, Seeding Circles, that teaches farmers where and how to find markets, and brings buyers to growers,” Pfaltzgraff says.

(Photo by Emily Kamala)

· Colorado rice—unheard of in the region—is under trial. In 2024, Pfaltzgraff’s rice cultivation ended with freezing damage in the boot stage. “This year we’ll get it in the ground earlier, somewhere in early to mid-April. We’ve tracked down a landrace variety that may work very well out here, and that comes from research by USA Rice Federation.”

· Pfaltzgraff has transformed his headlands—areas of persistent weed and compaction issues—into 158 acres of pollinator strips. Essentially, the first 90’ of headlands in each field are a pollinator haven. “There were bad grasshopper issues around this year, but not in our fields. The grasshoppers stayed in the strips, and that triggered praying mantis to come in and eat. Control by nature. It made my dad ask, ‘What else have we screwed up with old farming methods?”

· An agrivoltaic system, providing a shelter belt and solar power, is gathering data. The buffer has reduced moisture consumption by significant levels: 30% roughly 120’ downwind, and 50% closer to the main body. “It’s really interesting research,” Pfaltzgraff notes. “We’re looking for a computer processing company to come in and build an off-grid server farm run by solar on our farm.”

· Two flux towers in separate fields monitor soil respiration every 15 minutes, measuring gas exchange between soil/vegetation and the atmosphere. “It provides carbon data for different crops and that’s run by retired USDA researcher Jerry Hatfield,” Pfaltzgraff says.

· Pfaltzgraff has applied for a grant to fund research on glyphosate remediation. “Our grain picks it up at 42 parts per billion, but glyphosate isn’t applied to the crop. We’ve all seen the stories about glyphosate found in rainwater, but in parts per trillion. Therefore, it’s gotta be residual in our soils. When we test it, the soil has 47 parts per billion as residue. I’m pissed as a famer because I’m told that doesn’t happen; I’m told glyphosate goes away.Now people are blaming the rain? No, I believe it must be remediated and that is through improved soil health.”

“Those who support glyphosate don’t want to talk about this, and those who oppose glyphosate don’t want to know about remediation because they don’t want it used ever again,” he adds. “I want to do the research and let everyone take their shots. I know it might put a target on my back, but we have to do what’s right for the soil.”

Seeding Circles
In the rows, during field days, at speaking events, or by email—Pfaltzgraff gets the same question from farmers: How do you find markets?

The answer is part of Pfaltzgraff’s effort, alongside his fiancée, Emily Kamala, to create Seeding Circles . “We’re creating a national resource with farmers across the country to bring in outside experts and to recruit food companies to come and tell farmers specifically what they’re looking for,” Kamala says. “Seeding Circles is a hub of support, pricing, profit, marketing, and agronomics. It’s a place to learn about new markets and diversification. We need a community to show people where and how to find markets, and to provide a base of farmers available to buyers.”

Annually, Pfaltzgraff has six to eight research projects across his operation, including an agrivoltaic system.

(Photo by Emily Kamala)

“We want to create pockets of local food,” Pfaltzgraff adds. “Local food nationwide is how to counter the industrial scale food industry. All the time, I hear farmers say, ‘I have no local market.’ My response? ‘Your community doesn’t eat?’ If you are farming, then you are raising food—either for humans or animals. Disease and health issues are getting more important to the public by the day, and the problems can be fixed by relying on farmers. I believe we feed a nation by feeding our community.”

On the back of every bag of grain sold by Pfaltzgraff’s Haxtun Heritage Mills , a QR code tells consumers where the product was grown by field, and when it was seeded, harvested, and cleaned—to the day it went into the bag.

“Farmers have been marginalized by the big food companies who say real traceability is impossible. That’s not true. It’s absolutely possible if big food buys direct from farmers and gets past only buying from grain brokers. I’m saying this can be done, but we have to make sure the farmer is part of the story. Those are all pieces of a puzzle coming together in Seeding Circles.”

Roy Pfaltzgraff, left, works 2,000 dryland acres in northeast Colorado, outside Haxtun.

(Photo by Emily Kamala)

Riding shotgun with Pfaltzgraff’s concern over food sourcing is his alarm over rural decline. “Right now, and we all know it, the biggest export of rural communities is our children. I want to help reverse that trend. Maybe you know your kids are not interested in farming—but they may be interested in running a milling company or being in an ag-related enterprise. It’s a shame not to create opportunity and give them the option. That’s ties in directly to Seeding Circles.”

“If you sell strictly to the commodity market, then you can’t tell the history of your family and it gets lost. But if you bring in local food as part of the picture, including direct markets and extra markets, you bring that back. Pride of product.”

Risk and Reward
Pfaltzgraff doesn’t sugarcoat. Extreme crop diversity comes at a high cost.

In 2022, his crops drank a mere 6” of precipitation for the entire growing season. In 2023 and 2024, his rows were pounded with significant hail damage. With so many different crops in his fields, he can only get insurance on roughly half of what he grows.

“In 2022, it was so dry that we only harvested half of our crops, and our neighbors harvested none. However, they were better off because they had crop insurance on everything. Advancement comes at a cost.”

Roy Pfaltzgraff’s operation in Colorado: “Every farmer I interact with is concerned about survivability … That can only happen if there’s genuine profitability, soil health, and market opportunities.”

(Photo by Haxtun Heritage Mills)

After six years of growing black-eyed peas, Pfaltzgraff got RMA to sign off on the legume. However, he’s been waiting on insurance for seven other crops. “It’s a sticky spot. We’re told these crops won’t grow in Colorado, but we have the proof over and over in our field. If we want them insured, we have to get experts to write letters assuring the crops will grow, but RMA still maintains the right to refuse the letter.”

Pfaltzgraff does not fit in the standard farming model sought by insurers and bankers.

“Our situation is tough. We provided yield data that averaged 1,000 lb. per acre on a crop, and they said we had no market. We then provided financial data that shows we make $400 per acre net on dryland. That’s a ridiculous amount of money for this part of world. It’s great in the years you get some rain and little hail, but if either of those changes the insurance world rewards the old practices and the lender starts breathing down your neck. That’s got to change if we want healthy soils for the future.”

As always, Pfaltzgraff adjusts on the fly. “I don’t fit into their tables of risk so I’m being asked to innovate. You sure about that?”

For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

Novel Approach Makes Previously Untapped Phosphorus Available To Crops

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:38:02 GMT

With its new enzyme mode of action, Phosforce from Koch Agronomic Services is a novel phosphorus nutrient use efficiency product. It aims to make more phosphorus available to the plant during critical growth periods.

“Phosforce builds on our expertise with enzymes, but our previous work focused on nitrogen enzymes. It’s a new concept to bring to phosphorus,” says Tim Laatsch, director of agronomy for Koch Agronomic Services. “It is novel and differentiated in how it leverages natural biology to unlock the soil phosphorus.”

The enzyme in Phosforce is already in the soil but available in limited supply, and application accelerates the biochemical reactions in the soil to tap an previous unused pool of soil phosphorus.

“Phosforce highlights the untapped resource of organic phosphorus that is already in the soil. Only recently has organic phosphorus come to the forefront and we’ve started to understand how much organic phosphorus is in soils,” Laatsch says. “For example, I saw a study with a wide range of soils across Illinois and the samples ranged from 25 lb to 400 lb of organic phosphorus that we could potentially access.”

While phosphorus is relatively immobile in the soil, it’s even harder for the plant to use in cool and wet soil conditions. Making phosphorus available for plant uptake leads to healthy root development, improved vigor, and nutritional balance to overcome early environmental stress.

“In the early growing season, the plants need phosphorus to set a strong root foundation and grow rapidly,” Laatsch says. “Providing access to soil organic phosphorus is important especially during the window of time when the plant needs it the most.”
Laatsch says this is not to be confused with biological products on the market.

“This is a biochemical solution with concentrated enzymes. The end product works by adding enzymes to the soil, but we aren’t reliant on a microbe to survive in the package and then combine with the native biology,” Laatsch says. “We are starting to learn a lot more to unlock the organic phosphorus and be able to access it. You can think of it like phosphorus in your savings account. You can use the enzyme to unlock the savings account and make a withdrawal.”

The application rate for most row crops is 8 fl. oz per acre. Certain crops have higher recommended rates such as potatoes at 20 fl. oz per acre. Phosforce can be applied in furrow, banded (such as a 2x2 placement), at sidedress, in a broadcast application, or with fertigation. It’s active in the soil for up to eight weeks.

Applying additional amounts of the enzyme found in Phosforce augments a traditional phosphorus fertilizer program rather than replaces other phosphorus application rates.
“It doesn’t have to ride with a phosphorus fertilizer—it can go with UAN, ATS blends, and doesn’t necessarily have to ride with a starter,” Laatsch says. “It’s stable in fertilizer blends for three weeks. And it has a two year shelf life.”

Koch Agronomic Services has 10 years of product research data across 150 trials. Those show an average of 5.2 bu. yield response and an overall 81% numeric win rate.
“This product delivers consistent performance,” Laatsch says.

It’s labeled for all crops: row crops, specialty crops like potatoes, tree nuts, vines, turf, and ornamentals.

“All crops need phosphorus when they start growing,” Laatsch says. “So this product unlocks the organic phosphorus using its new mode of action, and it fits well into our nutrient enhancement product lineup.”

The product is available through major U.S. distributors for the 2025 growing season and can be purchased through that channel.

Ag Experts: The Election is Big, New Farm Bill is Bigger

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:30:08 GMT

The start of a new school year and the warm glow of Friday Night Lights signals the end of summer and the start of fall.

Those same indicators also portend – every four years, anyways – the impending presidential election season . And while presidential politics are certainly influential within the agriculture industry at large, our nation’s farmers currently have a much more pressing need in today’s faltering farm economy: passage of a new Farm Bill.

There hasn’t been a five-year Farm Bill since 2018, and that legislative extension is about to be sidelined by its own expiration.

When can farmers expect a new Farm Bill?
Back in June, Farm Journal asked its Ag Economists Monthly Monitor panel when they expected passage of a new Farm Bill. A combined 68% of the 70 experts surveyed indicated it could be passed in 2025, while just 19% said it could happen before the end of the year. Perhaps the worst-case scenario – nothing on the books until 2026 – is the prediction of 13% of those surveyed.

Farm leaders are beginning to grow impatient, pacing their respective sidelines like the hot seated, anxious head coach trying to rally the troops for that one last, potentially magical two-minute drill that would get this Farm Bill into the end zone. That would signify a big win for farmers, as well as the companies that help them get a quality crop into and out of the ground each year.

As of today, however, it feels like more of a Hail Mary than a one-yard Tush Push to get it over the goal line.

Making the Case
“We need a proper Farm Bill,” states Kurt Coffey, Case IH, vice president – North America. “We need to work beyond an extension and get a farm bill.

“Whether that happens later in the year, during the lame duck period – depending on who’s elected, or next year – the extension for funding that safety net goes through the end of 2024.” he adds. “So, whether we get an extension, the safety net side of crop insurance and the other things that come with it, we need to have that grassroots mobilization.”

Paul Neiffer – The Farm CPA – also strongly supports American agriculture getting the certainty that a new Farm Bill would provide . The agricultural economy is seemingly in a recession, and without an updated Farm Bill, farmers may struggle even more with net farm income expected to be substantially lower in 2025, and existing crop insurance no longer able to provide sufficient relief.

Then, if the upcoming election alters the political landscape in Congress – some are predicting control of the Senate and House could potentially flip-flop – Neiffer thinks that could cause further delay and legislative gridlock.

This whole deal could end up looking like yet another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill coming down on October 1, and then one more in 2025, which nobody really wants, Neiffer believes.

“It’s going to be a struggle,” Neiffer told AgriTalk’s Chip Flory recently. “You know, right now a lot of farmers are still okay for this year, in that we have a higher crop insurance price. But you know, when we go into next year and let’s say the projected price on corn is $3.50 and soybeans are $9. Crop insurance is not going to help us next year.”

Neiffer also shared a troubling development that he’s heard. USDA is reportedly asking some farmers to repay ERP (Emergency Relief Program) payments due to issues with crop insurance coverage on certain acres. This has created additional financial stress for farmers who received these payments based on previous calculations.

“Because once you fail to insure one acre – we’re talking one acre – but once you fail to insure one acre, they go back and recalculate your payment,” he explains. “Now instead of qualifying for the 10% loss coverage, you now must qualify for the 30% loss coverage. So therefore, you don’t qualify for any payment. You have got to pay the full amount back.

“In parts of the Midwest, that is a huge, huge deal,” Neiffer adds, noting he has heard this directly from a handful of farmers and crop insurance agents.

No matter your view of things: analyst, farmer, equipment manufacturer, or even ag retail business leader, we can all agree on one thing. America needs a new Farm Bill, sooner rather than later.

“There needs to be resolution,” Landus CEO Matt Carstens recently told CNBC’s The Exchange. “Farmers are anxious for that and getting it right, and ensuring that it happens is as important as anything right now.”

Your Next Read: Crop Insurance Provides Price Security For U.S. Farmers That’s Not Available To Counterparts In Other Countries

Russell Hedrick Aims To End Fertilizer Guesswork

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:29:20 GMT

At 15 cents to 25 cents per acre cost, can a farmer save $5 to $10 per acre in foliar sprays? Absolutely, says Russell Hedrick, pointing to proof in his own fields and the use of an artificial intelligence tool.

“Underapplying or overapplying nutrients are equally bad,” Hedrick explains. “I want to give a plant the exact amount of product needed for balance with the cheapest digital technology possible.”

That tech, according to Hedrick, is Foliar Scripts. “The fertilizer guesswork is over in my fields,” he says. “We get it right down to the ounce.”

Goodbye Guesswork

Hedrick keeps a foot in both high yield and profit-per-acre management on his corn and soybean operation in Catawba County—classic foothill country in western North Carolina, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont Plateau.

“I see so many examples of guys spending dollars to save pennies—this is the opposite” Hedrick says.

( Photo by JRH Grain Farms)

In 2019, frustrated by the loss of dollars through inexact foliar applications, Hedrick began compiling a spreadsheet detailing fertilizer use to the drop. “Guys can pull a tissue sample and get back fertilizer recommendations of 10 ounces to a gallon. What’s right? Or they’re stuck with a product that says to use 1 quart up to 6 quarts. Which one? That guesswork is where everyone suffers major losses.”

“Farmers already get a recommendation and a way to manage fertility with soil tests,” he adds. “It’s time to bring tissue sampling up to the same standards.”

Hedrick took his brainchild to AgWise, and the digital ag data platform ran with the ball, building Foliar Scripts . The recommendation tool allows growers to map what nutrients are being supplied by the soil and enables correction of in-season deficiencies. From year to year, Foliar Scripts also maps potential problem spots and stores data in a single location.

“Let’s say you have a foliar script and a 24% potassium acetate. Log in and it’ll show you are deficient by x amount and that you need to spray exactly 18 ounces,” Hedrick details. “You spend 25 cents per acre to run the program and save anywhere from 80 cents per acre on the low side to $16 per acre on the high side.”

“The program is not brand specific and has dropdowns to make sure guys anywhere in the country can pick the exact products that are local to them,” he adds.

Sarah Martello , CEO of AgWise, echoes Hedrick. “It’s so easy and as simple as doing nutrient tests. It’s a huge opportunity for farmers to use only what is needed and save money at the same time.”

“Here’s reality,” Hedrick continues. “One quart of a particular foliar product may cost the producer $2 per acre, but 2 gallons may cost you $20 per acre. There’s $18 per acre the farmer has no management decisions on how to make the educated, scientific application. That’s where AgWise comes in and works with foliar scripts where now a grower can use a soil sample, correct their soil, and then if they have deficiencies in the plant, or an imbalance, they can come back in-season and pull a tissue sample. It costs 13 cents for a 40-acre sample and 26 cents for a 20-acre sample.”

Calculus Change

AgWise partners with numerous commercial labs that send the company tissue information from a given grower. AgWise then generates a precise recommendation report to be used by the grower. “Do your tissue sample and put this as an add-on to your test. It costs the lab absolutely nothing. And if your lab doesn’t offer this yet, you can still go online and sign up,” Hedrick says. “Just enter the numbers and the script generates off that—so user-friendly.”

“I want to give a plant the exact amount of product needed for balance with the cheapest digital technology possible,” Hedrick explains.

(Photo by JRH Grain Farms)

Hedrick’s yields are proof positive of Foliar Scripts , Martello notes. “Precise recommendations save farmers a lot of money. This is great now, but it’s going to become amazing when we continue adding data into the system.”

Precise nutrient applications have paid huge dividends on Hedrick’s operation. “I see so many examples of guys spending dollars to save pennies—this is the opposite” he says. “At 25 cents per acre, there’s no way I can afford not to use this.”

In 2012, Hedrick began farming solo and was blessed with strong commodity prices. Two years later, prices dropped, but inputs were relatively low. In 2024, the calculus has changed, and Hedrick leans on the fractional cost of digital data.

“We’re at a point where prices are down and inputs are generally up. Since 2021, we’ve seen fertilizer jump 300 percent and chemistry 200 percent. Now is the time to pay 25 or 50 cents per acre to track inputs and reduce them by 25 percent, just for example. However, that 25% savings now is 200% greater than savings 10 years ago,” he concludes. “That’s how we can still make money in farming right now.”

Ferrie: Corn Is Going Into The Home Stretch, Do You Need To Make A Second Fungicide Application?

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 19:17:47 GMT

Ken Ferrie is hearing from farmers across the Midwest who are trying to decide whether to make a second fungicide application to hybrids affected by heavy disease pressure. In southern Indiana, he is seeing many fields of corn at R5 that are fighting tar spot, which is particularly concerning because of how quickly the disease can take down a corn crop.

“There, many fields have been sprayed twice, and farmers are entertaining a third application,” says Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, based in Heyworth, Ill.

At this point in the season, Ferrie recommends corn growers scout fields with tar spot to identify where it is located on the plants. Look to see if the disease is moving around and can be found higher in the plants, and not just along the base of the stalks.

“With corn prices expected to lead with a three in the front, it does make it hard for growers to decide what to do next,” Ferrie acknowledges. “We have corn stretched out here in Illinois from R3.5 to R5, and at R5 we still have 30 days to go in this growing season.”

Another consideration farmers need to think through is how long they will need tar spot infected corn to stand in the field before harvesting it.

“Many of you guys have indicated you’re going to let corn dry in the field, and you don’t care if that takes until December,” he says. “In corn with tar spot in the midway up in the plants at R4 and with the plan to dry corn in the field, you may need to help that crop out with a second fungicide pass.”

Don’t Over-Estimate Yield Counts

2024 will go down as the year of the aphid for many growers. Some hybrids are giving up 15 to 35 bushels per acre to the pest, which is adding insult to injury by contributing to green snap.

“In some fields, aphids have caused the plants to abort one-third to all of the ear. Green snap below the ear means a complete loss, and green snap above the ears is resulting in about a third of an ear, which is probably going to go through the stripper plates,” Ferrie says.

As you do yield checks in these fields, he says to start with all the non-affected corn ears and calculate the yield on them first. Then, make a yield estimate on the poor ears, divide this number by 90, and then add that number to your unaffected ear yield estimate to arrive at your final yield estimate.

“These aphid-affected plants often have uniform stalk diameters, which can be missed when you’re checking your ear counts out there,” Ferrie cautions. “Growers who disregard poor ears and calculate the yield on good ears and use uniform plants as their ear count are going to over-estimate yields.”

Ferrie notes that the impact of aphids is worse on some hybrids than on others, but to not simply resort to pulling those hybrids out of your lineup for 2025, because many of them are high-yielding.

“We just need to be aware if aphids are an issue in certain hybrids as we plan for next season,” he says. “For now, those affected hybrids need to be watched for harvest loss this fall. Don’t let them get through the stripper plate, and get as much corn off aborted tips as possible,” he adds.

Listen here for this week’s complete Boots In The Field podcast: https://www.croptechinc.com/bifr-8-19-2024/

Spotlight On Soybeans 'Taking The Stage' For Fungicide Use

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 21:37:40 GMT

Farmers looking to decide when to apply a soybean foliar fungicide can get their biggest ROI from the application by determining the crop’s growth stage, says Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech Consulting research agronomist.

Right now in the Midwest (late July), many soybean crops are somewhere in the midst of the R2 to R4 growth stages.

A growth stage begins when 50% or more of the soybean plants are in or beyond a specific stage, according to Iowa State University Extension.

Duesterhaus says that during the R2 to R4 growth-stage range, you start seeing some of the biggest yield moves—both up and down—in soybeans.

“These pod development stages are about finalizing the potential for soybean yields,” Duesterhaus explains. “From R2 to R4, we need to do everything we can to protect the beans so they can hang onto those flowers as pods. Then, in August, we see how we can fulfill the potential out there.”

Duesterhaus provides additional insights in the brief video recorded this week during the 2024 Farm Journal Corn & Soybean College in Heyworth, Ill.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UByvOkbx-g

Fungicide Efficacy Insights

Stephanie Porter, Outreach Agronomist for the Illinois Soybean Association, says it’s important to correctly identify what specific soybean fungal disease is present at growth stage R3. Then, you can determine what fungicide mode of action groups will provide the best fungicide efficacy to achieve maximum disease control.

In an online article, Porter says the North Central Regional Committee on Soybean Diseases has developed information on foliar fungicide efficacy for control of major foliar diseases .

“These efficacy ratings are based upon the level of disease control achieved by the product and are not necessarily reflective of yield increases achieved by the product application,” Porter says. “Efficacy will depend on the right application timing, rate, and method of application and this is outlined in product label instructions to achieve the optimum effectiveness of the fungicide.”

Read her complete article at Staging Soybeans for Fungicide at the R3 Growth Stage

Learn more about staging soybeans at:
Understand the Soybean’s Journey from Planting to Harvest
Study Soybean Growth To Build Up Yield
Want to Take More Beans to the Bin at Harvest?

4 Tips to Navigate the Hemp Gold Rush

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:14:47 GMT

Gold fever. About 171 years ago, 300,000 people made a pilgrimage to California to hew those precious nuggets from the earth. Today, green is the new gold, and like those miners of the past, farmers must constantly guard against fool’s gold in this new marketplace. Here’s what you need to know to protect your investment even as smart leaders work to tame the Wild West hemp marketplace into a new and exciting crop for the family farm.

1. Understand certified seed. “In this industry, ‘certified’ refers to the maintenance of genetics to ensure cultivar performance, including, in the case of cannabis, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) compliance,” says Tom Dermody, vice president of operations for Bija Hemp in Denver, Colo. “The certification process is enforced by vested members of the Association of Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) within North America and by complimentary organizations like the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA).”

Heritage seed varieties—for example, those farmers saved from previous harvests—tend to be less reliable. The biggest benefit of certified seed, Dermody says, is that it helps protect farmers against hot crops—those exceeding the 0.3% THC limit outlined in the 2014 farm bill.

“In 2016, 25% of Colorado’s industrial hemp acreage failed for being ‘hot,’ noncompliant with federal THC limits,” Dermody says. “In 2017, that number fell to 7.8%. The Colorado Department of Agriculture found the majority of ‘hot’ acres were from heritage seed varieties.”

David Williams, a professor of agronomy with the University of Kentucky Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is a participant in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Program charged with investigating the agronomic parameters affecting field-scale production of industrial hemp.

His work started in 2014, with the passage of the 2014 farm bill, but their efforts that year were small, and he says they didn’t learn a great deal. Work started in earnest in 2015, and Williams says there is still so much that is unknown four years later.

“Acquiring the right genetics is by far the biggest challenge,” Williams says. “But every single year, even for people like me who plan months and months in advance, it doesn’t always go without issue. Until we have domestic certified seed production on a much larger scale than it exists today, I suppose that will remain a challenge for the future.”

Starting with the right genetics and a line that tests regularly at legal levels is the best approach, Williams says.

2. Choose a science-based approach. Williams says he predicts the current production model for cannabidiol (CBD) is not sustainable.It’s based on marijuana production, and there’s no scientific evidence these models are efficient for broad-acre production of CBD.

“If the bud is the harvestable component of interest, if that’s what you want to harvest and sell, then these current production models are totally valid,” he says. “But if the molecule CBD, for example, is the harvestable component of interest, or what they like to call the whole-plant extract, simple mathematics can be used to extrapolate greatly increased yield per acre of molecule from a drilled production model than the current spaced plant production models.”

Another area where farmers are perfectly poised to produce hemp: harvest time and drying. Currently, the infrastructure doesn’t exist to do that well, Williams says, so his team has been doing some work on ensiling with positive results.

“So if we can grow a high CBD germplasm as a row crop and chop it with a silage chopper and ensile that material until the processor calls for it, then we have a far more efficient production model,” Williams says. “Now clearly that’s going to have a negative impact on the price as well, but as long as it remains somewhere slightly above corn and soybeans and wheat—and it’s still economically and biologically a good thing to have the different species of plant in your rotation, in addition to spreading the risk in your operation. Additionally, some re-engineering of the extraction process will be necessary to accommodate the reduced efficiency of extracting from more extraneous materials in silage relative to the much cleaner bud material used today.”

Hence, farmers are much like Samuel Brannan, a merchant who purchased all of the pickaxes, pans, waders and prospecting gear he could get his hands on and sold them to the 49ers hopeful of striking it rich in the gold rush. Farmers possess the critical tools—in this case knowledge and infrastructure—to put reliable farming practices into action for hemp production.

3. Make a solid plan. Start by checking whether your state has the infrastructure and capacity to process your crop. Many states do not currently have the ability to support this crop or scale up to the processing capacity to support large crops, Williams says. You’ll also want to review your latitude and ability to irrigate to help you decide what type of crop you’re going to grow, whether it’s fiber or a dual purpose grain or a grain only or CBD dual purpose.

“It all boils down to a farmer being able to receive a check, and it’s not valuable enough to ship very far, with the exception today of the oil material for CBD,” Williams says. “But if you’re growing for fiber or grain you need to have a processor within a couple hundred miles.”

Also remember environments in every state will often be different, so each state will have to learn some things for themselves. Williams says we can also look to our Canadian and European neighbors for help, because they’ve had active industries for the last 20 years.

The bright side, Williams says, is hemp really isn’t that difficult to grow.

“Honestly, as a row crop, like corns and beans it’s really not that difficult to grow,” Williams says. “There are some potential issues during establishment that producers need to be aware of. But once the canopy’s established, it’s a pretty durable crop, and it’s very much like corn in many regards. It doesn’t like poorly drained soils, it reacts well to nitrogen, so a lot of the same thinking towards a successful corn crop would to a successful hemp crop as well.”

4. Don’t invest more than you can afford to lose. Like the gold hunters of yesteryear who bet the shirts on their backs to make it big in the gold rush, farmers must realize there’s no protection if you roll the dice, because crop insurance doesn’t currently exist for hemp. “We always recommend that farmers not enter into a program unless they can afford to lose 100% of their investments, and that’s happened on many occasions,” Williams says. “That’s definitely possible, especially with brand new processors and brand new producers.”

Click next page to read more about the future of certified seed: