Soybean News
The latest soybean commodity market news and insights for soybean producers and agribusiness.
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Several years of low commodity prices, high input costs and thin margins have taken a toll on soil stewardship in some parts of the country. As a result, farmers need to use caution and do their homework before renting ground that’s coming available in their area for 2026.
Wheat acres are expected to decline, and little change is anticipated for cotton acres after a drop in 2025.
Going into the final weeks of the year, many growers across the country are shouldering significant financial strain from land rent payments, rising input costs, and efforts to stay in business and viable until commodity prices improve.
The fungal disease has spread to fields in at least seven states since 2018, including three new ones just this year. Once established, the pathogen is nearly impossible to eradicate, Extension plant pathologists report.
Both products have been registered for use by the EPA, with one of them featuring a novel active ingredient.
Farmers wanting to hang onto the soil moisture in their fields are struggling to address compaction and ruts where there has been little to no recent rainfall. Anhydrous ammonia applications are also difficult to get sealed in fields where moisture is minimal.
Growers say they remain cautiously optimistic and believe the U.S. is “headed in the right direction.” But they want the gridlock with China to end and for actual steps to be taken to get their crops sold and shipped.
As crops go into bins, growers will be looking to maintain quality until their marketing opportunities improve. Some ongoing management practices are vital to the process.
The White House says China will buy 12 MMT of U.S. soybeans in late 2025 and 25 MMT annually through 2028, plus resume U.S. sorghum and hardwood log imports, clearing confusion over comments from Secretary Bessent.
Kansas State University’s Joe Parcell says livestock revenues make up more than half of the state’s projected $6.2 billion increase, but volatility across its rural economies signals continued uncertainty ahead.
Agronomists answer farmer questions about the role of nitrogen and other nutrients in lessening the potential impact of yield robbers such as southern rust and tar spot in corn.
Details are minimal so it’s not clear how there will be enough staff to provide the Milk Production, Crop Production, Cattle on Feed and WASDE reports with many still furloughed.
The announcement Beijing is buying soybeans marks a crucial step toward achieving some market stability for U.S. growers in the near term and hope for the future. USDA’s Vaden says the purchase ‘represents a floor and not a ceiling,’ while ag economists offer a mix of optimism and caution.
In 2024, the U.S. exported nearly 27 million metric tons of soybeans to China.
As a handful of corporations influences more of the agricultural supply chain, row crop growers say they are left with fewer input choices, higher prices and diminishing control over their own operations.
As the two countries battle over trade tariffs, China reportedly buys three cargoes of U.S. soybeans, its first purchase in months.
After three straight years of having a May-planted crop that outperformed corn planted only a few weeks earlier, some Illinois farmers are ready to throw in the towel on planting corn before the calendar turns to May.
Some analysts believe a deal with Beijing will happen this week because of a potential gap in availability of the oilseed that’s likely to occur between the time the U.S. bean harvest ends and the Brazil harvest begins.
Arlan Suderman says the U.S. is strengthening ties with Argentina to counter China’s growing influence — a global strategy that’s leaving many U.S. farmers and ranchers feeling sidelined.
Beijing’s refusal to buy American and its pivot to Brazil could be less about economics and more to do with politics. “It’s a calculated decision about control and national leverage, not about getting the cheapest beans,” says one ag economist.
Some row-crop growers are converting acres, banking on long-term opportunities with beef. Others are staying the course with crops but embracing ways to add some dollars to their bottom line in the short-term.
University of Minnesota soybean breeders are working to increase oil content in soybeans from around 22% to closer to 30%, a crop with higher oil that could cater to emerging demand.
The new product also addresses other key issues in soybeans like frogeye leaf spot and septoria brown spot.
The impact of disease and dry conditions are becoming increasingly evident as combines roll. More than 70% of farmers report steady or lower yields in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.
With contributing factors ranging from insect pressure to disease and environmental stressors this season, agronomists say farmers face hard decisions on when to combine their crop in affected fields.
The new technology is being evaluated in Farm Journal Test Plots this fall and catching a lot of farmer interest in the process. Check out our brief video showing the system at work in a central Illinois cornfield.
Planting more cover crops this fall is one way corn and soybean growers are addressing their 2026 nutrient needs and looking to trim expenses in the process.
With the loss of Chinese demand, U.S. ag is searching for its next “shining star.” Researchers at Iowa State may have found it for soybeans: the road beneath your feet and the refineries needed to fuel your truck or car.
The microbial product works as part of an integrated strategy to address SCN, the No. 1 yield-reducing pest problem in soybeans. Farmers routinely see yields cut by 5 bushels or more per acre in affected fields.
Herbicides and defoliants are commonly used by farmers in southern regions to quicken the harvest period and reduce the risk of shatter loss and poor test weights. Now, Midwest growers and researchers are looking at how to use the practice.