Weather - General
Agronomists say uniform but thinner stands often outperform starting over with corn and soybeans.
Farmers in parts of the High Plains and Southeast need a break from relentless drought, while nationwide planting progress is outpacing the five-year average.
Former NFL player Cody White applies his athletic experience on the field to rising input costs and market volatility in DeWitt County, Illinois.
It can take a few days to assess actual damage results following a frost. Ferrie offers four recommendations on how to do your initial evaluations.
The nation’s corn crop is currently 11% planted, sitting 2 points ahead of the five-year average. Although many Illinois farmers are waiting to plant because of wet conditions, much of the latest national crop progress comes from Illinois and Indiana.
Tim Webster and Steve Crothers share their cropping plans, telling Ken Ferrie they hope to bounce back this season from record low rainfall and extreme heat in 2025.
Reaching levels rarely seen since 2013, historic dryness grips the eastern Corn Belt, the Southeast and into the western Plains. With 68% of winter wheat in drought, producers face potential abandonment.
A fast-developing El Niño could bring much-needed rain to the Plains, but timing and coverage remain uncertain. Brian Bledsoe explains what a strong event could mean for drought relief.
Ken Ferrie offers practical steps to salvage your yield potential if you’ve been affected by heavy rains and seed quality issues.
Agronomist Eric Beckett shares strategies for managing tillage, product applications and budgets despite what’s shaping up to be a dry and potentially windy spring.
As planting dates shift earlier, the nutrient is delivering significant yield responses and surprising protection against sudden death syndrome.
There are at least two solid reasons for using an N “stabilizer” in your fields this spring, as well as one scenario when it doesn’t make financial sense.
Weather is unpredictable, but a solid plan ensures you’re prepared for whatever the planting season brings.
A wet, active weather pattern across the Eastern Corn Belt could delay early planting this spring. Meteorologist Matt Griffin says repeated rain events through March and April may keep fields too saturated for fieldwork east of Iowa.
As La Niña Looks to Make One of Its Quickest Exits on Record, Strong El Niño Signals Are Now Brewing
Pacific waters are warming rapidly as La Niña fades. Meteorologists warn the shift could reshape U.S. rainfall, drought conditions and severe weather risk during the 2026 growing season.
Barbell, beer can and banana are descriptive names for abnormal ear shapes that show up every season and cause yield losses — problems growers could avoid more often by tuning into three factors researchers refer to as GEM.
How you manage the mix in cornfields can determine whether the nitrogen feeds your crop or disappears into thin air.
While the EPA has set federal regulations for 2026 applications, some states are implementing tighter calendar deadlines and temperature cutoffs.
From La Niña to El Niño, what does the shifting Pacific mean for your 2026 yields? Atmospheric scientist Matt Reardon leans toward optimism while keeping his eyes on these factors.
Purdue’s Shaun Casteel shares three lessons from the field on the value of letting your soybeans ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ early in the season.
How quickly will La Niña exit this year, and when will El Niño enter the picture? Not all meteorologists agree with NOAA or one another, but the timing could have a major impact on weather this spring and summer.
Ken Ferrie gives some practical tips on how you can rely more on facts and less on your gut to reduce management mistakes and achieve better cropping outcomes.
2026 Weather Outlook: La Niña’s Quick Exit, El Niño’s Potential and the Signals Farmers Should Watch
Meteorologists predict a quick La Niña exit, with a 75% chance of transitioning to ENSO-neutral by Jan-March. Expect neutral conditions to persist through at least late spring with a growing chance of El Niño in 2026.
Weather events the day after Thanksgiving are giving a preview for cold temperatures and increased precipitation.
Susan Olson, of Action Intel, analyzes barge movement and logistics and says the past few weeks show a divergence in how grain is getting to export markets.
Leading ag meteorologists share the weather drivers they are watching.
Matt Makens from Makens Weather shares a recap of the weather trends most effecting agriculture in 2025 and gives a preview for his outlook going into 2026.
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.