Top Stories
Largest-ever combined corn and soy planted acreage
U.S. farmers planted a record amount of corn and soybeans in the 2026/27 season, USDA reported this week. Combined planted acreage of the two crops reached 183.5 million acres, more than 3 million acres higher than the previous combined crop record. The record was reflected in this week’s Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates reports from USDA, which found an additional 1.4 million planted acres for both corn and soybeans, increasing the corn crop slightly and...
Senator Grassley discusses farm bill fallout
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is back in Iowa after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its farm bill last Thursday and the Senate is in its August recess. Senator Grassley says he will be engaging with Iowa’s farmers to talk to them about...
Secretary Naig invites fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” with Choose Iowa
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is inviting fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” Choose Iowa during the 2026 Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13-23 in Des Moines. As an official sponsor of the Iowa State Fair, Choose Iowa will showcase the people, food, agriculture...
Don’t wait for crisis to plan farm succession
Passing a farm from one generation to the next involves more than transferring land, equipment or livestock. For many farm families, succession means determining the future of a business, a livelihood and a legacy that may have taken generations to build. That...
Iowa farmers closely watching August WASDE and crop reports
The August WASDE and crop reports will be published by USDA on Wednesday August 12th and will feature the latest USDA yield estimates and updated acreage numbers. The reports will be published at 11:00 AM central time on Wednesday. Eric Relph of Commstock Investments...
China steps up U.S. soybean purchases ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
China has increased purchases of U.S. soybeans following a May summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, providing a boost for American soybean exporters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported China purchased 238,000 metric tons of...
Iowa producers welcome meat export recovery
Although U.S. beef exports were slightly lower in volume in June, export value was higher than a year ago. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said U.S. beef exports are benefiting from strong demand in countries like Taiwan and parts of Latin America. Growing demand...
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More Ag News
USGBC chairman sees opportunities for export growth
Strong export demand has provided an important outlet for U.S. farmers, but the new chairman of the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council says maintaining that momentum will require protecting established customers while continuing to develop new markets. Nebraska...
Research highlights where agrivoltaics works best
As more farmland is considered for solar energy development, researchers are exploring whether crops and clean energy can successfully share the same acres. The USDA-funded SCAPES project – short for Sustainably Colocating Agricultural and Photovoltaic Electricity...
Iowa farmers need to keep scouting crops amid disease pressure
While it’s not as bad as last year, Southern Rust is spreading across Iowa, and it can take over fields quickly. On top of that, this is also the point in the crop season where tar spot tends to impact corn fields as well. This makes effective crop scouting more...
Senator Grassley discusses farm bill fallout
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is back in Iowa after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its farm bill last Thursday and the Senate is in its August recess. Senator Grassley says he will be engaging with Iowa’s farmers to talk to them about...
Secretary Naig invites fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” with Choose Iowa
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is inviting fairgoers to get into the “Fair Spirit” Choose Iowa during the 2026 Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13-23 in Des Moines. As an official sponsor of the Iowa State Fair, Choose Iowa will showcase the people, food, agriculture...
