Top Stories
Fordyce explains unusual ARC and PLC signup
Persistent rain has kept combines parked across much of Iowa, leaving farmers waiting for fields to dry out and harvest to get moving. While they wait, there is another decision to make involving the 2026 crop. USDA has opened enrollment for the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs. USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce says the signup period opened September 16 and runs through December 11. The timing is unusual because ARC and PLC...
Heavy rains reveal both water quality progress and needs
Heavy rains can put Iowa’s water quality challenges under a microscope. When water starts moving across farm fields, erosion and nutrient loss can become much easier to see. But those same conditions can also highlight the progress being made on farms where...
BASF pleased with herbicide weed control in 2026
This crop season has been defined by heavy rains across much of Iowa, especially as we get into harvest. Mid-season rains made weed control more difficult, but BASF has heard a lot of good feedback about the performances of their herbicide portfolio. Kurt Maertens of...
Trump administration weighs diesel export ban
Record-high diesel prices are pressuring farmers heading into harvest, and the Trump administration is considering whether restricting diesel exports could provide relief. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says officials are examining whether a full or partial export...
China’s ag purchase pledge back in spotlight ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China are set to meet Thursday September 24th in Washington D.C. Jim McCormick, co-founder of AgMarket.net, says that the agriculture industry will be closely following the meeting to determine what agriculture topics...
Oil prices move lower in response to peace talk rumors
After weeks of steady improvement, oil prices traded lower to start this week as they were down 4-5% in Monday’s trading action. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at Gasbuddy.com, said the markets are likely hopeful that the Trump administration is going to...
Naig warns against rushing fall applications
Recent rains have delayed harvest across Iowa, but the wet conditions are also putting more attention on water quality and how farmers manage nutrients and conservation practices heading into the fall. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the recent rainfall...
Video
More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (9-24-26)
A disappointing U.S. export sales report added to the negative tone in the markets as the ag industry waits to hear about the U.S.-China trade meeting. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn exports continue to be behind pace for the new marketing year....
National Pork Board encourages farmers to take care during harvest
Woven into the We Care® Ethical Principles, One Health connects human health, animal health, and the health of the environment. Discussion topics during this week’s National Farm Safety and Health Week fit right into this, including mental well-being as a priority....
Rain makes grain but also halts combines
A stubborn high-pressure ridge has brought excessive moisture to areas of the United States, including the Great Plains and Midwest this summer. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that the rain was welcome at first, but too much rain has become a problem in some...
Environmental group sues EPA for dicamba records
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. The suit claims the EPA failed to release records the group requested under the Freedom of Information Act about...
Heavy rains reveal both water quality progress and needs
Heavy rains can put Iowa’s water quality challenges under a microscope. When water starts moving across farm fields, erosion and nutrient loss can become much easier to see. But those same conditions can also highlight the progress being made on farms where...
