Field Posts

The farm equipment market is as tight as ever, with new and used equipment in extremely high demand after a year of good commodity prices and supply chain disruptions that have left manufacturers scrambling for commodity inputs to make everything from tires to computer chips. Today, we’ll talk with Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller about the latest in what to expect in the months ahead i...

The weather is turning colder, and the minds of farmers are turning towards the year ahead, as strategy planning gets well underway. DTN’s Ag Summit is helping to put farmers into that strategic mindset, with sessions on markets, weather, global trade, changing tax regimes and the effects of Coronavirus. DTN’s Katie Dehlinger stops by today with updates on what to expect from the event this year i...

Earlier this year, meat giant JBS was forced to pay millions in ransom when a cybersecurity breach left data critical to their operation vulnerable to online criminals. Since then, other organizations, from cooperatives to pipelines, have also been attacked, and with more and more of agriculture’s critical information being stored online, anxiety is growing.  Today, DTN’s Victoria Myers joins us t...

The October WASDE dropped Tuesday, October 12th. This report was expected to be a market mover, as USDA was expected to make some significant adjustments in the aftermath of the September 30th Grain Stocks report, and this months’ report was their first opportunity to correct the record.   DTN Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack the updated figures in a report that turned out to be one of the mo...

The September 30th Quarterly Stocks report wasn’t expected to cause much of a stir, but bigger than expected updates to soybean totals surprised markets and analysts alike. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack USDA’s updates and discuss how these updated figures fit into the overall picture as the 2021 season inches closer to the close. We’ll talk more about what new stock levels mean for a...

Whether farmers and ranchers are dealing with severe drought in the Northern Plains and Western states or too much wetness in the Eastern Corn Belt, weather is wearing on the hay market and leading to a challenging price situation.  This week, we’re joined by DTN editor and reporter Russ Quinn to dig into the regional variations in the hay market, where prices and availability have been throughout...

As harvest 2021 shifts into the rearview mirror, it’s time to start thinking about the year to come and how your farm can prepare for success. With the winter planning season just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about the successes and setbacks of 2021 and how to turn those lessons into durable decisions in the year to come.  Attending the 2021 DTN Ag Summit, held again this year in...

Among other surprises, the September WASDE brought with it an unexpected update from the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Will the new info provide more clarity for markets ahead of harvest?   The September WASDE dropped Friday, September 10th. With this report, the National Agricultural Statistics Service updated acreage adjustments for a range of crops, a change that usually isn’t avail...

Two young producers, from Texas and Iowa, reflect on farming grains, livestock, and families in 2021, the harvest, and what comes next.  Since 2005, DTN Progressive Farmer has been selecting two farmers every year from various parts of the country to participate in their annual View from the Cab Project. These farmers spend a full year getting to know DTN’s Pamela Smith as they work through  weekl...

Bryce Anderson started his ag meteorology career with DTN Progressive farmer in 1991, and since then has been keeping an eye on the weather on behalf of the ag community, carefully following trends both here in the US and around the world. After more than 30 years of forecasting, Bryce is transitioning to the role of DTN Meteorologist Emeretis, and he joins us today to reflect on his career, discu...

On Friday, August 13th, DTN analysts wrapped up the findings of the 2021 digital yield tour powered by Gro Intelligence, whose satellite mapping technology is revealing a potentially bin busting crop in the fields across the Midwest. Today we’ll check in DTN Business Editor Katie Dehlinger for the results from the big ten corn and soybeans states, including North Dakota for the first time, and dis...

The August WASDE dropped Thursday, August 12th, and proved to be one of the more surprising reports in recent months.  DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack some bullish wheat and corn numbers and discuss how weather around the world continues to drive markets. We’ll talk more about shifting demand, the uncertainty in USDA predictions as harvest approaches, and what factors from harvest wetn...

For nearly two decades, the renewable fuel standard has helped make the ethanol and biofuels industries major destinations for US crops. But for corn markets in the last few years, uncertainty has run rampant, as high demand gave way to excess supplies, made worse by unreliable biofuel policies. And now, at the end of 2022, the big reset is looming. Today, DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley and Progre...

DTN’s 4th annual digital yield tour is just around the corner-- taking place August 9th through August 14th.    And with the latest county and national level yield forecasts from gro intelligence informing the tour, it’s bound to be an insightful week for anyone hoping to understand the bigger picture in advance of harvest 2021.  Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us for a previ...

So far, 2021 has been one of the best years for grain prices in the last decades. Farmers have taken notice and worked hard to capitalize on the opportunity, despite severe weather and trade risks that have arisen in the meantime. But is there more that producers can do to make sure they're positioned well, not just for today’s opportunity, but for tomorrow’s too? Today, DTN Farm Business Edi...

The July WASDE dropped Monday, July 12th, taking into account both the June 30th acreage report updates as well as looming weather factors.  DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack the bullish-ness news and discuss how the market is reacting, to this report and to factors well outside its scope. We’ll talk more about the decline in soybean prices over recent weeks, and what that could mean for...

Indiana and Illinois farmer Scott Wallis made the switch to 20 inch rows all the way back in 2001, and since then has made some significant transitions in his operation. Today, he joins us to talk about what went into the decision, how he’s managed the risks, and how shifting agronomic decisions have affected everything from labor demands to fertility and pest protection on his farm. We’ll dig int...

Lawmakers here in the Nation’s capital seem to be coming close to an agreement on a vast infrastructure plan that includes funds to invest not only in roads, bridges, levees and dams throughout the country, but also in rural broadband and green energy. Farmers and rural communities are paying close attention to how these talks play out, and what the final package might mean for everything from mar...

David Horsager is the CEO of the Trust Edge Leadership Institute, and has been a rockstar at multiple DTN Ag Summits in recent years. In the ag sector, where discussion often focus on practices, tools, and the physical realities of the business, conversations about the intangibles, like the importance of relationship and trust can be thin on the ground. But not any more. This week, we’ll listen in...

Since the Tyson Holbolm Fire of 2019, the spread between the prices received for boxed beef by US packers and those received by live cattle producers have diverged. Market shocks from the global pandemic created more havoc in the markets, and over the intervening months, concern from lawmakers, USDA officials, and cattle producers have grown. Today, we’re joined by DTN Ag policy editor Chris Claty...

The June WASDE dropped Thursday, June 10th, representing an early season report without many changes from the May version.  Nevertheless, DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to break down the surprises we saw in supply and demand, and what may have prompted USDA’s update for stocks. We’ll take a closer look at the slightly weakening soybean basis, at what continued dryness means for wheat, and about...

It’s been a wild year for beef markets, whether you’re a cow-calf operator, a feedlot, or a packer. As the industry continues to work through the effects of a global pandemic, calls for restructuring have grown, and then a data breach at JBS has sent the sector reeling.  Today we’ll catch up with DTN Livestock Analyst Shayle Stewart, to learn more about the latest news and put all of these issues...

After a year without a crop tour, Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde made his way to the Southern plains with dozens of farmers, industry experts, and reporters to take part in the annual Hard Winter Wheat Tour. Today we’ll hear the latest numbers from the tour from Matt, and learn first hand what he saw out in the field from Oklahoma to Kansas. We’ll talk about crop development, weather r...

The May WASDE dropped Wednesday, May 12th. And though this report arrives early in the season, and so carries the uncertainty of being an early prediction, it offers valuable insight on what might be ahead for markets in the 2021 crop season.  DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to break down how the market is thinking about the old crop versus the new one, and whether USDA’s predictions for export...

Dicamba has been embroiled in regulatory and legal controversy for years at this point, and with the changing of the guard in Washington, label changes are adding complexity to what products farmers can use, including when and how they can use them. DTN staff reporter Emily Unglesbee joins us today for a deep dive on how dicamba products can be used this year, according to both the three updated f...