Field Posts

What was supposed to be the 2023 Farm Bill has officially become the 2024 Farm Bill, and after the events of recent weeks, looks poised to become the 2025 Farm Bill. With the dog days of summer upon us, an already unproductive Congress turns the majority of its attention to the campaign trail, leaving the outlook for farm and rural legislation looking decidedly bleak.  As the national election app...

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins calls Soybean Cyst Nematode the Rodney Dangerfield of soybean pests — it doesn’t get nearly the respect it deserves. While estimates put annual damage from SCN in the $1.5 billion dollar range, it still rarely earns a spot among soybean grower’s top concerns. Many growers trust the “SCN Resistant” label on their soybean seeds to provide the protection they need again...

The DTN Ag Summit Series event "Navigating the Cattle Markets Ups and Downs" is a wrap, but for those who missed the industry leading data and analysis, we’ve got you covered. This week on the podcast we’re dropping in on the keynote presentation from DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart, who tackled the latest numbers, broke down forecasts, and answered audience questions to boot. ShayL...

The June WASDE dropped Wednesday June 12th, leaving markets unmoved despite expectations that USDA might recognize the weather that’s kept US farmers out of the field in many regions. With plenty more season still ahead, and a few more opportunities for the department to bring down the current record yield estimate for the 2024 crop, analysts and growers alike will turn back to weather forecasts a...

Since 2005, DTN Progressive Farmer has been selecting two farmers every year from across 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  weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the broader farm community.  Today, we’re sitting down with Quint Pottinger, a...

Farm shops are a critical piece of infrastructure on virtually all farm operations, and building one that fits the diverse and ever-changing needs of a given ag business, and the family that operates, can be a challenging endeavor. Many spend years dreaming out floor plans on the backs of napkins in the coffee shop, visiting the shops of neighbors far and wide, and planning for all the many uses t...

American wheat watchers descended on Kansas from May 14th to May 16th this year to participate in the Wheat Quality Council’s 2024 crop tour. The three day scouting trip took dozens on an arc across the state, from Manhattan, Colby, Wichita, and countless road-side stops in between. In the end, analysts recorded a predicted yield in the state that, though a bit short of spectacular, will likely be...

Rural and farm communities have made big strides in recent years in discussing mental health issues and solutions. And not a moment too soon — between challenging commodity markets, extreme weather conditions, a global pandemic, and intensifying social and cultural situation, the amount of stress, pressure, and challenge that farmers and rural residents face continues to climb. Today, Content Mana...

The May WASDE dropped Friday May 10th, bringing with it a bullish mood for corn and wheat markets that was strong enough to even offset some pessimism in the soybean arena. With US planting conditions taking a turn for the wet and disagreeable weather rearing its head in Latin America, the USDA’s initial outlook for a record crop seems to be fading already.  DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman...

Reports earlier this month that dairy cattle have become infected with the strain of High-Path Avian Influenza, or HPAI, that has been affecting wild and domestic bird populations for more than two years rocked cattle markets and brought an air of pessimism to a beef sector that seemed to defy doubt. But with a recent report from USDA offering more hope that supplies are still limited and demand r...

Finding space on a farm for a family member to return can be a tough challenge. More and more, returnees are looking to build adjacent businesses to earn their keep, exploring everything from direct to market meats to u-pick operations. Growing these enterprises can be a great way to build confidence and develop the skills that will help them take over the farm, and in many cases, they can also be...

The April WASDE dropped Thursday April 11th, keeping the momentum of data releases going as USDA looks to the season ahead. Overall, many questions remain, though updates on planting intentions and the March 28th grain stocks report suggest that anemic prices might be here to stay a little while longer.  DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to dig into the USDA’s three latest rep...

The Census of Agriculture is a long standing USDA tradition, stretching all the way back to the department’s founding. A few weeks ago, the department revealed its latest iteration, updating the 2017 numbers with the latest figures that captured the impacts of trade wars, the global pandemic, and half a decade of extraordinary uncertainty.  To help us tackle this huge trove of agricultural data, a...

March 19th, the official first day of spring of this 2024 leap year, was followed shortly by some of the wettest and most wintery weather many have seen since harvest. The waning El Nino pattern deserves some of the credit or the blame, as farmers worrying about drought balance the need for more soil moisture and the desire to get in the field.  To help us sort out this unpredictable is DTN’s Team...

2024’s National Ag Day is March 19th, with major events taking place in Washington DC and all around the country as farmers, their families, and ag industry members gather to celebrate their work. The day will kick off with a Presidential proclamation honoring the day, followed by words from the Secretary of Agriculture, the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and so much more.  To b...

The 100th annual USDA Ag Outlook Forum took place February 15th and 16th, and the Department’s keystone event didn’t disappoint. Given current conditions and forecasts, analysts are expecting a record crop of corn, soybeans and wheat in 2024, which will further flesh out a global stocks figure that could continue to drive prices down. All of that, economists expect, could ead to the largest annual...

The 2024 Commodity Classic was held February 28th through March 2nd in balmy Houston, Texas, and participants flocked from around the country and the world to see the latest tech and hear news-making announcements from the Secretary of Agriculture, leaders in agribusiness, and national commodity groups. This year’s event drew the most attendees ever, with more than 11,000 farmers and members of th...

The March WASDE dropped Friday March 8th, and despite maintaining its status as a quieter report, a key announcement offered some support for soybeans, as other news of the week depressed wheat.  DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to dig into the latest numbers, in particular some global figures, from USDA that provides updates to past soybean exports to China and maintains its discrep...

On February 7th, 2024, a federal judge ruled that the EPA had unlawfully approved dicamba for over the top use in cotton and soybeans, leading to a ban for three dicamba-based weed killers for 2024. What exactly that would mean for growers who had already bought and paid for seeds and chemistry for the new crop was unclear, until the EPA issued an order a week later that allows for limited sales a...

The smallest cattle herd in the history of USDA reporting is currently standing in the US as we speak, and the reduced stock extends from feeder and grass calves all the way to heifers and bred cattle. On top of that, tough winter weather at the start of the year has curbed slaughter weights, making a beef market that’s still hungry for product even hungrier.  DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart...

 The February WASDE dropped Thursday, February 8th, and despite being a relatively quiet report, still sent waves through commodity markets as USDA diverges from Brazilian officials in its estimate of Brazilian crops. The result– some confusion about the global corn stocks and some hope that Latin American competition might not be too fierce in 2024.   DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins...

Farmers for Soil Health is both a collaboration amongst farmer groups and a program hoping to motivate a big change in the US ag landscape.  The group’s mission– to advance the use of soil health practices like cover crops to help improve farmer profitability, as born out of an agreement between the National Corn Growers and the Soy and Pork checkoffs. Recently, the group won an unprecedented $95...

Tech aficionados and leading brands from around the globe descended on Las Vegas January 9th through 12th to see and show off their latest tools and toys at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show. Artificial intelligence and autonomous machines were just the beginning, as more than 25 categories were represented — everything from sustainability to cryptocurrency.  DTN’s Dan Miller was at the show to c...

The January WASDE dropped Friday, January 12th, offering further confirmation of 2023’s record corn crop and adding bearish pressure to the commodity markets overall as the US stock picture across the board looks healthier than many expected.  DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to offer his insight on not only the January WASDE, but also other key announcements from USDA, inclu...

Farmland news was hot in 2023 and promises to remain so in 2024, whether it’s about how much land is selling, how much it’s going for, or who’s buying it. The market has been driven by a number of unpredictable factors in recent years, everything from the pandemic to trade aid to investor interest and high commodity prices. But how long can the run-up last, and what can growers and land buyers exp...