Field Posts: Recent Episodes

DTN/Progressive Farmer

Learn about and discuss the cutting edge of the ag industry and explore new perspectives on farming’s old adages. Field Posts is a weekly podcast by DTN/The Progressive Farmer that dives deeper into the most important trends in technology, policy, management, and business to explore the ag industry’s cutting edge.

Since the start of Dan Miller’s career in ag journalism, the pace and scale of news has only increased.

His first gig in the biz, as the very first writer for the old Iowa Farmer Today paper, introduced him to current and future Presidents, to farmers from across the country, and sent him on reporting missions around the world, including to the former Soviet Union.

For just a little while long, we know Dan as the Senior Machinery Editor at DTN Progressive Farmer, but as he heads off into retirement, he joins us for one last conversation about his career as an ag journalist, what he’s noticed in more than four decades of watching the ag industry change, and what he thinks might lie ahead.

Today, we’ll reminisce about Dan’s early career, how he learned to cover agriculture after starting out in small town journalism covering courts and crime, and hear what it was like to be there to witness history being made first hand.

He’ll then look forward to what he sees as the future of farm machinery and the future of agriculture more generally, and shares the best advice he’s learned about farm reporting, and why he thinks this work will remain relevant into the uncertain future.

With election day 2026 just over three months away, lawmakers in Washington are facing the end of the runway for passing legislation they can take home to their districts before November.

Farm state legislators in particular would like to finally have a completed Farm Bill to show for their efforts over the last 18 months, but the possibility of passing farm legislation in both houses and getting it to the President’s desk in time is growing more unlikely with each passing day.

And yet, hope springs eternal, and we have our very own, brand new DTN Ag Policy Editor Jake Zajkowski bringing us the latest on the efforts in D.C.

He's here to tell us about current Farm Bill work and what to expect in the weeks ahead, but he’ll also give us an update about the ongoing USDA reorganization, and how it might go on to impact farmers as harvest approaches.

He’ll then talk to us about the current trade picture, from USMCA reauthorization to the latest tariff announcement, and clue us in to happenings around farm aid, labor, and MAHA.

We’ll wrap up with a look ahead at what the outcome of the November midterms could mean for ag policy in the lame duck session.

This episode was recorded on July 31, 2026. See DTN newsroom's coverage on the Senate farm bill markup on dtnpf.com.

Today’s cattle market is a wild place, and there is so much to keep up on.

To help us stay up on the latest, DTN Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico is taking over the show today — bringing in multiple experts from across the industry to check in on new proposed policy around grazing CRP acres and other emerging stories.

The July WASDE dropped Friday, July 10th, pulling in the June 30th acreage numbers to give farmers and traders the clearest look yet at the 2026 crop in the field.

With some expectations that the report would lean into bullish estimates, watchers also had to keep in mind ongoing conflicts around the world that continue to disturb markets.

To help us dig into the latest, DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery joins us to unpack all the updates to corn, soybean, and wheat balance sheets in the aftermath of the report. We’ll dive a bit into the archives for some of USDA’s recent updates, then zoom ahead to the current and forecasted figures as the growing crop comes into view.

We’ll talk trade, ethanol and crush, global stocks and basis, and hear what Rhett is keeping in mind as the weather picture continues to drive daily trading between now and the August update.

▶️ WATCH the July WASDE report webinar or read DTN analyst coverage of the report.

Though it took some time for aerial drones to find the right application on American farms, today, drones are commonplace across much of the countryside, used for everything from scouting to spraying to helping tracking down missing cows.

But as drone technology advances exponentially, and the global geopolitical atmosphere changes, U.S. policymakers grew increasingly worried about where the data these mostly Chinese-made drones were collecting was being stored, and who might be able to access it.

This concern led to the 2026 ban on new Chinese-made drones, which has led to a new race stateside as farmers, companies, and Silicon Valley startups jockey to define the future of American-made aerial drones.

Today, Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger takes us behind the scenes to give us the backstory on this emerging space and share some of the details that didn’t make it into the main package. We’ll hear about the emerging companies that are defining the space, and the major barriers they face in standing in domestic manufacturing facilities to building tech here at home.

Plus, we’ll dive into what he thinks might be coming down the pike in the U.S. drone market, and what changes he expects to see as American-made drones become more readily available. He’ll also tease his upcoming story about the perils of farming on World War II battlefields.

Read Joel’s full story on American-Made Drones here.

Today, we’re dropping on DTN’s recent Beef Industry Exchange, a beef webinar series hosted by Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico.

This month’s webinar, which took place on June 24th, included a summer weather update from DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick, a cattle markets update by DTN’s analyst ShayLe Stewart, and an deep dive with Aaron Berger, the Beef Systems Education Extension agent at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

We’ll drop in on Aaron’s talk to hear more about cow-calf economics in today’s drought and wildfire-stricken west, and learn what strategies he’s using with as cow-calf producers as they start to think about a future where they rebuild their herd, without missing out on today’s opportunities.

Watch the whole Beef Industry Exchange Event here.

Clean, high-quality forage doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built from the field up.

With research-proven MAGNIVA Forage Inoculants from Lallemand Animal Nutrition, you can unlock clean, quality forage for your herd…every crop, every ton, every year.

MAGNIVA Forage Inoculants help drive efficient fermentation, reduce dry matter losses and optimize feed value and intakes, so more of what you harvest turns into performance in the bunk. Improved fermentation. Improved stability. Better use of your forage investment.

Gain every advantage, from field to feed, with MAGNIVA Forage Inoculants. Discover how MAGNIVA can elevate your silage quality by visiting MAGNIVA.com

We are just days away from celebrating the 250th anniversary of America's Independence Day, prompting many to look back to the earliest days of our country for lessons in how to weather challenging and uncertain times.

DTN’s Farm Business Editor Chris Clayton even took a trip down to Mount Vernon, the historical farm of America’s first President, George Washington, to bring us a vision of how farmers' past survived, and thrived, through war, anemic markets, and trying political conditions.

While Chris will share about his recent visit to America’s founding farm, he also brings us a raft of updates on key ag policy issues from the nation’s capital. First, we’ll talk about President Trump’s recent visit to speak with Wisconsin Farmers, about what the White House is saying about possible additional farm aid and pending discussions of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA.

We’ll also talk about the unfolding New World Screwworm story, and how USDA is responding, especially as the department also continues to undergo a large-scale reorganization.

Finally, we’ll get into the price of beef, long lasting fertilizer impacts from the Iran conflict, and what all this might mean for the midterm elections in November.

Register for the June 24th DTN Cattle Webinar here.

The June WASDE dropped Thursday, June 11th, offering the latest update on USDA’s thinking since President Trump’s historic trip to China in the middle of May and in light of the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East.

But these market-moving events are far from the only things disrupting expected trends in the grain complex.

So to help us stay on top of all the news, we’re dropping in on DTN Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery’s monthly WASDE webinar this week, to hear his reactions to the department’s updated figures on corn, soybean, and wheat balance sheets.

He offers special insight on the biofuels and crush pictures as we head into the key summer driving months at the same time that fuel prices remain elevated due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He’ll also dive deep on the current trade picture, with an eye to how things have, and haven’t, changed since the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Finally, we’ll look ahead to the heart of the season, taking into account the emerging demand picture, weather pressure, and the state of global markets, to understand what might be ahead in 2026.

Weeds are always a problem for American farmers.

But a warm spring and recent burst of wet weather in many parts of the country has created ripe conditions for everything from waterhemp and Palmer amaranth to Kochia and newly arrived species like Asian copperleaf.

As farmers feel the pressure to use inputs sparingly due to cost while bringing in the biggest crop they can, keeping these weeds under control through good management will be even more critical this season. And with planting nearly completed and the crop widely emerged, options are changing rapidly.

To help keep farmers informed on what’s out there, and what control options they should be thinking about now, we’ll hear today from DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins.

Jason will start us off with an overview of conditions he’s seeing in the heart of the country right now, and what might be in the offing weed-, disease-, and insect-wise as a result. Then we’ll get into the strategies, discussing how farmers might want to think about their pest management strategies in terms of timing and modes of action to achieve peak effectiveness with the minimum amount of product applied.

We’ll also talk about his last cover story on electrical weeders in Missouri, and discuss the outlook for non-chemical weed control options going forward. He’ll also walk us through what he’s watching right now in terms of new products, and new concerns that farmers should be keeping an eye on this year.

While a hectic spring season brought with it welcome rainfall, it also brought an unruly mix of record heat and late local cold snaps that has set some farmers back in their planting efforts.

But as May makes way for June and a Super-El Niño summer, likely the most extreme on record, emerges, American farmers are looking to what’s in store for the heart of the season.

DTN’s Ag Meteorologist John Baranick joins us today with his very latest forecasts on what the 2026 season might have in store. We’ll start with reviewing how his spring forecast held up, and then dive into his expectations for June, July, and August as the El Niño pattern officially sets in. We’ll dig into what’s likely in terms of precipitation, heat, and severe weather across the corn belt, southeast, and the plains, especially in light of the evolving drought picture across these key regions.

Then we’ll take a look at the West Coast, which is likely to get the short end of the El Niño stick, before turning our attention to the harvest and winter weather outlook in Latin America.

Finally, we’ll get a birds-eye view of potential weather impacts around the globe, and hear what John expects for the harvest season.

The debate over year round E15 has become a perennial battle ground for biofuel interests, but farm state lawmakers are increasingly optimistic that 2026 will be the year.

With the extraordinary market pressures farmers are facing after 2025’s bin-busting crop, and the pain that voters are feeling every time they fill up their gas tank, policymakers are pushing forward once again.

To help us understand the current situation in the biofuels market, we’re joined today by DTN Environmental Editor Todd Neeley. Todd will start us off with an update on the latest year round E15 legislation that passed in the house just days ago, and offer insight on the measure’s prospects for making it to the President’s desk. Then we’ll talk about the latest 45z tax credit news, and what other steps advocates are taking to open up new biofuels markets for farm commodities.

We’ll also dig into the biodiesel story, with conversation on how these biofuel priorities are affecting crush margins and how recent updates coming out of the EU might influence soybean demand. Finally, we’ll check in on the courts, with a discussion on where ongoing lawsuits related to everything from EPA volume announcements to small refinery exemptions currently sit.

Coming into the 2026 planting season, many expected a significant crop shift thanks to the war in Iran.

Little sign of this shift has been seen so far, but with less than half the crop in the ground and weeks left for farmers to finalize decisions, there are still plenty of wild cards on the table.

To give us an update on planting thus far, and help us understand what might be ahead for the emerging crop, we’re joined today by DTN Crops Technology Editor Pamela Smith and DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins. They start out with their expectations around conditions going into planting this year, including discussion of drought impacts and unusual temperatures this spring throughout much of the country.

Then, we’ll dive into updates on planting so far, with data from across the corn belt and the southern plains that suggests that inconsistent temperature and precipitation are helping some farmers stay ahead of schedule while others are dealing with setback after setback.

Finally, we’ll dig into what all this means for the crop ahead, with insights on what diseases, weeds, and insects are most likely to be at play, given the conditions we’ve seen so far.

The May WASDE dropped Tuesday, May 12th, offering some bullish surprises for the wheat market, and giving the whole grain complex a boost in advance of President Trump’s long-awaited trip to visit American agriculture’s most important trading partner — China.

With both news and the latest report driving markets this week, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery who helps us find the signal in the noise in one the USDA’s heftier annual publications. Today, Rhett walks us down the balance sheets for the major grains, offering updates and insights on the latest new and old crop figures, and fills in the details on how these updates are shifting world stocks as well.

After he gives an update on the basis picture, we’ll also hear what he’s on the lookout for from the Trump-Xi meeting, from the fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf, and from weather outlooks across the Americas.

Finally, he’ll flag current trends to watch that might indicate unusual opportunities, and growing risks, being created by speculators in the grain markets.

The winners of the National Wheat Yield Contest, hosted by the National Wheat Foundation, represent some of the best wheat growers in the country. And today, we're ducking behind the curtain to learn the secrets of growing bin-busting crops.

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins takes the reins to lead us through a conversation with Greg Anthis, a wheat grower and agronomist from Wheatland, Indiana, and Alec Horton, a grower and seed supplier in Leoti, Kansas.

These long-time contest participants discuss how participating in the annual contest has become common in their areas, and along the way, they dig into what they’ve learned about management, technology, seed selection, quality, and wheat rotations while being part of the community of state-of-the-art wheat growers.

With challenging conditions across much of the ag economy, cattle markets are a bright spot in the first few months of 2026.

Despite high prices, consumers are continuing to buy beef, even in advance of what is usually the peak demand period for the year. Add that to the fact that the Southern border has been closed for nearly twelve months with no signs of reopening anytime soon, and you'll find cattlemen across the country are still motivated to take advantage of top dollar prices — keeping the herd firmly out of the rebuilding cycle.

But all that doesn’t mean that there aren’t potential risks on the horizon.

To help us make sense of all the news that’s affecting cattle markets today, we’re joined by DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart. She'll walk us through the market-moving meaning behind the latest cattle-on-feed report, bring us up-to-date on the most recent confirmed case of New World Screwworm in Mexico, and help us understand what we might expect from the worsening drought situation across the American West.

We’ll also hear her advice on how to make sense of the firehose of news coming out of the Middle East and Washington at the moment, and finally, give us a boots-on-the-ground update from her own cattle operation in Wyoming.

This episode of Field Posts is brought to you by MAGNIVA Forage Inoculants from Lallemand Animal Nutrition. Research-proven MAGNIVA helps drive efficient fermentation, reduce dry matter losses, and optimize feed value — so more of what you harvest turns into real performance in the bunk. Gain every advantage from field to feed. Learn more at MAGNIVA.com.

The April WASDE dropped Thursday, April 9th, representing the third big update from USDA in two weeks following the Prospective Planting and U.S. Grain Stocks reports.

Though expectations from analysts were relatively low, wider uncertainty in the markets related to the ongoing US-Iran conflict and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz have left farmers hungry for any clarity on what might be in store for markets in the coming months.

To help us dig into all three of these reports, we’re joined today by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. He’ll offer insight on the latest news, and then take us beat-by-beat through USDA updates to the balance sheets for the major grains, highlighting the biggest changes along the way.

Then, we’ll hear updates on the Latin American crop, the current corn trade picture, and hear Rhett’s thoughts on the world wheat market and what that might mean for U.S. growers as 2026 continues.

Finally, we’ll talk about the Prospective Planting report, understanding how last year’s crop is influencing this year’s acres, and thinking about how planting plans might still adjust as concerns about war-disrupted fertilizer continue to crystallize.

Plus, we’ll hear what Rhett will be watching most closely in the common weeks, from Trump’s trip to Beijing to energy markets.

Lamenting the “hollowing of rural America” has become standard fare across certain types of media and policy leaders, but for those who live, work, and raise their crops and family in and around small towns, rural America feels far from hollow.

While these communities still face their fair share of challenges, these places are chock full of resilient, vibrant businesses, organizations, and families thriving all across the rural map.

That’s what the DTN Progressive Farmer team found when they took to the countryside to tell a whole series of stories about a rural America that’s not only surviving, but thriving, and today, Content Manager Anthony Greder joins us to discuss these stories.

We’ll start by taking a closer look at the rural economy today, how towns are being affected by the difficulties in the farm economy, and how they’re using past experiences and new tools to weather the storm. Then we’ll tackle some of the key challenges in rural places, from healthcare availability to school funding to rural broadband. Anthony will help us understand how those challenges are evolving, what’s holding small towns back, and the innovative ways communities are finding to attract doctors, support students, and bring cutting edge technology to every corner of the country.

Finally, we’ll hear about young entrepreneurs who are choosing to build businesses (including farms) in rural communities, and the vision they have for their futures.

Three different dicamba herbicide products are making a comeback in 2026 with new labels and new rules for use from EPA.

Whether farmers are aiming to use BASF’s Engenia, Syngenta’s Tavium, or Bayer's newly-renamed Stryax products, there are some changes that farmers and their applicators need to be aware of.

That’s why today, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins is here to walk us through the very latest updates on the legal use of dicamba products. He’ll talk us through what’s changed on the labels — from temperature restrictions to acid equivalence per acre limitations — and what’s stayed the same, especially in terms of safety precautions.

Then, he’ll clarify some of the recent confusion around the annual maximum usage amounts, and talk us through some state-specific regulations that sit on top of the federal label in specific geographies.

Finally, we’ll learn more about the new Endangered Species Act points system that’s rolling out this year, and talk about where farmers can get more information about staying in compliance and using these products safely.

We’ve been keeping up with weather and crop conditions in Latin America from afar this winter, but any farmer will tell you that the national data doesn’t tell you as much as seeing a crop with your own eyes.

That’s one of the key reasons that DTN Progressive Farmer Editor in Chief Greg Horstmeier journeyed down to Brazil earlier this month, eager to put boots on the ground and bring us the latest updates on the Brazilian crop as it’s being harvested.

Today, we’ll hear about Greg’s trip down South, including what he saw of a large soybean crop and an equally promising corn harvest. He’ll offer insight on the infrastructure situation as the crop goes from field to bin to port, and give us an update on what he heard from farmers there as far as critical issues they’re facing, both this year and into the future.

On his way back home, Greg also stopped in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 2026 National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 24th. He’ll tell us about the announcements he heard from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and about the bigger conversations happening around the event about livestock, food, and the challenging state of affairs in the ag economy.

Finally, we’ll hear what Greg is working on next, flag stories he thinks are currently flying under the radar, and pay tribute to the ag communications great Orion Samuelson.

The March WASDE dropped Tuesday, March 10th, though its arrival was in part overshadowed by market concerns about an evolving conflict in the Middle East which has snarled energy and fertilizer supply chains that pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

As farmers, market analysts, and the USDA itself struggle to parse what the latest outbreak of fighting might mean for planting decisions and global supplies, the crop in Latin America is already being brought in.

As we work to parse this torrent of information, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who takes us beat-by-beat through the latest numbers and helps us keep market fundamentals in perspective even as many traders seem to ignore them. He guides us through the pressures that are weighing on prices today, including the basis for all three major grains, and what news he’s on the lookout for right now.

Then, he walks us down the balance sheets, noting USDA updates, especially on the world balance sheets, that might point to shifting conditions that could weigh on farmer decisions later this season.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett thinks will be driving the news in the days to come, from a planned trip for President Trump to China to weather conditions south of the border.

As compared to the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine years ago, the earliest days of the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran did not seem likely to affect U.S. ag markets.

Then the Iranian regime announced its intent to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in global fertilizer supply chains through which as much as 80% of the world’s nitrogen fertilizer travels. Concerns set in immediately about fertilizer availability, and already high input prices began to rise just as farmers are finalizing their plans for the 2026 season. And this is just one of nearly a dozen key agricultural news stories that are being driven right now not by weather or conditions in the field, but by decisions coming from the White House and Capitol Hill.

To help us stay on top of all the latest updates, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton. Our conversation starts with fertilizer news, and what ag groups and Trump Administration officials are doing to calm concerns. Then, we’ll hear news about the Farm Bill, which has passed out of the House Ag Committee though, despite needs throughout the countryside, looks like it will have a long road to the President’s desk.

We’ll also talk about the year-round E15 debate, which farmers and their advocates increasingly see as a way to relieve some of the worst economic pressure in farm country in the short term, and hear insight on President Trump’s executive order on glyphosate.

Finally, we’ll learn the latest on the trade front as the USMCA continues to be reviewed by its North American signatories, and hear about growing action in the antitrust space, where meatpackers, chemical manufacturers, and even railroads may be in the crosshairs.

The 2026 Commodity Classic event attracted more than 12,000 farmers to sunny San Antonio for multiple days of trade shows, marketing workshops and big announcements from across the industry.

Even U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was in attendance, outlining the department’s key priorities for the year, including trade progress, and elevating their new “One farmer, one file” initiative.

Farmers, and DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller, were eager to see the latest updates on technology, which were on full display around the show. And despite challenging commodity market conditions going into the new year, there was still plenty of excitement around equipment– especially when it comes to new and improved lines of tractors.

Today, we’ll hear all about this “year of the tractor” from Dan, and about Deere’s effort to bring an E95 tractor — one that runs on 95% ethanol fuel — to market. Then we’ll hear about the other big splashes made at the show, from the likes of CASE IH and New Holland, and learn about some award-winning innovations in the tillage and grain bin management space.

We’ll also dive into questions around economic strain, for equipment manufacturers themselves around tariffs, and for their customers. Then, we’ll talk about the latest updates on the AI and autonomy fronts, including announcements made at Commodity Classic and at other recent events.

With at least one major winter storm in the rearview, temperatures are ticking up and the countdown to planting is on.

But with soil moisture deficits remaining across much of the U.S., key growing regions, and warm, dry temperatures causing early season fire risks in some parts of the Southern Plains, farmers are hoping that there will be more rain in the forecast before things dry out for spring field work.

Luckily, DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick joins us with some good news for farmers hoping for some drought relief in the coming weeks. Today, John shares his latest spring forecast, with a somewhat chaotic outlook for the next month providing a good chance for storm systems that are likely to bring some widespread precipitation, and potential for flooding and other severe weather events.

Then, we’ll talk about temperature as we look further ahead to likely conditions during the key planting periods and into the heart of the summer, when conditions associated with the coming El Niño will likely be in place.

We’ll also talk about snow pack and pasture conditions in the Western United States as the winter storm season draws to a close, before we turn our attention to the southern hemisphere, where Argentina and Brazil are struggling with relatively low levels of rainfall as their season draws to a close.

Despite the fact that she’s in the middle of calving season herself, DTN’s Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico has been simultaneously staying on top of an avalanche of stories affecting U.S. cattle markets here in 2026.

Today, she joins us with an update on all the latest, from cattle health to consumer demand and weather.

We kick off the conversation with news on ongoing efforts to prevent the New World Screwworm from re-entering the U.S. This pesky pest hasn’t been a problem for producers since the 1960s, but with a specimen found just miles from the U.S. border, USDA officials are beefing up prevention efforts with new facilities, and ranchers along the border remain on edge. We’ll also talk about the growing pressure of a tick-borne disease in the U.S. herd, and hear about how to identify symptoms that are often mis-diagnosed.

Then we’ll switch gears to hear about a recent Cargill plant closure, and the USDA’s newly announced “beef on top” food pyramid, and what kinds of impacts both of these events might have on cattle markets. We’ll also hear about the potential impacts of the recent winter storms, especially on more southern cattle producers, and get introduced to the 2026 View from the Range ranchers from Montana and Alberta, Canada.

Finally, we’ll hear what Jenn is going to be watching as the season continues– especially evolving drought and wildfire conditions.

The Maudes and the U.S. Forest Service: How a Fenceline Dispute Almost Tore a Family Apart

Though employees and services from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have not been disrupted by the recently ended partial government shutdown, plenty of uncertainty remains when it comes to ag policy in the new year.

As challenging market conditions continue, farmers and their advocates are increasingly looking to Washington for help opening markets, increasing demand, and bridging the gap until relief arrives.

As farm groups across the country set their agendas and head to the Capitol to make their arguments, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton has been following along, and he joins us this week to share what he’s learned. We’ll talk about the latest news coming out of the USDA, including updates on possible new trade deals and on the Department’s plans to purchase a significant mass of U.S. commodities as part of the newly re-established Food for Peace program.

Then, we’ll talk about the ongoing E15 situation, and how recent wins might come with challenges for the Renewable Fuel Standard overall. We’ll also talk about the prospects for a 2026 Farm Bill package, or at least additional farm aid allocations, and about the farmers and farm groups who are speaking out on labor issues in light of the administration’s immigration crackdowns.

Finally, we’ll hear what stories Chris will be watching most carefully over the coming months, from the 45z tax credits to trade news to MAHA announcements.

A highly unusual winter storm swept across the United States on Jan. 24-25, plunging parts of the midwest into long stretches of below zero temperatures while dumping feet of snow from Kansas and Missouri all the way into the Northeast.

Sleet and ice clogged up conditions from Texas to the Carolinas, and despite the extreme conditions, the precipitation was welcome as drought conditions have continued to spread across the middle of the country.

To bring us up to speed on the winter storm and its impacts, we’re joined by DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick. He’ll walk us through winter conditions thus far for key farming regions across the U.S. and offer insight into the forecasting of the latest winter storm.

Then he’ll take us beat by beat through the impacts in different regions, from rain, sleet, and snowfall totals and the likely effect on drought conditions to temperature variations and how overwintering crops might be affected. We’ll get an updated forecast for the half of winter that remains, and hear what wildcards John thinks might still be at play.

Finally, we’ll take a look at conditions in South America and get a clearer picture of how crops in Argentina and Brazil are shaping up as farmers move towards harvest time.

CES, the former Consumer Electronics Show, is hosted every year in Las Vegas, Nevada, attracting the latest and greatest in futuristic tech for consumers, businesses, and everyone in between.

It was just a few years ago, in 2019, when John Deere became one of the first major ag companies to exhibit at the show, and since then agricultural equipment and tech companies have become a mainstay.

DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller has been attending CES for years now, and fresh off the latest event, he brings us updates from the showroom floor. We’ll learn more about what he saw and heard there — from upcoming equipment announcements to thoughts and feedback from farmers and consumers alike.

He’ll tell us about updates to John Deere’s X9 Combine, the latest in AI and autonomy from Kubota and Bobcat, and guide us through the current state of the drone market with the latest from Hylio.

We’ll talk about productivity gains, price tags, and how shows like this create opportunities for farmers and agriculturalists to engage with the public.

Finally, we’ll hear what other stories Dan is expecting in the coming months as we head towards planting.

With a long year of uncertainty in the rearview — farmers are coming into 2026 with hope for more stability in terms of global trade, prices, and growing conditions. While the outlook for some of these factors remains unclear, global fertilizer markets, for one, show signs of stability going into the new year.

To help us understand the fertilizer forecast, we’re joined this week by DTN Fertilizer Editor Russ Quinn. He’ll help us understand the trends that ruled in 2025, from the shifting landscape of fertilizer production infrastructure to the Russia-Ukraine War.

Then he’ll help us look ahead to what we might expect to see in 2026 for major Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash products, taking into account ongoing geopolitical disruptions, potential planting acreage adjustments, and even spring weather. Then, we’ll dig into potential wildcards that still might throw a wrench in global supply and demand, and he’ll offer insights on how that might impact prices going forward.

Finally, we’ll talk about how tariffs, countervailing duties, and how the $12 billion dollar farmer aid package might impact fertilizer markets later in the year.

Read more of Russ’s reporting on the fertilizer markets here.

The January WASDE dropped Monday, January 12th, shocking market watchers with an updated U.S. corn crop that’s now a record by an even wider margin. Almost no one expected USDA to add 1.3 million harvested corn acres to the mix on top of a half bushel boost to the national average corn yield, bringing the estimated 2025 U.S. corn crop to over 17 billion bushels.

To help us put this, and all the other updates, into perspective, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery. He’ll guide us through expectations going into the report to help us understand why markets reacted to the updates the way they did, and to offer insight into where they might go from here.

He’ll also take us beat-by-beat down the national and global balance sheets for the major grains as he tracks the shifting trade picture, updated wheat seeding numbers, and how the latest updates are affecting the basis right now.

Finally, he’ll share what he’s expecting to move the markets between now and the February WASDE.

DTN’s 2025 Virtual Ag Summit has just wrapped up, with farmers from across the country convening to discuss what to expect, and how to prepare, for an uncertain year ahead.

The event also gave DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller a chance to show off some of the stellar producers honored in the 2026 class of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers.

Today, we’ll drop in on the conversation between Dan and two of Best Young Farmer honorees, Lucas Dull and Lillie Beringer-Crock. First we’ll meet Lucas, General Manager at Dull’s Tree Farms in Thorntown, Indiana, where they grow Christmas trees, pumpkins, and operate an agritourism business that attracts more than 80,000 guests a year.

Then, hear from third-generation farmer Lillie from Beringer Family Farms in Cascade, Iowa, who together with her husband Brian runs a feedlot, a cow-calf operation, and a farm store shipping products direct-to-consumer. They talk about their return to the family business, how they started and continue to build the unconventional sides of their businesses, and how they’re preparing for more uncertainty in the years ahead.

Every year, the staff of DTN Progressive Farmer spend time reflecting on the news that was and evaluating which stories did the most to shape producers’ experience in the field, in the markets, and beyond.

Given the non-stop flood of news this year, competition to make the list of the Top 10 Ag Stories of 2025 was particularly stiff.

To walk us through the top stories, we’re joined today by DTN Progressive Farmer Editor-in-Chief Greg Horstmeier. He’ll talk to us about the reporting that stood out to him most in 2025, from dramatic policy changes affecting staffing and programs at USDA to a record-smashing corn crop and the tough market conditions that followed.

We’ll dig into the tariff story, and talk in depth about how it shaped nearly every decision farmers made. We’ll also talk about cattle industry updates, and how the New World Screwworm story continues to shape the narrative.

Then, we’ll dive into a number of key policy stories, from the biofuels situation to the future of the Farm Bill. We’ll also hear what stories Greg thinks will keep evolving in the new year, and what he’ll be watching most closely going forward.

The U.S. tax code doesn’t often go through big changes, but with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, or OBBBA, earlier this year, there are plenty of changes to keep an eye out for as 2026 comes into view.

To help us understand what’s new and what matters most, DTN’s Taxlink columnist and CliftonLarsonAllen principle Rod Mauszycki joins us for an update on what’s new, what he’s talking about with his clients now, and what he’s still on the lookout for in 2026.

First, he’ll offer an update on changes to everything from bonus depreciation rules and state and local deductions to deferring crop insurance payments and prepayment credits.

He’ll even highlight the benefits of paying farm kids into designated accounts that help them save for a future where they have the resources to buy the farm. Then we’ll tackle advice on the tax implications of lending and borrowing, hear more about potential changes to farm and estate planning, and learn what questions farmers should be thinking about before the New Year.

Read Rod Mauszycki’s Taxlink blog here.

The December WASDE dropped Tuesday, December 9th, bringing home what’s been a tumultuous year of grain market news in the U.S. and beyond.

Though the Department of Agriculture is still catching up on some reporting that was disrupted during the government shutdown, the coming of this relatively quiet report — which anticipates a more active January WASDE — marks a much-anticipated return to normalcy.

To help us understand the latest we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. This week he’ll give us important insights on his expectations going into the report, and offer analysis on why the market has reacted, and failed to react, to the new information as might be expected.

Then we’ll dive into the global and domestic balance sheets for the major grains, illuminating key hopeful nuggets you might have missed in the corn and soybean data, and highlighting why the world wheat picture continues to look challenging.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett will be watching over the holiday season and into the New Year, from weather to interest rates.

The 2025 DTN’s Ag Summit has just wrapped up, with farmers from across the country convening virtually to discuss the year that was, the year ahead, and the key issues affecting their operations.

Forecasts for weather and market in the year to come were, as always, a top issue, and today on the podcast we’re dropping in to hear the latest.

Today, we’ll listen in on DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick’s 2026 seasonal forecast, where he’ll take a closer look at the winter conditions so far, and give us insight on what might be around the corner.

We’ll hear the latest on how the ongoing La Nina is shaping current systems, when we should keep an eye out for the impacts of polar vortexes, and how the combination of the two might shape drought conditions throughout the winter and planting timing come spring.

We’ll get a region-by-region outlook on winter and spring conditions, and then John will offer insight on what the models predict about the summer of 2026.

Finally, we’ll dig into the weather patterns in Latin America, how Brazil and Argentina in particular are fairing, and what still might change in the coming months for our chief competitors.

Another harvest season is just about wrapped, which means that the annual DTN Ag Summit event is upon us once again — coming up on December 3rd and 4th.

This year’s program aims to help farmers prepare for success as they navigate lukewarm markets, and plenty of open questions around everything from farm policy to the global trade landscape.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us for a preview of the Summit agenda, which will take place from 9:30am central to 11:30 a.m. CT over the two days, kicking off with a rich discussion between two of the winners of this year’s America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers contest.

Plus, these info-packed mornings will give producers a chance to hear the very latest on cattle markets, grain markets, and the 2026 weather outlook from DTN’s top analysts — and attendees will also be able to ask questions and engage with experts and hosts.

Register for the 2025 DTN Ag Summit at https://www.dtn.com/ag-summit-series-2025/

The November WASDE dropped Friday, November 14th, marking a return to normalcy as the longest government shutdown in history came to an end and USDA began to process and release more than a month of unpublished data.

Surprises abounded, and markets oscillated between responding to new and confirmed information and reacting to the latest comments and updates from the Trump Administration in the hours after the report.

This week, DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery joins us to not only tackle the first WASDE in nearly two months, but also to bring us up-to-date on all the market news we might have missed since the September WASDE release.

In addition to taking a deep look at the balance sheets for the major grains, we’ll also talk about tariff news that’s been driving price fluctuations, and explore the space between trade commitments and actual sales on the books.

We’ll also plug into the global picture, and learn how finding the signal in the noise around stocks and usage offers some optimism for even the most bearish soybean traders.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett is on the lookout for as combines are officially put up for the year.

The U.S. federal government began a partial shutdown starting Wednesday October 1st, and after 43 long days it finally came to end on November 12th.

A resumption of funding means that many furloughed USDA employees will be getting back to work, and farmers and ranchers across the country can finally expect some forward movement on issues from biofuels to possible trade aid.

To help guide us through what to expect in the coming days, we’re joined by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who not only followed every beat of the shutdown, but brings us up-to-date on all the news from Capitol Hill that’s happened in the meantime. We’ll start with an analysis about how the longest government shutdown in history came to a close, and what it could mean for key agricultural issues going forward.

Then, we’ll dive into the latest from the Trump administration, including controversies around trade with China, the soybean market, and prices in the beef markets. We'll also get an update on the tariff picture overall, and look ahead to what we might expect from Congress and the Administration between now and the end of the year.

Finally, we’ll explore the potential for a farm aid package in the coming weeks, the likelihood of reopening the Southern border, and talk about why ag trade groups are focusing on demands around biofuels right now.

Though cattlemen are still in a good marketing position compared to years past, the last two weeks have seen enough price instability to make any rancher feel sick to their stomach.

With competing headlines around whether or not the Southern border will remain closed due to the threat of New World Screwworm, and unwelcome moves by the Trump administration to potentially increase beef imports from Argentina, those in the cattle industry have been glued to the news as every additional quote and social media post threatens to upend prices even further.

Luckily, we have the steady hand of DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart to guide us through the latest news on all things cattle markets. Today, she’ll take us beat-by-beat through the questions around demand and trade, feed and weather, and even help us check in on the herd build-back.

She’ll help us look ahead to what we might expect this winter as far as producer decision-making, and what bearish and bullish factors remain as we turn towards 2026.

Finally, she brings us an update from her Wyoming operation, and offers some advice for sitting still in this season of crisis and uncertainty.

Since 2005, DTN Progressive Farmer has been selecting two farmers from across the country to participate in the annual View from the Cab project.

These farmers spend a full year getting to know DTN’s Pamela Smith through weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the broader farm community.

Today, we’re sitting down with one of the 2025 View from the Cab farmers, Stuart Sanderson, a fourth generation farmer from North Alabama, who’s been keeping busy this year growing a mix of corn, soybeans, wheat and canola. He’s just about wrapped up harvest and is in the process of putting the '25 season to bed as the operation simultaneously prepares for 2026.

We kick off the conversation talking about the season so far, how he’s thinking about inputs and technology during uncertain times, and how he built the farms’ marketing and finance capabilities from the ground up. We also get into the family side of the business, exploring how he and his business partners — his cousin and uncle — split up tasks and responsibilities, and how his peer group helps him stay sane as he helps manage a big operation that turns on pennies of margin.

Finally, we get into Stuart’s vision for the coming years, and what role he sees for community advocacy in the future of his farm and of American agriculture.

The New World Screwworm has been uncommon in the U.S. since the 1960s, but plenty of ranchers, especially those in the Southwest, still remember how devastating a problem it can be.

The larval maggots of the screwworm feed exclusively on living flesh, and an infested animal can succumb in a matter of days. So evidence that the pest is moving Northward from Southern Mexico is a key concern for American ranchers.

DTN Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico has been following the unfolding story of the New World Screwworm for months now, and joins us this week to bring us up-to-date on the very latest news from both sides of the border. She’ll walk us through a timeline of detections from the last several months, including insight she’s learned from Texan and Mexican cattlemen as they deal with the fallout of lengthy inspections and closed borders. Then she’ll help us understand the potential impact of the pest, including how it affects cattle, how USDA and others are monitoring its progress, and how concerns about spread might be impacted by weather conditions.

Finally, we’ll talk about how this new threat is weighing on producer decision-making for the 2026 season, and hear how industry and trade groups are encouraging ranchers to prepare for what might be ahead.

Farming in America today is an expensive endeavor.

Even as commodity prices continue to slump ahead of a record big crop, farmers are already having to make decisions about purchases for next year’s crop. There are many hard conversations with lenders, agronomists, and family members ahead, with questions about how to finance land deals, equipment purchases, and seed and crop protection needs weighing heavily.

As farmers sharpen their pencils, DTN Progressive Farmer reporters and columnists are doing the same with a full slate of stories on financing the farm. DTN Progressive Farmer’s Associate Content Manager Elaine Shein joins us this week to give us a peek behind the curtain of this reporting, shedding light on the farmers she visited, the lenders who offered their perspective, and what experts say might be ahead for the farm economy.

She’ll offer insight on how farmers are tackling questions of generational transition, business planning, and off-farm jobs in light of current challenges, and share how lenders are advising their clients on everything from input and equipment purchases during down cycles to how young farmers today can get the experience — and reputation — they need to succeed in a rapidly changing farm landscape.

This episode is brought to you by Ambrook. Visit Ambrook.com/DTN to try one month free.

The U.S. federal government began a partial shutdown starting Wednesday October 1st, disrupting services and efforts across sprawling agencies — though workers deemed essential remain on the job without pay.

Farmers and the agricultural industry writ large have been affected, from delays at local FSA offices to lost momentum on trade deals to missed national reports.

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton has been following the shutdown as it unfolded over the last several days, and brings us the very latest from Washington and around the country on how producers are being impacted and what might be ahead.

Today, he’ll guide us through the latest shutdown news, bringing us up-to-date on how key USDA agencies and activities, from FSA loans and NRCS payments to disaster aid and WASDE reports, are being disrupted, and what the long-term fallout might be. We’ll also get updates on work that’s still being done, including pest detection at the Southern border, and touch on how trade discussions are being affected both by the shutdown and by Trump’s recent announcement about an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Then we’ll hear about some recent reactions from farmers, and learn where Congress and the Administration sit today and what might be a path forward towards a more stable outcome for farmers and the American people.

The battle for year round E15 is not new, but in the last several weeks, it has become increasingly urgent. Though lawmakers have expressed support again and again for expanded rules that would create additional demand for ethanol around the country, farmers and their advocates continue to wait for changes, and now with a gigantic corn crop about to flood the market, and hamstring prices, any bit of extra demand could provide relief.

To help us understand where the E15 story currently stands, DTN Environmental Editor Todd Neeley joins us today with analysis of the latest announcements. The conversation continues with updates on the Small Refinery Exemption issue — a longer range issue that’s been lingering at the EPA and in the courts since the first Trump administration.

Then we’ll get updates on the latest RFS volume announcements and what’s happening on the trade front as the U.S. disputes Brazilian biofuel tariff levels. We’ll also talk through the latest news on the 45Z tax credit, a recent plant acquisition, and what might be ahead as more federal uncertainty — and a potential government shutdown — loom.

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton has had his hands full for months, tracking a wide range of stories from Washington that promise to impact farmers and ranchers in myriad ways. For one, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is still in the midst of a proposed reorganization, which is leaving local FSA offices short on staff — and farmers are starting to raise their concerns.

Our conversation today starts with the latest news from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, including recent updates on a potential farmer aid package. We’ll also discuss some recent farmer actions — particularly based in Arkansas — during which hundreds of growers demanded more responsiveness from the federal government.

Then we’ll get into the latest trade news and what prospects might be for a resumption of trade with China or a renegotiation of the USMCA. We’ll get an update from Congress, and hear what impacts might be incurred if Congress fails to pass a budget by the end of September and the government is forced to shut down.

Finally, we’ll hear the latest about the Make America Healthy Again Movement, or MAHA, report, get an update on farm labor, and hear some unexpected news about cover crops.

The September WASDE dropped Friday, Sept. 12, bringing relief to many as USDA announced that the record 188 bushel/acre yield estimate for corn they’d published in August had been cut more than two bushels per acre — amounting to a reduction of millions of bushels of anticipated supply. However, USDA’s report also announced an unprecedented update to acre figures, which meant that lower bushel per acre figure was almost totally offset. It seems that whichever way you slice it, there’s a monster crop about to be brought in from U.S. fields.

This week, DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery is back to take us beat-by-beat through the latest report, offering insight on how crop conditions and weather have likely affected USDA’s reporting, and what still might change between now and the end of the season.

Rhett will guide us down the balance sheets for each of the major grains, teasing out the most impactful changes in terms of demand, exports, and global supply as the attention of world markets turns towards the Southern hemisphere.

We’ll also hear about market reactions since the report was published, and get the latest update on the basis picture.

As another year’s wheat harvest draws to a close, the country’s most progressive farmers are getting ready to submit their crop data to the National Wheat Foundation’s annual Wheat Yield Contest.

Anne Osborne, Executive Director of the National Wheat Foundation, and her team are preparing to review submissions and crown a new year of bin-busters and quality leaders, but took a break for her preparations to sit down with us on the podcast this week to talk about the history of the contest, what’s new for 2025, and what she’s expecting for the year ahead.

To learn more about the contest, see past winners, and enter, visit https://wheatfoundation.org/wheat-yield-contest/.

This edition of Field Posts is brought to you by the National Wheat Foundation in partnership with Bayer, WestBred, BASF, Dyna Gro Seed, and Nutrien Ag Solutions.

For the usual big names at this year’s Farm Progress show, size and expanding autonomy were the name of the game.

Despite the tricky market conditions going into the show, with farmer equipment purchases down double-digits as compared to last year, companies still showed up and showed off their latest and greatest, displaying new tools aimed at improving productivity and reducing labor needs.

Fresh off his reporting at the show DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller starts us off this week by digging into what’s going on in the equipment industry at the moment — and how everything from commodity prices to tariffs are making waves in the big iron market. Then we’ll dig into what Dan saw at the show, from the hottest tools from Case IH and Massey Ferguson to expansions on existing technologies from the likes of AGCO and Fendt. We’ll even dig into some recent acquisition news from John Deere, and hear about some unexpected tech that sits a little closer to a farmer’s heart.

Finally, we’ll hear what Dan will be watching as the equipment companies look to the winter show season, and what’s keeping Dan scooching around the country in the meantime — from shop stories to watch to a sneak preview of this years’ America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers awardees.

The ideal 2025 growing season is giving way to the dog days of August, as farmers finally start to see the hot and dry conditions that were expected months ago. With harvest in sight, the rise in temperatures and lack of precipitation is putting a damper on a brilliant season, but also promises to ease harvest, even as it hints at a longer range forecast that’ll impact farmers in the U.S. and around the world.

To help us peek into the weather forecasts for the coming months, we’re joined once again by DTN’s Ag Meteorologist John Baranick. John will bring us up-to-date with the weather picture in each of the key regions of the country, and help us understand what we know about both harvest conditions and the overall situation going into the winter months. We’ll also look back on the summer that’s been, and hear John’s insight on whether the crop in the field is likely to hit the stratospheric numbers put forward by USDA, and what impact late season conditions and disease have on that crop.

Then we’ll expand our focus beyond the corn belt and plains to hear the latest on weather conditions around the world, and what wild cards we’ll be keeping an eye out for that might yet disrupt global supplies and markets.

In the middle of the 2025 DTN Digital Yield Tour, the U.S. Department of Agriculture dropped a bombshell — predicting a record-breaking corn crop in the August WASDE. As the fallout continued throughout the week DTN data scientists, analysts, and reporters were keeping up with the latest data coming not from USDA but directly from the field, just as beans are starting to fill and corn enters its final stages before harvest.

DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger was in the thick of it all, connecting with farmers as she published her daily stories on state-by-state conditions across the country.

Katie joins us today to talk more about the yield tour results, going beyond the corn and soybean yield estimate to share what she was hearing about crop conditions in different regions and what growers think might still leave room for numbers to shift. As she takes us through predictions for each state, she’ll offer her insight on what worked and what didn’t during this season, and what farmers she spoke with are thinking about as they reflect on everything from marketing plans to fungicide applications.

Finally, we’ll hear what she’s keeping an eye on as harvest comes into view, and get a first look at the 2025 DTN Ag Summit Event this December.

The August WASDE dropped Aug. 12, stunning the market with a nearly 17 billion bushel corn crop prediction — shattering the previous record. The eye-popping number was helped along by a 188 bushel per acre yield estimate and an additional 2.1 million planted acres over the July figure. This news comes as a summer that was expected to be hot and dry remained persistently mild, and farmers across the country are eyeing excellent looking stands even as prices soften.

To help us understand all the details, DTN Contributing Analyst and longtime veteran of the podcast Todd Hultman joins us today. He’ll walk us through this record forecast and the corresponding demand estimates, helping us keep in mind what wildcards are still at play and what he expects as far as changes that might yet be ahead for the crop itself. Then, he’ll tackle the updates on the soybean crop, which also included a record high yield — though not likely high enough to alter the fundamental supply picture. We’ll also talk through the updates to the wheat side as a bin-busting crop in North Dakota comes into view.

Plus, hear insight on the current and emerging trade situation, think through the weather forecast as we head into harvest, and gain a better understanding of where cost of production sits today relative to price.

Mud and mosquitos were plentiful on this year’s Wheat Quality Council Spring Wheat tour, which brings together dozens of industry officials to travel the highways and byways of the Northern Great Plains in order to get a boots-on-the-ground perspective on this year’s crop. After collecting yield estimates from hundreds of fields, and taking a closer look at hundreds more from the road, the results are in and experts are offering their reactions.

DTN Basis Analyst Mary Kennedy joins us to discuss the latest on the nation’s Spring wheat crop. She’ll talk us through the expected conditions, including the latest impacts related to extreme summer weather. Then we’ll dig into the day-by-day results, offering insight on the impact of the different routes on the final tallies and how these figures compare to the current USDA forecasts.

Finally, she’ll communicate the reactions she’s heard from farmers, traders, and analysts, and offer her perspective on what might still be ahead for this crop– from disease pressure and weather risk to market uncertainty related to the tariff situation.

Then we’ll taking a broader view of market and crop stories that Mary will be following in the weeks ahead.

Despite the investment that many farmers make into crop insurance products, some policies in some parts of the country simply don’t pay out. As farmers look ahead to increasingly difficult conditions and no real prospect of improved indemnification, many are on the hunt for alternatives to conventional insurance products that are better built for unique and changing conditions in agriculture.

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger, who walks us through her feature reporting on emerging risk management tools like micro captive insurance. She’ll help us understand what this tool is, how it works, and for which kinds of operations it may be a good fit. We’ll also dig into why these tools are becoming more desirable and worthwhile for farmers and the implications they have for tax liability and succession planning.

We’ll also talk with Katie about the upcoming DTN Digital Yield Tour, which will take place August 11th through 16th. She talks us through changes from previous years, what she expects to see in terms of results, and how farmers can get access to the latest yield predictions and attend the Ag Summit Series event.

Register for the 2025 DTN Ag Summit Series: Digital Yield Tour, Crop Updates at https://dtn.link/2025AgSummitFall

Agriculture news has gone mainstream in a big way recently, and few farmers are happy about it. Immigration raids on farms, especially those in California and elsewhere along the U.S.’s southern border, have been growing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials become a more and more constant presence on the road and in the field. And even farmers whose workers are hired through the H2-A program, the federal guest worker system, are feeling the heat.

Today, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton brings us up to date on all the latest policy news around the agricultural workforce. We’ll dig into the details of his recent story on the H-2A program, talking through the benefits and the drawbacks farmers experience, and why it seems to be becoming increasingly expensive and risky to use, even as the number of H-2A visa requests continues to grow. We’ll also hear updates from Capitol Hill and the White House about how farmers' concerns are being heard and what policy solutions might be on the way as advocates continue to raise their voices.

Then, we’ll hear about how labor issues collide with shifting trade pressures, trends in the U.S. workforce, and even changes to federal staffing levels due to recent restructuring of key organizations, including the USDA.

The July WASDE dropped Friday, July 11th, coming fast on the heels of USDA’s big June 30th update for planted acres, grain stocks, and more. Those latest figures updated the balance sheet, and when combined with the USDA’s new expectations for domestic and global demand, there were at least a few fireworks lighting up the market in the days after.

To help us drink from this firehose of recent news, we’re joined today by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. He talks us through why unexpectedly quiet grain stocks and acreage reports still managed to cause a stir in the soybean market, and then discuss production expectations for the wheat crop as winter wheat harvest continues apace. Then he’ll dig into the unexpected updates to the corn demand picture, which puts estimated ending stock numbers in record range, a startling situation given the current price picture, but one that traders might not believe given the current weather and trade forecasts.

Finally, we’ll look ahead to the rest of the summer, taking into account the latest news around tariffs, interest rates, and other hiccups that might still lie ahead.

Finding good help on the farm is an age-old problem, but in recent months and years, the difficulty seems to have risen exponentially. Between the struggle of an aging rural workforce, the new pressures introduced by COVID, and the gaps and expenses of federal programs like H-2A, the challenges are piling up, while meaningful solutions remain thin on the ground.

The DTN team is no stranger to this problem, which is why we dedicated a whole series of stories in the summer issue to understanding agriculture’s worker shortage and highlighting how progressive farmers are turning labor struggles into opportunities.

Today, DTN Managing Editor Anthony Greder joins us to discuss these stories. He starts by digging into what the data shows about the true barriers to work on the farm, including why compensation might not be the thing that’s holding farms back. We’ll learn about the current challenges and benefits of the H-2A program, and what tech solutions are becoming increasingly common, thanks to their labor saving benefits.

Finally, we’ll hear about the creative strategies that farmers are turning to — from offering expanded benefits to delivering on a positive workplace culture, in order to attract and keep the employees they need.

The 90-day window that the Trump Administration created in order to negotiate new trade deals with over 200 countries comes to a close on July 9th.

The goal for this time period was to create pressure and opportunities for America’s many and diverse trading partners to come to the table, propose strategies to reduce trade deficits, and offer more favorable treatment for American businesses and products.

So far, the Trump administration has few signed agreements in hand, and seems ready to reimpose drastic tariff costs on those unwilling to meet those demands. As all of this unfolds, American agriculture waits in the wings to see how negotiations fair, bracing for possible retaliation after the dust settles.

Today, Urban Lehner, former DTN editor-in-chief and current author of the Progressive Farmer blog An Urban’s Rural View, joins us to take a deep dive into the current lay of the land in the tariff world, and to offer his perspective on what might be ahead, and which eventualities would prove most lucrative for agriculture.

We’ll dig into the details you might have missed on the current situation with China, hear about the trade deals that have been confirmed, and consider what might be ahead around interest rates, inflation, and other ag policy issues as a quiet three months comes to an end.

Finally, we’ll hear about the potential impacts of the Nippon Steel deal on U.S. agriculture, and learn what other stories Urban is keeping an eye on.

An unprecedented era in U.S. cattle markets continues as what was supposed to be a hot and dry summer looks wetter and more temperate than anyone expected.

In light of that, the idea of record cattle prices is increasingly becoming standard fare, as market fundamentals like herd size remain at historic levels. DTN’s recent Ag Summit Series event on the Future of the Cowherd dug into the weather, the economics, the latest news, and the market reactions to current conditions, and today on the podcast we’re sharing highlights of the event from DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart’s markets outlook.

ShayLe covers a lot of ground today, including taking a deeper look at the current slaughter pace, how it relates to margins for packers, and where the interplay between herd size and carcass weights fits in. She also brings us up-to-date on the latest trade news affecting beef, from declining exports to China in April to the impacts of limited imports of live cattle from Mexico.

Then she’ll dive into the fed cattle and feeder cattle complex, identifying both bearish and bullish factors that are likely to be at play in the weeks and months ahead.

For anyone who’s been hoping for a surprise to boost markets recently, good news came from an unexpected place earlier this month.

After months and months of delay, and multiple anonymous sources suggesting that biofuel levels were set to disappoint the industry, the actual numbers announced by EPA stunned watchers with a proposed 2 billion gallon jump up in the biomass based diesel requirements. And that was just the start of the upside news on renewable fuels.

To help us follow the twists and turns of the latest updates, DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley joins us today with analysis on the EPA’s proposal, as well as news from the courts, state policy, and beyond. We’ll dig into the RFS ethanol levels as set in the proposal, as well as what still might be ahead this summer for E15, especially with recent positive changes coming out of California. We’ll also get an update on the state of the RINs market and a legal step forward for small refinery waivers.

We’ll also venture beyond the fuels space to hear news about the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, report, and get a breakdown on how ag has and hasn’t been included, and what the next steps may be.

Finally, we’ll hear more on some emerging lawsuits around discrimination, glyphosate liability.

The June WASDE dropped Thursday, June 12, in the midst of a wild period of domestic and global news about everything from newly released biofuel commitments to the latest on the emerging conflict in the Middle East. There’s a lot to keep track of as the USDA aims to evaluate the old and new crops in the U.S. and around the world, and give producers a thoughtful look at what might come next — over a summer that meteorologists still predict will be hot and dry.

To help us sort the signal from the noise, we’re joined today by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. Rhett takes us beat by beat through the expectations going into the report and the market moves that we’ve seen since this new data was released, providing insight on which information is proving most important to traders and analysts alike. Then he’ll walk us through the balance sheets for the major grains, helping us put USDA’s global and domestic updates into perspective and think through what the latest numbers might mean for the year ahead.

Finally, we’ll take a look ahead at the weather picture for the summer, and hear what Rhett will be looking for in the next batch of USDA reports, due out June 30th.

Whether you’re thinking about weather, markets, trade or farm bill policy, the last several months have been characterized by one thing — chaos. It seems to be impossible to stay up with the sheer quantity of news, updates, and announcements coming from every direction, which are continuously changing the outlook for the year ahead.

Today, we wanted to take some time to talk through some time-tested strategies to deal with uncertainty in farm businesses, and DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to talk us through. First, we’ll back up a little, and talk about her recent reporting on the recent dust storm in Chicago, its causes, impacts, and possible liability for farmers. Then, we’ll get into the discussion she recently had with ag business experts about how farmers can be thinking, and rethinking, about the fundamentals of their operation in these uncertain times. We’ll talk about cash rent, equipment, yield goals, and crop insurance, and hear insight on creative uses of these and other tools to help buffer the business from a hectic marketplace.

Finally, we’ll get an update on the land markets, with some specific analysis about where purchases are slowing down, and where, despite everything, they seem to be heating up.

Plus, we’ll hear a preview about what’s on the agenda and how to register for the upcoming Ag Summit Series event on the Cattle Sector.

Link to register: https://dtn.link/AgSummitSeries-Summer2025

Just a few months ago, meteorologists at DTN and beyond were expressing concern about wide swaths of drought across key U.S. growing reasons, and the likelihood of a hot and dry summer set to exacerbate the situation. Now, after an unexpectedly wet and temperate start to the season, substantial drought is largely gone and conditions look good for the summer. But changes may still be on the horizon, and DTN’s Ag Meteorologist John Baranick joins us today with the latest on what could still be a tough rest of the year.

Today, we’ll start with a look back over Spring conditions, how they varied from region to region, and why they were so unexpected given global conditions. Then, we’ll dive into the current forecast, what farmers across the country can expect for the rest of June, and dig into the likely conditions in the heart of summer. We’ll expand our focus beyond the corn belt and plains, taking a closer look at the Canadian prairies, the East and West Coasts, and of course, the Southeast– which is emerging from an unusually chaotic period of severe storms right into hurricane season. Then we’ll look beyond the North American forecast for insights on weather conditions around the world that might still throw a monkey wrench into key markets.

Finally, we’ll take a first look at the long range outlook for late summer and early fall to get a taste at what harvest might have in store.

Every year for more than six decades, the Wheat Quality Council has sponsored a Winter Wheat Tour that criss-crosses the state of Kansas to get a mid-season update on what conditions look like in the field and what farmers, millers, and everyone in between might be able to expect from the annual crop. This year was no exception, and DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins is just back from three high impact days on the Southern Plains.

Today, Jason will help us dig into the results of the tour, taking us day by day through regional conditions that vary from parched and uneven to world class. We’ll talk about what he saw as far as both pests and disease for the winter crop, and what he thinks the presence or absence of either might mean for final yield figures later this year. We’ll also hear who else was on the tour, and what perspectives those from across the industry shared about this year’s numbers, and how they compare to those of the recent past. Finally, we’ll dive into how the tour figures compare to current USDA expectations, and what still might be on the docket in the season ahead.

Then we’ll take a broader view of crop issues that Jason is following as we head out of planting and towards an uncertain summer.

The months since President Trump first took office have been marked by executive orders, policy announcement, shakeups, and for many in ag, the hopes that policies will also provide protections from market and political fallout. Just this week, President Trump announced a pause for tariffs on China as trade talks continue, and that is just one of the many ways changes are leaving farmers uncertain about what the future holds.

Today, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton joins to unpack not only recent trade news, but ag related updates from across the nation’s capital. We kick off our conversation with the recent announcement about a trade deal with the UK, which promises some benefits for U.S. beef and ethanol producers.

We dive into the details on changes at USDA, and hear about recent announcements from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and her vision to transform the department. Then, we’ll dig into current discussions on farm programs and Farm Bill safety net programs, which are currently being discussed in Congressional committees. Then, we’ll touch on the latest news on USDA disaster aid rollouts, and when farmers might expect to see compensation for past losses.

Finally, we’ll hear about an idea that President Trump has floated in an effort to ensure that the farm labor crisis doesn’t worsen and what to look out for in the weeks to come.

The May WASDE dropped Monday, May 5th, and the market reacted to both predicted records and to a few unexpected surprises. Given the number of acres and the USDA’s trendline yield, the department is officially estimating a record breaking corn crop in 2025– at least at this early moment in the season.

To help us understand the latest, we’re joined once again by DTN’s Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who puts both old crop updates and new crop estimates into perspective as we take in the first look that spans from the 2024-25 season into 25-26. Rhett reminds us that these forward looking estimates still contain substantial uncertainty, especially on the global balance sheet, but that doesn’t stop markets from reacting.

In addition to analysis on new production and planting figures, we’ll hear the latest basis news, updates on trade and usage for the major grains, and tackle bearish and bullish shifts throughout the market.

Plus, we’ll hear what Rhett will be paying attention to as planting comes to a close.

The winners of the National Wheat Yield Contest, hosted by the National Wheat Foundation, represent some of the most progressive and thoughtful wheat growers from across the country.

This week, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins takes the reins to lead us through a conversation with national winners Steve VanGrunsven, a grower/agronomist in Forest Grove, Oregon and Travis Messer, the grower/agronomist at Beaver Creek Ranch in Richardton, ND.

These two champions dig into the benefits they’ve seen in participating in the annual contest, and also share about the finer details of their management practices, technology and seed selection, quantity versus quality, and how they think about wheat in their broader rotations.

This special edition DTN Field Post podcast is brought to you by the National Wheat Foundation in partnership with BAYER Westbred.

John Deere’s See & Spray technology crashed onto the precision spraying scene a few years ago, making a big splash in the industry long before it was killing weeds in commercial fields. Since then, progress on sense and act technologies has felt like it’s both made big leaps forwards and lagged behind expectations.

Now, in 2025, millions of acres are being treated with precision spray tools across the U.S. and around the world, and this looks like just the beginning for this revolutionary technology.

DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller joins us this week to dive into all the details of his Progressive Farmer cover story on precision spraying. We hear about his conversations with farmers that have used the latest tools, including the pros and cons and how they understood the tech’s return on investment. Then we’ll talk about the full range of options currently on the market — from the most up-to-date releases from big companies like Deere and CaseIH to the unconventional offerings of startups from around the world.

We’ll dig into the details of the different tools, from the software and modeling advances to the retrofit versus new equipment tradeoff to the various pricing models.

Finally, we’ll hear what might be next in the precision equipment space and how industry leaders like Blue River are envisioning a future of ag with fewer inputs and better results.

Uncertainty and unpredictability in Washington and beyond have made following updates around ethanol, biodiesel, and the ongoing fight around sustainable aviation fuel challenging for farmers and industry watchers alike. As advocates spend time sitting down with the new Trump administration and farmers try their best to make planting decisions, the broader atmosphere around trade, interest rates, and markets adds another layer of chaos to the world of biofuels.

To help us digest all the news, DTN Environmental Editor Todd Neeley joins us today with the latest updates from Washington and beyond. We’ll talk about the pending volume announcements from EPA, the latest news on the small refinery exemptions, and what both of these issues could mean for ethanol and biofuel demand going forward. Then we’ll hear the latest news from biofuel advocates, Congress, and the Trump Administration, about what priorities might be being set for the next few years. Then we’ll look to the uncertain future of the 45Z tax credit and possible future grain demand for sustainable aviation fuel.

Finally, we’ll dig into the near term impacts we’ll expect to see from current disruptions, and news to look for going forward, in the courts, the markets, and in Washington, D.C.

The April WASDE dropped Thursday, April 10, bringing with it a raft of bearish and bullish updates for the three major grains. This month’s report came in the wake not only of market-cratering tariff announcements, but also in the week after the department’s latest Grain Stocks Report and the annual Prospective Planting update, meaning the USDA had plenty to chew on when shaping the latest numbers.

To guide us through this trove of information, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who takes us beat by beat through all three reports, and puts USDA’s outlook on the South American crop that’s wrapping up and conditions in the US in perspective.

He’ll talk us through expectations, and how updated demand figures are finally aligning with data from other sources, and hopefully providing farmers some price incentives, even as impacts in the wider economy promise to shift trade and export figures in future reports. We’ll also discuss the breakdown between corn, soybean and wheat acres farmers are planning to plant this year, and how recent announcements, and weather forecasts, might still be able to shift those numbers around.

Plus, Rhett digs into stocks, the strength of the U.S. dollar, and the state of the global wheat trade.

Cattle sellers continue to rule in beef markets, fetching record prices in recent months and weeks as expectations for more growth in the cattle herd come up short. But there’s more than just prices to watch as multiple factors — from pests and disease to shifting trade regimes to the state of individual ranch and packing businesses — come into play.

To help us find the insights in the noise, we’re joined this week by DTN Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico, who offers a preview of her May cover story on the State of Beef Markets. She’ll give us some background on expectations coming into 2025, and how factors like growing drought concerns, high carcass weights, and even the high average age of cattle producers are acting against the incentive to hold back heifers and grow individual herds. We’ll also dig into shifts she expects to see over the next few months, from trade-related impacts on feed prices to the impact of newly opened processing facilities in the Midwest. We’ll also talk more about other cattle stories Jenn has worked on recently– with updates on calving practices and genetics to the latest on virtual fencing technologies.

Finally, we’ll hear fresh updates from the View from the Range ranchers in Northeastern New Mexico.

Each year, the National Wheat Yield Contest, hosted by the National Wheat Foundation, attracts top growers from across the country to compete to grow the healthiest, and largest, wheat crop in the nation.

The 2024 results are officially in, and farmers in the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Plains managed to bring home many of the top accolades, and though 2024 didn’t quite offer record-setting conditions, some of the yields weren’t too far behind all-time highs.

But we’re interested in more than just who the winners are– we want to know how they achieved their bin-busting results. Luckily, this week we’re joined by DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins who’s had the chance to connect with the four overall winners in the irrigated and dryland winter wheat and irrigated and dryland spring wheat classes. He’ll give us the inside scoop on the growers and to which practices, products, and conditions they attribute their success. We’ll also talk about the newer quality aspects of the competition, and how winning wheat is processed and evaluated for food quality attributes. We’ll also talk about a new contest category that allows growers to submit digital yield results, a category that contest organizers are planning to expand in 2025.

Then, Jason will look ahead to current conditions and the 2025 wheat crop, and offer insight on other stories he’s following in the meantime.

The March WASDE dropped Tuesday, March 11th, and bullish farmers and traders looking to see upside for corn and possibly soybeans too were disappointed the USDA held pat across the two major U.S. grain balance sheets. Wheat, on the other hand, which was expected to go unchanged, overshot expectations in a bearish direction, but markets on the day ended up. Go figure.

Luckily, we’re joined once again this week by DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who will not only take us beat by beat through the latest numbers, but also help us understand why the numbers did and didn’t shift, and why we might expect greater changes this month, even when they didn’t arrive in March. As we zoom in on the domestic and global balance sheets, Rhett explains how a near final weather outlook for the Latin American crop season is changing USDA, and the market’s, perspective on stocks, and how updates to wheat numbers out of the black sea region may, and may not, create more opportunity for U.S. wheat growers in 2025.

Then, Rhett talks tariffs, recession, and how to follow markets and news during an uncertain planting season.

We're officially on the cusp of spring, and farmers in the warmer regions are already in the planter, while those further north are raring to get the 2025 season started. But some snap cold weather in February and some roaring blizzards on March’s doorstep have us wondering if winter might stick around a bit longer.

Luckily for us, DTN’s Ag Meteorologist John Baranick is joining us today, not only to talk through the very latest weather and forecasts, but also to look ahead for the next six to eight weeks to share insight on what might be ahead through the course of this year’s planting season.

We’ll dive deep into precipitation and temperature outlooks in key regions, especially as influenced by the shifting La Nina pattern. We’ll take a look at the drought monitor map as we discuss forage outlooks in the west and conditions along the Pacific, and check in on the near term severe weather picture. Then we’ll turn our attention abroad, taking a close look at Latin America as the major crop seasons wrap up there, and spending some time on conditions in Eastern Europe that might still prove to throw a wrench in global wheat markets.

Then we’ll gaze into the long term forecasts for a sneak peak at what we might expect for summer weather.

The 2025 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show took place February 4th through 6th in sunny San Antonio, and by all accounts it was an event where ranchers came together to celebrate a good year in the beef industry, and to put their heads together about what might be ahead.

DTN Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico attended the show, and joins us today with the latest updates from the meetings that ran the gamut from policy to trade to pest topics. Jenn will talk through what she heard from producers about the new administration’s tariff policies, about adapting to the electronic ID tag rule, and about the weather situation across the country. Then, we’ll dig into NCBA’s topline policy priorities, including discussions on estate tax priorities, unfolding discussions about regulation, and the latest on the New World Screwworm fly outbreak that’s raising concerns in Mexico.

Finally, we’ll hear the latest updates on technology, and where Jenn will be headed next.

The National Farm Machinery Show attracts more than half a million farmers, ranchers, and ag industry professionals every year to a massive event in Louisville where everything from tractors to precision equipment to drills are on display. But after several years of excitement in the machinery market, high interest rates, low commodity prices, and an atmosphere of uncertainty means this year's show had a different tenor than years past.

DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller is just back from his multi-day visit to Kentucky, and brings us the latest news from the tradeshow floor. He’ll bring us the equipment highlights from John Deere, Massey, AGCO and more, as well as the scuttlebutt from around the event on what might be ahead in the tech and equipment space. We’ll hear about new autonomy tools that will be in the field this season, the latest on cutting-edge drones, and talk through the turn towards smaller equipment by exhibitors hoping to appeal to growers on tighter budgets.

Then we’ll dig into the wildest and unexpected sights at the show, including a very fun 3D farm shop designer.

The February WASDE dropped Tuesday, February 11th, and with few updates expected for U.S. balance sheets, the market’s attention was locked on the Southern Hemisphere, where harvest for the major grains is in view.
This week, we’re joined once again by DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who took a break from his work at the National Farm Machinery Show to guide us through the latest from USDA. He’ll walk us through the critical updates to global balance sheets, and help us understand the perhaps counterintuitive market moves that came as a result of the reports publication.

Then, we’ll dive deeper into the world weather picture, and what wild cards remain for what looks to be a bin-busting Latin American crop. We’ll also dig deeper into the wheat picture to understand demand adjustments and shifting global stocks.
Finally, Rhett will speak to the recent trade and tariff talk coming out of the White House, and how he thinks these risks may (and may not) be getting priced into current market prices.

COVID’s impact on American agriculture were legion, but one of the positive changes for the industry is the way it encouraged consumers —who were experiencing supply chain disruptions in empty shelves at the grocery store — to reconnect to where their food is grown.

Ordinary American consumers turned to farmers markets and Facebook groups, looking to go directly to farms to buy meat, flour, and any other food or fiber product they could get their hands on. And though many of the effects of the pandemic have since waned, many of the farmers who connected with these new fans and customers continue to do so in ways that have transformed their farming operations.

Today, Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger takes us behind the scenes on his cover story about how farmers continue to leverage consumer interest and connections to grow their businesses in unconventional ways. He brings us stories from across the country of farmers sharing their stories, and the stories of their crops, with their customers and communities, filling bellies and building good will in the process.

Plus we’ll dig into the technology and tools these growers found useful in building new markets, the investments they’ve made, and what they see in the future as uncertain reins.

CES is the world’s largest showcase of technology and electronics, held every year in sunny Las Vegas. In the last decade or so, ag tech companies, and especially ag equipment companies, have been attending this event to show off their latest hardware and software tools, and so DTN has also attended to keep up with the technological forecast on display.

DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller is fresh off his tour of the week-long event, and brings us the latest about what leading companies are bringing to the table in terms of innovation in 2025.

Today, he’ll dive into offerings from John Deere, Kubota, and others, who demonstrated their freshest takes on autonomous and electrified farm implements. Robots big and small were well represented across the agricultural cohort, many of which operate using cutting-edge software and artificial intelligence. Dan will also share his takes on the show stopping tools that growers might look forward to seeing at the Farm Machinery Show and Commodity Classic later this year.

Then we’ll dig into key themes around labor access, how tech companies think they might help farmers manage labor shortages, and the most “out there” aspects of the show in Dan’s eyes.

It has been a hectic eight weeks in Washington since the re-election of Donald Trump. There has been a non-stop torrent of news that will, and is already, affecting American agriculture, from disaster aid to Farm Bill updates to the nomination of Secretaries of Agriculture, the EPA, FDA, and others.

Luckily, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who’s been staying on top of all the news to bring us the very latest. He’s fresh off the confirmation hearing for Brooke Rollins, the nominee to be Secretary of Agriculture, and he brings us reactions from farm trade groups and the wider agriculture community. He’ll also break down the most recent scuttlebutt on a range of issues, including the possibility of trade tariffs, and what the Trump administration might do for farmers to dampen the blow of likely retaliation. We’ll also check in on the impact of deportations on ag labor, and dig into what may lay ahead for the world of biofuels, from support at USDA and EPA to possible changes at Commerce to critical biofuel tax credits.

We’ll also hear the latest about the Farm Bill, and why, despite the fact of Republican majorities in both chambers, we might be no closer to a measure in 2025.

Then we’ll check in on questions around Trump's promised Trump tax reforms, RFK Jr.’s MAHA agenda, and what to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead.

The January WASDE dropped Friday January 10th, and this blockbuster report left producers, traders, and analysts alike scrambling to respond to major drops in production estimates for corn and soybeans. This news came alongside a quarterly stocks report and a wheat seedings report, which meant there was a ton of new information to process from USDA on the state of U.S. grains.

This week, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who helps us tackle each of the reports and takes us beat by beat through the changes that surprised market watchers so effectively. We’ll walk down the corn and soybean balance sheets, updating everything from planted acres to yield to bring a slightly smaller crop than expected into focus for both these top products. We’ll take a closer look at the demand picture as well, understanding where USDA thinks grains might end up, and how these expectations fit into a global trade picture that could change rapidly in the next few weeks due to the political transition in the U.S.

Then we’ll tackle the wheat crop, with the latest numbers on seeding as well as domestic and global stocks, we’ll hear what to expect as the crop emerges from dormancy.

DTN’s 2024 Virtual Ag Summit is a wrap, and this year’s event included a gripping conversation between DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller and a couple of the honorees in the 2025 class of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers.

Today, we’ll hear the second half of the conversation with Emily Mullen, a dairy farmer from Ohio, and Ben Neale, a cattleman from Tennessee. We’ll dig back into the stories of these operations, talking through how Ben and Emily have dealt with public perceptions of their work, and the luck they’ve had opening up their farms to visitors.

Then, they’ll discuss the challenges they’re facing, from labor in all the different areas of their businesses to input costs and the uncertainties of consumer sentiment. They wrap up with a conversation about financing the farm and where they go for the best advice.

A new year is upon us and U.S. farmers are taking to the office, planning for the 2025 season and keeping an eye on critical inputs like fertilizer as they do. It’s been a tumultuous few years for crop nutrient prices, and though there remain a few wild cards to watch, forecasts for the coming year suggest there might be more stability ahead.

This week, we’re joined by DTN Staff Reporter Russ Quinn to dig into the current fertilizer supply and what that’s likely to mean for market conditions going forward.

First, we’ll take a closer look at the potash picture, even as questions about the U.S.’s trade relationships with key exporters like Canada, Russia, and Belarus come into focus. Then we’ll tackle phosphorus, who’s more limited supply might cause a wrinkle in planning, due to a combination of a reduction in Chinese exports and a countervailing duties dispute between U.S., Russian, and Moroccan companies.

Then we’ll dive into the Nitrogen picture with a discussion of natural gas demand and how European winter weather or increasing tensions in the Middle East could disrupt key N prices in the months to come.

Finally, we’ll dig into the possible consequences of the new U.S. administration’s proposed tariffs, the shifting landscape of global crisis, and whether the Mississippi River is full enough to move fertilizer this spring.

Read more of Russ’s reporting on the fertilizer markets here.

DTN’s 2024 Virtual Ag Summit wrapped up in December, with farmers from across the country convening to discuss what to expect, and how to prepare, for a New Year, New Administration, and New Markets.

The event also gave DTN Progressive Farmer’s Senior Editor Dan Miller a chance to show off some of the stellar producers honored in the 2025 class of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers, who offered their perspective on the businesses they’re growing, the challenges they’ve faced, and what they see ahead.

Today, we’ll hear from honorees Emily Mullen, a dairy farmer from Ohio, and Ben Neale, a cattleman from Tennessee, about their unique paths to farming, and how they’ve rolled with the punches of consumer demand, a global pandemic, and uncertain market conditions in recent years.

In their sit down with Dan, they’ll also discuss their outlook for growth, the skills they’ve built to farm and market products successfully, and why they stood out in a competitive class of young farmers this year.

DTN’s 2024 Virtual Ag Summit is officially a wrap, and as is the case every year, a highlight of the event was the trio of forecasts on weather, grain markets, and livestock markets from DTN Progressive Farmer’s industry-leading analysts.

Today we’re dropping on the cattle markets forecast with DTN’s Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart. She’ll look back on the 2024 season, reflecting on the highs and lows that kept cattlemen on their toes, and talk about the macro and micro conditions that made this year a record setting one for cattle and beef prices. Then, she’ll tie together the current state of the market, the latest weather and feed outlooks, and provide a first look at what might be in store for producers in 2025. She’ll talk through the feed complex, dive into the demand picture, and offer insight on the state of the US herd build-back.

Then, she’ll walk us through how everyone from cattlemen to feeders to packers might be preparing for the challenges and opportunities in the year ahead, and what wild cards still remain that could mean a change in trend for a historically strong marketplace.

DTN’s 2024 Virtual Ag Summit has just wrapped up, with farmers from across the country convening virtually to discuss the year that was, the year ahead, and the key issues affecting their operations. Forecasts for weather and market in the year to come were, as always, a top issue, and today on the podcast we’re dropping in to hear the latest.

DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick tackled the uncertain weather picture this year with a master class in ag meteorology. Without a strong La Nina/El Nino influence, John and his team have tapped a number of other indicators to give growers insights on what to expect this winter throughout the country, and in critical regions overseas like Brazil and Argentina. He takes us step-by-step through the possible impacts of tropical storm, polar vortexes, and analyzes the likelihood of wet planting conditions.

Then he looks deep into his crystal ball to forecast possibilities for the 2024 summer season, and offers his advice on unpredictability in the year ahead.

The December WASDE dropped Wednesday December 11th, and this usually quiet report brought with it unexpectedly bullish news for corn markets. As markets and the USDA turn their attention towards the crop in the Southern hemisphere and demand from around the world, U.S. crops are getting a boost.

This week, we’re joined once again by DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who guides us through the latest on the report, taking us right down the balance sheet to get the latest updates on demand and ending stocks, informed too by the release of Tuesday’s crop production report.

We’ll dig into the expectations for adjustments and why the market got a bit of a surprise from the report, and what these changes might mean for the much more substantial version due out next month. We’ll also dig in to both changes on the world balance sheet and the most recent basis updates, to understand both the most local and the global impacts of USDA’s most recent forecasts.

We’ll talk Latin American weather, the emerging export picture, and what Russian grain marketing decisions might mean for US wheat growers.

In the last decade, farmland prices have shifted under the pressure of farm policy, a global pandemic, a changing interest rate regime, and a broader market anxious for safe investments. The picture of US farmland today is mixed, with some record sales still hitting inboxes even as many properties go unsold at auction. These mixed signals have left some producers wondering– what’s going on with the farmland markets?

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger, who's been following the story, looking to what’s ahead, and brings us some answers. We’ll discuss how worried growers should be about what seems to be a growing trend of institutional purchasing of farmland– from foreign owners to Wall Street to Bill Gates.

Then we’ll talk about debt, interest rates, and why the farmland market today is still unlike the one many farmers experienced during the 1980s farm crisis. We’ll look forward to the likely impacts of the US political transition, and talk about how other emerging trends, from farmland succession to advanced farmland technology might alter the space going forward.

Plus, we’ll hear a preview about the 2024 DTN Ag Summit entitled New Year, New Administration ... New Markets? Click here to register.

With the 2024 election firmly in the rearview mirror, President Elect Donald Trump has been dominating headlines with cabinet picks and more recent announcements about proposed tariffs.

Farmers and ag industry stakeholders are now waiting to see what happens next on a variety of critical agricultural priorities, from labor to trade to potential pesticide regulation changes.

Luckily, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who’s been keeping an eye on the wide range of issues that may yet come up between now and January 20th, and what levers might be pulled shortly after. He’ll talk us through what to watch in the lame duck session, as lawmakers move to keep the government funded and potentially provide some post-hurricane disaster aid to affected farmers.

Then he’ll dive in to what we might expect to see after the inauguration, from the potential impacts of mass deportations on agricultural labor to the likely consequences of ratcheting up tariffs on China and adding penalties on Canadian and Mexican trade.

Then we’ll tackle questions around taxes, regulation and deregulation, and what role Trump’s possible Ag Secretary pick might play.

The November WASDE dropped Friday November 8th, including updates to both corn and soybean production for 2024, bringing both crops down from their predicted record levels.

Though many expected to see this update from USDA now that more than 90% of harvest is complete, the picture was complicated further down the balance sheet, leading to some mixed results in the market.

This week, we’re introducing DTN’s new Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who joins us today for his first WASDE breakdown. He’ll tackle the latest updates on stocks for major grains, and analyze USDA demand updates (and lack thereof) that contributed to an underwhelming market reaction.

He’ll dig into the basis picture during this peak harvest window, and tackle the global stocks updates as the world’s attention turns to Latin America. Then, we’ll hear updates on the wheat market at home and abroad, and hear what Rhett will be on the lookout for in the coming weeks and months as the national and global stages continue to be crowded with news.

Just in time for the 2024 Election, DTN’s Pulse of Rural America Poll is hot off the press with a fascinating trove of information about how farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans are thinking about not only this election and the decision ahead of them, but also how they feel about the farm economy, their biggest challenges and issues, and what the future might look like.

Today we’re joined by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who’s been reviewing the poll results and ground truthing them with producers across the country. He’ll guide us through the major survey results, unpacking the biggest surprises and best indicators of how voters are feeling across the country side.

We’ll talk Presidential chances, about top issues from immigration and inflation to foreign farmland ownership and conservation. Then we’ll dive deeper on how farmers are responding to what they’ve heard and seen from the two major party platforms, and how major policies might play out in the weeks, months, and years of the next administration.

We’ll tackle weather challenges, discuss the importance of the national debt, and learn more about the outlook for the farm safety net.

USDA will begin requiring electronic ID tags for some types of cattle that are moved across state lines after November 5th, including dairy animals and intact beef animals and bison. The department’s rules carve out a few exceptions, so producers who believe they might be affected should be taking notice.

Today, DTN Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico brings us the latest on what those exceptions are, who is affected by these new regulations, and how producers can take steps to ensure they’re in compliance.

She’ll share additional information on the background of this rule change, where to get tags and what to do if they’re lost, and dig into why these updates might prove vital for the industry in an animal disease scenario.

The October WASDE dropped Friday October 11th, and though it largely held pat on USDA updates from both the September report and from the end of month stock updates, there was still news to be made as South America’s crop comes into clearer focus and tensions across the country and around the globe continue to escalate.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today for one last WASDE breakdown, talking us through trade expectations and market reactions since the report came out, and how the global picture for corn, soybeans and wheat has been tweaked. We’ll dig into the confidence growers can have in the October numbers, and dive deep on the livestock markets to understand what USDA is predicting for the final quarter of 2024. Then we’ll tackle China trade news, the winter energy outlook and how Mideast conflict might be affecting that picture, and what the weather outlook might have in store for harvest season.

Then we’ll talk about market impacts of the election and the long term potential of a growing Brazilian harvest.

In the aftermath of an August crash in the cattle markets, producers across the country are kicking themselves over the missed opportunity to lock in sales at record prices. But since the dog days of summer, markets are looking up, and prices have regained much of their lost value in the weeks since.

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to talk us through the last eight weeks, pointing out key features of the feeder and cash cattle markets as she encourages hesitant producers to invest in price protection at current, historically high prices. Then we’ll dig into the fundamentals, talking about the outlook for herd size and the state of the bred cattle market. ShayLe offers insight further up the supply chain as well, looking to slaughter pace and carcass weight figures to shed light on what’s going on with packers and what that might mean for consumer and export demand as winter approaches.

We’ll talk through the winter feed outlook, check in on the bird flu story, and hear the latest from ShayLe’s Wyoming ranch.

The evolution of the drone has been a relatively quick one, and though this technology probably has a long way to go to reach its full potential, innovative growers are already putting these tools to work, especially using drone sprayers in tricky fields. To growers in unusual geographies in particular, drones, and the servicers and custom operators who supply them, are no longer an interesting novelty, they’re an essential part of yearly field work.

Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger has been reporting on drones for years, and today he joins us on the podcast to dig into the expanding world of drone operation in agriculture that’s even compelling some operators to leave the farm behind in favor of custom work. Joel talks about the diversifying landscape of drone spraying, and how individual companies and major equipment companies and their dealers are thinking about and beginning to work in the space. We’ll dive deep on the question of whether to own or rent, the new opportunities that growers are discovering, and what barriers are emerging, from FAA flight regulations to high commodity prices.

Plus we’ll dig into licensing questions, hear stories from the field, and get a preview about the popularity of ugly pumpkins.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman is coming to the end of a long career in the agricultural markets. His voice will be dearly missed here on the podcast, around the newsroom, and across the country by the farmers and ag industry leaders who’ve depended on his even-handed insights for the better part of four decades. But before he rides off into the sunset, we sat down with Todd for one last episode to hear about the career he’s had, what he’s learned, and what he sees for the future of ag markets and the sector more broadly.

Today we’ll talk about his early days as a broker and the people who helped shape his common sense view of the market. We’ll hear about his journey to DTN, and how world and market events– from commodity crashes to Chernobyl to a global pandemic – changed the way he thinks about finance, economics, and people in general. He’ll dig into the most surreal and unexpected moments of his career, the times when his crystal ball proved right, and talks about the funniest trade he made as a young broker with a mini soybean meal contract. Then we’ll talk about his outlook for the future– why watching prices is often more important than watching the news, and his advice for young analysts and for farmers aiming to navigate the hectic trading world.

Then, we’ll touch on Todd’s retirement, his favorite TED talk, and why AI isn’t a good substitute for good analysis.

The 2024 election cycle is in the home stretch, and though a lot of attention is being taken up by the Presidential race — when it comes to agricultural policy, the results of senate and house races are likely to be even more impactful.

The farm community has been waiting for years for the passage of the next Farm Bill, but that legislation is currently on the sidelines as Congress aims to avert a government shutdown after September 30th.

As November approaches, we’re joined by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who brings us the latest insights from every level of this campaign season. Today we’ll discuss key elements of the major party platforms from immigration priorities to tax and tariff plans to the future of fuels and energy. Then we’ll dig into the potential changes further down the ticket and how the departure of long-time ag ally Senator Debbie Stabenow might impact future Farm Bills.

Then we’ll dig into the likely effects of transitioning political regimes on existing and ongoing policy at the USDA, EPA, and even the Department of the Treasury, where the biofuels community is awaiting news on how a tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel will be reshaped, potentially opening big market opportunities for corn demand.

Lastly, we’ll check in on a potential round of farm aid in the works, how Clayton plans to follow political news in the coming weeks, and so much more.

The September WASDE dropped Thursday September 12th, and though it didn’t too much to stir markets, it provided another data point as potentially record crops are in the final stretch before harvest. USDA’s latest report was informed by in-field data which added a new on-the-ground perspective, but there’s still plenty of time for weather-related disruptions, especially with storms like Francine reminding the industry that hurricane season is not over.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to dig into the latest market conditions, offer his expectations going into and coming out of this report, and to discuss shifting demand and basis numbers as we move towards seasonal lows across major sectors. We’ll talk about the updated export picture for both corn and soybeans, and discuss how the global wheat crop is looking after a tough year in Europe.

Then we’ll take a look at the livestock market with updates on current prices and USDA forecasts about herd growth in the next twelve months. And finally, we’ll talk interest rate declines and inflation, continuing weather wild cards, and the confidence we can have in this report’s numbers.

The trend towards fewer, bigger seed companies is nothing new in US agriculture, and is not even unique to the seed industry. But as a handful of major players have bought up more and more independent seed companies, especially since the 1990s, it’s left farmers and industry analysts alike wondering what the impact is, and will be, on grower selection, price, and innovation overall.

Today, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins takes a closer look at the consolidation trend in the seed industry, especially after the announcement that several brands, including Fontanelle, Gold Country, Kruger, Lewis Hybrids, and Stone Seed will be eliminated from Bayer’s portfolio as of 2025. We’ll talk about the motivations behind these retirements for the big companies, what it might mean for producers when they’re making their selections for next year, and how independent seed companies are continuing to fit into a global seed market that seems to have less and less space for specialized players.

Then we’ll talk about longer term consolidation trends and the seed news Jason expects to see in the weeks and months ahead.

Read Jason's full story here.

The 2024 crop season got off to a wet start that changed up planting decisions and led to a significantly larger soybean planting than analysts were expecting. Since the Spring however, moisture and temperatures across the midwest have proven to be generally ideal, though a severe storm here and there did intermittently disrupt some growing seasons.

Now as we’re on the precipice of Harvest 2024, DTN’s Ag Meteorologist John Baranick joins us to breakdown both how his in-season predictions have fared since we talked pre-planting, and to offer his outlook on what might be ahead this fall. We’ll talk through likely upcoming shifts in the La Nina cycle, take a closer look at this summer’s severe weather and where we might expect to see more damage coming up, and tackle the global weather picture as focus shifts towards the new crop in the Southern hemisphere.

We’ll hear about regional harvest conditions, the long tail of heat in the far West, and what a La Nina might mean for winter cold temperatures.

DTN’s Digital Yield Tour is back again this year, and after years of building industry-leading tools, it’s powered exclusively by DTN proprietary models and data.

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger who takes us beat by beat through yield estimates and on the ground condition reports for nine states, from the Eastern Corn belt to Nebraska, Missouri to Minnesota. She guides us through the regions where DTN’s data diverges from the latest USDA reports, shares the stories she’s heard from growers along the way, and discusses what could be ahead in the coming weeks as harvest approaches.

She’ll tackle water logged soils, wind and other severe weather impacts, and how big the 2024 soybean crop may actually turn out.

To learn more and register for the August 20th DTN Ag Summit Series event, "Weather Drives Price Prospects for Remainder of 2024", visit https://dtn.link/AgSummitSeries-Fall.

The August WASDE dropped Monday August 12th, bringing with it the surprising news of an expected record soybean crop on the horizon for US growers. This update was fueled by fresh yield forecast numbers, but even more so by USDAs contention that one million acres of additional soybean acres were planted than previously thought, driven in part by wet weather during the planting season forcing a shift from corn to beans.

DTN’s Lead Market Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to help us understand the latest figures, and how they fit into a complicated seasonal weather picture that, today, is looking impressively balmy. We’ll talk about potential bright spots in the soybean demand picture, how corn might benefit from the shifts on the soybean front, and where the wheat picture might be providing some respite. Then we’ll plug these updates into the global picture to discuss the US crop export pace, global ending stocks outlooks, and whether or not USDA might update its Latin American numbers to match local estimates.

Then we’ll talk interest rates, pre-harvest weather, and what might lie ahead in terms of geopolitical unrest and the grain markets.

Advocating for agriculture wherever you are is something that farmers and those in agribusiness have been encouraged to do for years now. But being a voice for the industry, for a sector, even for just one farm can be a huge undertaking. The work can be purposeful and fun, but it can also be emotionally difficult and time-consuming. Through the ups and downs, however, many, many voices continue to tell agriculture’s stories, and today, DTN is celebrating those individuals and organizations who do this important work.

DTN Progressive Farmer Associate Content Manager Elaine Shein spearheaded the Voices of Agriculture special issue, joining with fellow DTN and Progressive Farmer staff to help select the 2024 class of voices. She joins us today to discuss the why behind this project, and to dive into why farmers, policymakers, and ag industry participants from across the country were chosen, and how their work is continuing to shape and reshape the farm world. She’ll also share insight on what’s next for this project, and how you can participate in highlighting voices that mean the most to you.

2024 marks the 20 year anniversary of the View from the Cab column at DTN, which follows two farmers from different parts of the country over the course of an annual growing season.

Today, the tradition is carried on by DTN Crops Technology Editor Pamela Smith, who for the last seven years has been talking to growers week in and week out on everything from production decisions and technology adoption to family dynamics and their vision for the future.

Pamela joins us for a behind the scenes look at how the View from the Cab stories came to be, and how the experience looks for the producers in the hot seat. We’ll talk about the long history of the program, how it’s evolved, and what the future might hold for it. We’ll dig into the archives to hear about some of Pam’s most memorable experiences working with these farmers, and learn why you might be interested in raising your hand to participate in the future.

Then we’ll hear updates on other crops stories Pamela is following at the moment.

Delays on EPA announcement of Renewable Fuel Standard volumes have become old hat for ag industry watchers, but adding in the looming election and a recent Supreme Court decision, the hurdles for regulators to get 2026 volumes published are mounting. But even as anxious corn and soybean growers watch, and some advocates prepare to sue, hope springs from ongoing conversations about the potential for US growers to participate in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF, market in the future.

To help us digest all the news, DTN Environmental Editor Todd Neeley joins us today with the latest updates from EPA and beyond. We’ll talk about the RFS delays, the announced levels that have led to a few biodiesel plant closures, and updates out of California on E-15 that might provide some relief in an uncertain market. Then we’ll take a deep dive on the current state of play for SAF, digging into the potential opportunity, the timeline, and what technologies and policies are still needed to make the market a reality.

Finally, we’ll dig into how the recent Supreme Court decision on Chevron deference might impact the biofuels space, and other issues Todd will be watching between now and November.

The July WASDE dropped Friday July 10th, bringing the ongoing crop season into sharper focus as USDA continued to refine its acreage and production estimates. The June 28th reports from the department left the corn market in bearish state, estimating higher planted acres and higher stocks than expected, but the WASDE adjustments offered some relief, even as soybean numbers remained steady.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to help us digest these latest figures, and put them in the context of today’s weather impacts. We’ll dig into the world stocks picture to understand the most recent figures out of Latin America for corn and soybeans, then we’ll tackle adjustments made on the domestic side as USDA solidifies its understanding of the crop in the field. We’ll discuss the US’s bigger than expected wheat crop, and how it fits into a global market cornered, at the moment, by Russia. Then we’ll dive into the livestock picture with analysis on the second half of the 2024 season for cattle and hogs.

Then we’ll talk heatwaves, hurricanes, and the outlook for the overall biofuels market in the face of a shifting trade paradigm.

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 approaches, we’re joined by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who brings us insights on what we’re likely (and not likely) to see in terms of agricultural policy making before November, and what the candidates are promising might be in store for the term that follows. We’ll dig into the current Farm Bill language that passed out of the House Ag Committee, reactions from the industry and the Secretary of Agriculture, and discuss this bill's chances in the lame duck session later this year.

We’ll also discuss the evolving partisanship in the House and Senate Ag Committees, and how shifting majorities in Congress could impact ag policy going forward. Finally, we’ll tackle the latest Supreme Court decision on Loper vs. Raimondo, and how the end of Chevron Deference might gum up the works in ag production for years to come.

Then we’ll check in on new OSHA heat rules, the purchase of an Illinois grain facility by Chinese interests, and so much more.

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 against these tricky critters, but there might be less to that promise than you might think.

Today, we’re diving deep into the current state of Soybean Cyst Nematode management across the country. We’ll discuss the damage these pests do, how to assess your fields, and next steps growers can take to get a handle on populations and possible treatment methods. Then, we’ll learn more about emerging advances on the transgenic trait side of things, and how a recent announcement from BASF could offer big benefits for growers down the road.

Finally, we’ll tackle questions of resistance, and get into what options farmers have to ensure they’re rotating their modes of action often enough.

Then we’ll get updates on other pest populations Jason is on the lookout for, and hear the latest on the Dicamba story.

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.

ShayLe’s presentation will dig into the drought monitor and the outlook for grass in 2024, and offer insight on how that may interact with a record low cattle herd. She’ll troll back through the last decade of prices and production to gain some historical perspective on what might be in store as the robust cattle market moves forward, and she helps us peak behind the curtain at packer margins and import/export figures to get a better idea of the game plans of other key actors in these markets. Then she’ll dig into the outstanding risk in the marketplace, especially the Avian influenza story, and where perceptions, markets, and producers can go from here.

We’ll talk about cull bulls, interest rates, and what aging producers might mean for the next decade of the cattle markets.

You can watch previous Ag Summit Series events or sign up for future ones at https://www.dtn.com/2024-ag-summit-series/

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 and other news to get a better picture of what might be ahead.

To help us make sense of this report, DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today. He’ll offer insight on the department’s stocks estimates for the old and new crop, dig into the strong demand picture for corn and the more uncertain one for soybeans, and highlight how recent flooding in Brazil, and the cross-border movement of Argentine grain, might (and might not) be impacting global stocks estimates. Then we’ll integrate the latest news about the US wheat crop and discuss where there might be room for optimism on small grains, and tackle the latest news on cattle and pork markets as we head towards the heart of the summer barbeque season.

We’ll talk about the potential fallout of the slower planting pace, the weather and marketing forecast for the Black Sea region, and more.

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 farmer from Bourbon Country in Kentucky who’s been growing an unconventional row crop operation alongside his dad’s since 2012. We’ll talk with Quint about his path back to the farm, which included experiments with tomatoes, feed corn for deer, and even a challenging dance with rye. We’ll dig into his strategy for financing his operation, which includes bringing in outside investors while maintaining majority ownership over the family business.

Then we’ll dive deep into Quint’s deep dedication to not only growing the farm economically and protecting the environmental sustainability of the land, but also to nurturing his community — through economic investments in his employees, his local town of New Haven, and in the way he thinks about markets and opportunities in the future.

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 the building will need to fulfill now and into the future.

Alongside many of these farmers, Progressive Farmer Senior Editor and equipment expert Dan Miller has also been thinking about farm shops, and has visited countless across the country to learn what works, what doesn’t, and where farm shop design might be going in the future. Today he joins us to dive into what he’s learned about everything from choosing the right site on your property to placing doors and windows to how many desks should be accommodated in new shop office space. We’ll talk about some of the coolest shops Dan has visited, what he’s learned from growers who wish they’d done things a little differently, and even best practices when searching for a shop designer.

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 much better than the crop fared in 2023.

Luckily for us, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins was on the tour, and brought us first hand information about what he saw on the ground across the Southern States. Today we’ll talk about the yield results from different regions, the disease pressure in the fields and how farmers might be making decisions about final applications, and compare the results of the tour to what USDA and others are predicting the final harvest will look like. Then, we’ll talk about existing variability and how weather in the next few weeks might continue to alter the fate of this year’s crop.

We’ll also discuss broader pest pressures, the protein outlook, and the durability of modern seed varieties.

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 Manager Anthony Greder joins us this week to discuss the work DTN Progressive Farmer is doing to highlight rays of hope. A special edition of the magazine this May highlights resources, stories, and information to help growers, their families, and others navigate staying mentally and emotionally healthy in an increasingly fraught landscape. We’ll talk about the latest research on rural mental health, learn about warning signs and how to reach out to neighbors, friends, and colleagues in need, and discuss what simple acts can make a difference in the lives of people struggling with depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges.

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 joins us today to dig into the USDA’s latest numbers for both old and new crop grain stocks, with an eye to conditions this season and what the market indicates is likely beyond. We’ll dive deep into the demand picture, covering ethanol, crush, exports, and feed demand, plus we’ll talk about how traders are reacting to the latest market moves and how that might be affecting prices and basis going forward. Then discuss how soybean demand from China at the moment might be a good sign for demand in the coming months.

We’ll also talk through the latest on sustainable aviation fuel, how the planting picture might evolve in the coming weeks, and the latest on how bird flu is affecting cattle markets.

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 remains strong, it seems just as likely now that the unstoppable bullishness might well be back.

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to discuss the latest news for cattle markets as well as a few possibilities of where we might go from here. We’ll dig deep on the demand picture, understanding both the long-term planning of stockyards and buyers as well as the shorter term hunger for beef in the US and abroad. We’ll also touch on the herd size, slaughter pace and how producers might prepare to follow both the news and the markets in the weeks and months ahead.

We’ll tackle all this, and hear the latest updates of ShayLe’s family bull sale and cattle operation.

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 highly lucrative.

Today, we’re joined by DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger to hear about three young farm entrepreneurs who have found success building businesses beside traditional crop and livestock operations.

First, we’ll hear about Erik Oberbroeckling, an Iowa farmer who, over the course of the last decade, has also built a trucking empire that’s helped him grow his fleet and the family farm at the same time. Then, we’ll hear Evan Hellerud’s story of finding resources on his Red River Valley family farm led him to a hay and alfalfa cutting business that would give him the chance to feed and bed horses at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. And finally, we’ll hear Leah Pottinger’s story of how a passion for photography, an artistic itch, and a commitment to making a profit led to the growth of a breathtaking flower farm in rural Kentucky.

We’ll dig into Katie’s insights on everything from how these growers found opportunities and analyzed returns to how they dealt with labor challenges and involving the community.

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 reports, and help us connect the dots to understand better where farmers’ heads may be as they prepare for a season of tighter margins. Then we’ll dive deeper on the WASDE front, tackling news from Latin America and Ukraine, and the impact it’s having, and will likely continue to have, on prices for the major grains.

We’ll tackle how the avian influence story is (and isn’t) impacting livestock markets, the evolving inflation story in the US, and parse what we know about the weather picture as growers prepare and get into the field.

We’ll also talk through demand and export updates, whether USDA or Brazilian officials have the clearer picture on global stocks, and what farmers can expect for basis at the moment.

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, and put it in the context of how it’ll impact the department going forward, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton. Today, he’ll give us some essential background on how the Ag Census works, why it matters, and dig into the top line numbers that are making waves. We’ll discuss the fastest growing livestock sector, USDA’s new interest in measuring precision ag adoption, and the freshest information on the proliferation of cover crops and reductions in ag acreage and farm numbers. We’ll also hear about other key farm demographics and how changes around irrigation and other farm input uses might reflect a changing economic situation in rural America.

Then we’ll check on the farm bill, how updated ag data might impact the whole of ag policy making, and the prospect of moving ag labor policy toward the finish line.

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 Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick, who takes us beat by beat through what to expect in the coming weeks and months for the major growing regions of the country. We’ll tackle precipitation, soil temperatures, and how likely drought or flooding is to become a major factor this season.

Then we’ll dive into the global weather picture, with a particular focus on Latin America, to better understand how changing patterns around the world might be set to affect commodity markets in the season ahead.

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 bring us the latest updates from the event, we’re joined by DTN Progressive Farmer editor in chief Greg Horstmeier, who joins us from Washington D.C. where he’s taking part in the day's festivities. He’ll share more information about the agenda, highlight the youth winners of the national ag essay contest, and provide information for those hoping to attend some ag day events this year, or to get involved with planning in the years to come.

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 the agricultural community in attendance.

To bring us everything you might have missed, whether you attended the event or not, we’re joined by DTN Progressive Farmer editor in chief Greg Horstmeier, who will take us beat by beat through everything from policy announcements related to Sustainable Aviation Fuels to his takeaways from the trade show floor. He’ll dig into technology and equipment, the hype around all things carbon, and offer insight on what he heard from farmers at the event about planting and the season ahead.

Plus we’ll discuss the recent crop protection news, what he heard about crop insurance discussions at the event, and what’s ahead for DTN coverage.

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 decline in farm incomes on record.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to share the highlights from the forum, covering everything from the specifics of USDA’s expectations for commodity grains to how all of this might impact grower decisions going forward. She’ll speak about the message from the Secretary of Agriculture about the need to refocus on shoring up the farm safety net in the Farm Bill that was expected last year, and tell us about the response that Secretary Vilsack’s proposal received from former USDA Chief Economists in the room.

We’ll dig more into the prospective planting figures, understand how interest rates and farm input costs are weighing on farm profitability, hear more about the future of crop insurance, and about the upcoming DTN Ag Summit Series Planting event in March.

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 discrepancy with Latin American figures on the potential for Brazilian crops. In addition to parsing the latest from the report, we’ll dig into other department announcements, including what Todd heard (and didn’t hear) from Secretary Vilsack at Commodity Classic about the future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and when USDA’s annual forecast out of the Ag Outlook Forum could mean for markets and planting in the weeks ahead.

We’ll talk through the current basis picture, concerns about global commodities trade, and check in on the broader economic context.

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 and distribution of these products that are already out of the manufacturers possession– what’s known as an existing stocks order.

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins joins us today to dig into all the details of what these announcements mean for growers who have or plan to use these products during the season on their cotton and soybean crops. He’ll break down the lawsuit and its outcomes, share the specific dates until which growers can buy and use these products this year, and offer some perspective on what might be in store in the future for these brands.

Plus, he’ll share insight on the bigger picture for the pesticides market — including how pending shifts in the way that EPA regulates the industry might lead to big changes in what’s available and what’s not in terms of crop protection.

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 joins us today to discuss all of these bullish headwinds and much more, as we dive into the most recent USDA outlooks, the regional weather picture, and what we’re likely to see in the Cattle on Feed report later this week. We’ll dig into the details of slaughter pace and consumer demand in what’s traditionally a slow time of the year. Then we’ll talk about the feed picture, impacts of global import and export figures, and look ahead to how producers might want to be thinking about decision-making in the year ahead.

We’ll tackle all this, and hear how things are going on ShayLe’s family cattle operation.

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 us today to offer his insight on the latest figures, as well as how a shifting global weather forecast, and rapidly evolving security situations on two continents, may affect ag markets in the month to come. We’ll dive into USDA’s perspective on export action, then dig into the ethanol and crush pictures in light of the complex global energy situation. Then we’ll check in on the wheat and livestock markets, with analysis on how the department is tracking wheat’s tough supply and demand picture and whether tightness in the cattle market will persist.

We’ll talk through the current basis picture, concerns about the Chinese demand picture, and look ahead to what could influence prospective planting.

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 million USDA grant to tackle their goal of achieving 30 million acres in cover crops by 2030, a significant increase over today’s numbers.

Today, we’re talking to the executive director of Farmers for Soil Health, Ben West, about the details of the project, who’s behind it, and how farmers can get involved. We’ll learn about the different tracks available to farmers who have never tried cover crops, to those who have tried but given up, and even for those who are currently using cover crops but would like to see added benefits. We’ll also dig into the role of consumer-facing companies in the project, and how USDA is involved. Then we’ll tackle what the future of the collaboration might look like.

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 cover the agriculture tools that were on display, from John Deere, Kubota, Bobcat, and more. He’ll share what he saw and discuss what he learned from the companies themselves about what might be in store later this season and beyond for growers interested in exploring the cutting edge of equipment technology. Plus, he’ll cover Deere’s newly announced partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink to provide connectivity to more farmers in the US and beyond, and clue us in on the latest on pricing, electric tractors, and data aggregation.

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, including the December 1st Grain Stocks report and the Winter Wheat Seedings update. We’ll dive deep into the latest numbers that are driving US markets, and look abroad to the condition of Latin America’s developing corn and soybean crop to better understand what the first months of 2024 might have in store. We’ll tackle the demand picture, dig into the evolving role of weather in US grain markets, and think critically about how global pressures, from Russian geopolitical maneuvering to low water levels in the Panama Canal, are creating new signals for farmers on what to plant for the coming crop.

We’ll talk cattle and hog markets, the latest headlines out of China and the Middle East, and update some predictions on the year ahead.

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 expect in the aftermath?

Today, we’re dropping in on DTN Editor-in-Chief Gregg Hillyer as he moderates a panel at the 2023 DTN Ag Summit on the current and future state of farmland markets. You’ll hear from Jeremy Stevens, partner and managing broker at National Land Realty in Little Rock, AK, Howard Halderman, President of Halderman Farm Management in Wabash Indiana, and David Martin, Managing Director of U.S. Agriculture, a privately-held investment firm focused on acquiring and managing quality farmland for institutional investors based in Carmel, Indiana.

This distinguished panel will dig into trends in farmland sales in specific regions across the country, diving deep on what’s motivating purchases of small and large parcels, as well how ag market factors will continue to drive farmland values into the new year.

Hear the full discussion at https://www.dtn.com/2023-ag-summit-series/

DTN’s 2023 Ag Summit, and the 2023 crop year is officially a wrap, and farmers across the country are looking forward to more than just 2024. The end of the year is, for many, a time to think about the generations past and those still to come, and it’s at time at DTN when we think about the young farmers and ranchers who are confidently leading the way into an uncertain future.

In that vein, DTN’s Dan Miller joins us today to discuss, and introduce, America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers awardees. In addition to getting a little introduction to some of the finest young producers out there, who are tackling farm transitions, questions about technology and growth, and much more, we’ll also hear a little more about the Best Young Farmers program, get a peak behind the curtain of how it works, and how you, or a young producer you know, might get involved in 2024 or beyond.

The 2023 DTN Ag Summit wrapped up in early December with DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick helping attendees look ahead to the 2024 crop season with an eye to weather in the US and around the world. After months of establishing a new El Nino pattern that’s edged towards a super El Nino event, the latest models are predicting that that effect may diminish mid-way through next year, sending weather into neutral territory or even into a La Nina by the summer.

The good news is, John’s forecast takes us beat by beat through what we know and what’s still uncertain about the weeks and months ahead, and what different possibilities could mean for planting and production both across the US and in key competitive regions like Argentina and Brazil. He’ll also dive into some questions about possible wild cards, weather in Black Sea, and what key features he’ll be keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.

We’ll hear about evolving drought conditions, Mississippi water levels, and what conditions might mean for prices.

Though the December WASDE dropped Friday, December 8th, the neutrality and general lack of changes in the report meant that DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman could focus more on his discussion at the 2023 DTN Ag Summit about the bigger picture in the markets and how it might drive markets in 2024 and beyond.

Today, we’re dropping in on Todd’s market forecast to hear more about how he sees the lingering effects of the global pandemic, the fluid situation in China, and the growing competitiveness of Brazil and Latin America influencing corn and soybean markets in the year ahead.

We’ll take a closer look at the weather picture and how total supply might evolve in the coming months, and at the demand picture, with a particular focus on both corn and soybean biofuel markets. We’ll also touch on the impacts of global conflicts, energy prices, and how market watchers can stay on top of the story.

From November 9th to the 15th, equipment manufacturers from around the world descended on Hanover, Germany to unveil new equipment and introduce farmers to their most advanced technologies at the annual Agritechnica Trade Show.

Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger was there, visiting with some of the 3000+ vendors to stay abreast of announcements ranging from advanced combines to new electric and hybrid tractors. Today, we’ll check in with Joel about what he saw, with special attention to when US farmers will be able to see some of this equipment available for use in the field. We’ll talk about the latest in thinking around autonomy, what’s evolving and what’s not when it comes to drones and digital technology in the cab, and some of the more unexpected quirks of European farm equipment shows.

Plus we’ll dig into more news to watch as the equipment space continues to advance.

Fertilizer prices across the board are down off near all-time highs from this time last year, and providing less angst as the farm sector moves into the winter months. However, that doesn’t mean that uncertainty and risk are gone, as two global conflicts in key fertilizer exporting regions threaten to throttle supply if conditions change.

This week, we’re joined by DTN editor and reporter Russ Quinn to dig into the current market conditions, and what’s likely to drive them going forward. We’ll explore the latest price trends, tracking the global trade in key nitrogen, phosphorus and potash markets that are no longer being affected by sluggish supply chains and a global pandemic, but instead face negative and positive pressures from new Chinese exports, and investment in US domestic fertilizer production, and the outlook for winter weather around the globe.

We’ll also discuss advice for farmers as they follow fertilizer market news in the coming months, unpack expectations about potential wild cards, and hear how past conflicts might come back to haunt crop nutrients.

Read more of Russ’s reporting on the fertilizer markets here.

The November WASDE dropped Nov. 9, 2023, bringing with it the unexpected announcement of an expected record corn crop. After late season drought impacted much of the corn belt, this update came as a shock to market watchers, and helped contribute to a bearish outlook in the marketplace.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to offer his insight on what’s informing USDA’s evolving outlook, and what farmers should consider as 2023 yield estimates move towards that final January figure. We’ll discuss the latest on the global weather picture, and how an optimistic outlook in Latin America will drive the market going forward. We’ll also dig into China demand as well as Russian actions in the wheat market as US growers continue to struggle to find buyers abroad.

Plus, Todd will explore the latest hit to the cattle markets as well as ongoing news in hogs. We’ll talk energy prices, interest rate hikes, and why Todd is following global geopolitics and trade partnerships so much as he looks to the year ahead.

With harvest well underway and the end of the year looming, many farmers are starting to think about what equipment they might upgrade or purchase before 2024 arrives. And there is a lot to consider. From the increasing opportunity to acquire autonomous tools like grain carts to upgrades on tractors, combines, and implements, the world of farm equipment is advancing fast, and staying on top of the latest can feel like a fulltime job.

Luckily, it literally is Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller’s full time job, and he spent his summer and fall at shows like Farm Progress and keeping up with the latest releases directly from major manufacturers. We’ll dive into what he’s learned about new releases, and get a look under the hood of his big story about the shortage of equipment technicians, and what the big companies are doing about it. We’ll talk training, job opportunities, and how competition for tech-savvy mechanics might only be increasing.

Register for the 2023 DTN Ag Summit here.

With harvest well in view for most farmers, plans for winter down time are also coming into focus. For years, DTN’s Ag Summit has been helping farmers prepare strategically for the uncertainties in the markets, weather and current events of the year to come, and this year is no exception.

We’re talking to DTN’s Katie Dehlinger today about this year’s event, entitled “Fortifying Your Financial Foundation.” Katie will tell us all about how the speakers, panels and discussion opportunities will hone in on this theme– with individual topics running the gamut from farmland issues to tax changes to predictions for markets and weather in the year to come.

We’ll hear about the national young farmers and ranchers awardees and learn how to register and prepare to attend. Learn more at dtn.com/agsummit.

For nearly two years now, record high land sales have seemingly become a monthly or even weekly occurrence in the markets for agricultural acres — especially in the heart of the Corn Belt. As prices have continued to climb even as commodity prices cool and interest rates rise, many have started to question what factors are driving this white hot sector. And there are a lot of factors, from the classic indicators like location and soils to ones that are much newer, and less well understood.

DTN’s Victoria Myers joins us today to get into the weeds on what’s driving farmland markets today, and what farmers on both buying and selling sides of the equation should be baring in mind moving forward. We’ll talk about how genetics and other new technology are changing calculations about potential, as well as how shifting weather patterns are opening up old crop regions to new, and often higher value, crops.

Then, we’ll dig into the latest data from the USDA’s annual Land Values report, and hear key takeaways about competition and insight on mastering emotions in the heat of high pressure sale.

The October WASDE dropped Thursday, October 12th, and it wasn’t certain that it would, given the threat of a government shutdown that was narrowly avoided in recent weeks. Chaos in Congress is just one of the breaking news stories causing anxiety throughout financial and commodity markets, especially after a renewed conflict in the Middle East thrust the geopolitical state of Central Asia and Eastern Europe back into the spotlight. Agricultural markets are not seeing outsized impacts for the news, but analysts are watching carefully as the stories continue to evolve.

DTN’s Lead Markets Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to tackle the report and offer his thoughts and insights on the bigger picture. We’ll discuss expectations going into a report that is known for being much more reliable for yield predictions than earlier editions, and we’ll fit the latest figures into USDA’s outlook for global stocks and demand for corn, soybeans and wheat.

Plus, Todd will explore the latest in the livestock sector, dig into the latest on the unexpected, pre-report soybean rally, and think more about the weather effects still ahead. Then we’ll talk interest rates and employment and how they may affect ag markets going forward.

Cattle producers have been enjoying a generally positive year in the markets so far, and there’s hope for more good times ahead even as the seasons shift and growers begin the longer term work of rebuilding herds. But uncertainties remain — from the impacts of near-record high carcass weights to an uncertain winter weather outlook.

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to discuss the current status of key cattle markets, from feeders and fat calves to boxed beef and bred cattle. We’ll dig into the details of current packer strategies, where demand is today and where it is likely to be in the future, and how shifting interest rates might impact cattle marketing decisions in the weeks ahead.

Then we’ll dive into the corn complex and the broader feed situation, and discuss expectations as we head into another winter. We’ll tackle all this, and hear how things are going on ShayLe’s family cattle operation.

If Congress doesn’t act in the next couple of days to continue funding government agencies, by Sunday, October 1st, the federal government will be back in shutdown mode, and the consequences could be wide ranging. For the ag sector, worries about everything from FSA loan processing to passing a farm bill to what a downgrade in the US’s financial rating could mean are keeping many keen eyes trained on Capitol Hill as the cliff approaches.

Here to help us unpack the current situation, and better understand all the ways that ag might be effected in the aftermath is DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who’s been keeping an eye not only on key congressional actions, but also how key agencies are preparing for disruptions. Today we’ll talk to Chris about congressional discussions about USDA spending, the latest from EPA on E15, crop protection approvals, and PFAS, and what could be on the legislative horizon for everything from additional disaster payments to foreign ag land sales.

We’ll also check in on the Farm Bill and a new documentary aiming to shape Farm Bill discussions going forward.

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.

The second 2023 farmers we’re checking in with are Chandra and Mike Langseth from the edge of the Red River Valley in Barney, North Dakota. They’ve been farming for nearly a decade, through more than one challenging year and the long transition as the couple takes over the farm from Mike’s father. In addition to Mike’s working full-time on the farm, Chandra tackles scouting and agronomy on-farm while also teaching precision ag and agronomy at the local university.

Today, we’ll chat with the Langseths' about the season they’ve had, what they foresee in the upcoming harvest, and how the farm transition is going. We’ll also talk tech, hearing about how the two are thinking about strategic decisions in the farm’s future, and hearing about ongoing experiments at the farm. Then we’ll dig into their vision for the future; and how they see their farm evolving in the face of unpredictable weather, commodity prices, and interest rates.

The September WASDE dropped Tuesday, September 12th, finding DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman on the road in Nebraska — talking with farmers about the disconnect between USDA’s prediction of a near-record corn crop and what growers see out in the fields. Going into the report, expectations were high that a reduction in yield estimates for US grains could bring some bullishness to the market, but with USDA’s update to planted acreage, the overall stocks picture ended up heading the other way.

Todd joins us today to offer his insights on USDA's latest adjustments, and what they might mean for everything from exports to ethanol demand to feed prices in the weeks and months ahead. We’ll also dig into the global picture, with a focus on Brazil, Argentina, and how the battle to feed Chinese demand might be shifting.

Plus, Todd will explore the latest in the livestock sector, where USDAs estimates might be headed as harvest gears up, and what might still be ahead as we look to the winter and beyond. Then we’ll talk drought, winter weather, and the impact of shifting energy prices.

As a sultry August turns to September and the weather world is riveted by hurricanes and tropical storms, farmers across the corn belt are continuing to deal with unexpectedly persistent hot and dry weather that’s sapping the last hope for a yield rebound. With harvest already queued up, attention is starting to shift to the further future — where an intensifying El Nino indicates that this winter could be very different from the last three.

To help us prepare for the weeks and months ahead, DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick joins us to dig into where the weather models have offered clarity, and where they’ve clouded the picture. He’ll cover his expectations going into harvest and where he thinks there’s still room for a wild card of extreme weather to mix things up.

We’ll dig into upcoming drought conditions for the Southern Plains, talk through the precip and wildfire picture for the West, and better understand the global weather picture with a particular focus on Latin America and the El Nino changes ahead.

For farmland owners who aren’t interested in simply selling off heritage property to the highest bidder, exploring alternatives can be a daunting process — even when there is a clear farm family heir who’s interested in continuing the business. The good news is, there are multiple options for property holders who are committed to avoiding development and keeping their land in agriculture — and DTN’s Victoria Myers joins us today to explore exactly what some of the options look like.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at conservation easements, how to work with local and state land trusts, and what kind of financial and tax tools exist to help support these efforts. We’ll talk life insurance, dive into the benefits and limitations of trusts versus limited liability corporations, and hear more about recent, and potential, updates to estate tax rules.

Then, Victoria will give us some insight into her next set of stories on shifting farmland prices across the country

DTN’s sixth annual Digital Yield Tour wrapped up just days ago on August 11th, 2023, and the tour’s conclusion coincided with a USDA report that largely agreed with the event's findings. Which is to say — 2023 started out rough, but the corn crop in particular is making a stunning comeback.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to reveal both the national and the state level yield estimates for corn and soybeans that Gro Intelligence revealed during the tour, including county by county estimates for 10 key midwestern states that reveal a crop that’s highly variable– mostly depending on how much rain a given area received during a sporadically droughty season. We’ll dig into the realities behind the numbers, talk through reactions from DTN market analysts, from the data scientists at Gro Intelligence, and think about what is still possible in the few weeks that remain between now and when harvest starts to get underway.

We’ll dig into the biggest surprises, where weather might be headed, and how these estimates might affect market conditions.

See the full DTN Digital Yield Tour story here.

The August WASDE dropped Friday, August 11th, coming on the heels of DTN’s Annual Digital Yield tour and of USDA’s most recent farmer surveys. Overall, perspectives on the August report were positive, as USDA seemed to adjust crop estimates to be more in line with perspectives from farmers and analysts– reflecting a crop that’s improving, but that had a very difficult start.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to talk through the USDA’s updates to estimated yield figures for the three major grains, and to offer some insight on how to understand August numbers as we look ahead to the rest of the year. He’ll dive into the global corn landscape, shed light on tightening soybean supplies, and help us think through what’s happening to wheat markets as harvest continues.

Plus, we’ll dive into the global stocks picture as situations evolve in both Latin America and between Russia and Ukraine, we’ll highlight the current basis situation, and get an update on an unprecedented cattle market. Then we’ll dig into weather updates, inflation news, and what Todd will be on the lookout for between now and the September WASDE.

Read more about of Todd's analysis here and register for WASDE webinars here.

On July 27th, the 2023 Spring Wheat and Durum Tour hosted by the Wheat Quality Council wrapped up its survey of the Northern Plains crop, tallying three days and hundreds of fields of data into a final overall yield prediction of about 47 bushels per acre — despite summer drought conditions and an uncertain start to the season.

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins made his way from Fargo across the state with a host of participants, and brings us the latest on a highly variable crop straight from the field. He brings us regional perspectives from across the state, outlooks from farmers and other tour participants, and information on pest and disease pressure.

Plus, he compares the 2023 crop with recent years, and to what USDA has been predicting as the season wears on. He’ll talk about conditions and expectations going forward, how the situation might change as the season continues, and discusses how he’ll be following the wheat story in the weeks ahead.

Check out more of Jason's reporting here.

A shifting drought picture and more favorable weather in key cow-calf states are colliding with dry weather in the corn belt and extreme heat in the Southern US to make for an uncertain cost picture in today’s cattle market. But nevertheless, inventory remains tight and prices are strong as the market slides towards Labor Day.

DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to discuss recent updates from the USDA’s mid-year Cattle Inventory Report as well as the July Cattle on Feed Report, while also taking a deep dive into the fundamental picture for what remains a hot beef market. We’ll talk weather– both precipitation and heat, and gain some clarity both on the feed and grass picture for the coming months.

Then we’ll take a deeper look at the demand side of the equation, including exports, and better understand the current dynamics between feedlots and packers, especially where the Feeder Cattle market is concerned. We’ll tackle all this, and hear how things are going on ShayLe’s family cattle operation.

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.

The first 2023 farmer we’re checking in with is Zach Grossman, a row crop grower from Tina, Missouri. This young farmer already has more than a decade of farming experience under his belt, working alongside his dad and brother on the family operation. He farmed through college, and since graduating has settled into an off-farm job as a local ag lender in addition to his work on the operation.

Today, we’ll chat with Zach about everything from the secret ingredient to his family farm’s dynamic to how working in the financial sector has offered him a unique perspective on the current state of the farm financial system. We’ll also talk tech, hearing about some ongoing experiments on the Grossman place as well as his outlook for new tools like autonomy. Then we’ll dig into his vision for the future; including what the land transition picture looks like in his area.

Then we’ll look ahead to harvest and hear about the wild cards that Zach will be watching, from weather to commodity prices to interest rates.

DTN’s 6th annual digital yield tour is just a few weeks away — getting started August 7th and running through August 11th. DTN’s tour partner Gro Intelligence will be back with industry-leading, real time predictions of national yield for corn and soybeans, as well as much more granular breakdowns to the state level.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us for a preview of the tour, including her expectations for what might be revealed during this unpredictable season, a discussion of Gro’s accuracy in recent years, and more info on how farmers can follow along and participate.

Then, we’ll check in with Katie on the upcoming Ag Summit Series event, which will directly follow the yield tour and will offer participants a chance to chat directly with analysts from Gro Intelligence, in addition to farmers and experts from around the country. She gives us an update on a new DTN video series tackling weather, markets, and ag business, and teases a story she’s currently working involving a Canadian farmer, a grain marketing deal, and a thumbs up emoji.

Sign up for the digital yield tour here: https://spotlights.dtnpf.com/dyt/

The July WASDE dropped Wednesday, July 12th, and as it came on the heels of an unprecedented June 30th planted acreage report, updates were expected for USDA’s outlook. What analysts actually saw in the July WASDE however, left many scratching their heads– trying to understand how USDA could translate a drought stricken crop throughout the corn belt into an all-time record yield prediction.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us to dig into the shifts in planted acres and the June Grain Stocks report that brought us here, and offers insight into the shifting global stocks situation for major grains as well as the uncertain soybean supply that’s expected in the wake of startling low planted acres.

Plus, we’ll dive into the current and future weather outlook, in the US and beyond, and understand how transforming outlooks are shaping price pictures from the futures market to local basis. Then we’ll dig into updates for pork and cattle markets, take a closer look at what’s ahead for ag markets as overall inflation calms, and put wild Russia-Ukraine news into context.

Read Todd's analysis here: https://dtn.link/fy0w97

An unexpected Derecho was whipping across key parts of the corn belt today as we recorded this podcast, representing just the latest in a long line of storms and unpredictable weather events that have crowded the forecast at the last minute so far this season. One thing’s for certain– as the La Nina ebbs and the El Nino comes into full effect, the wilder the possibilities get on the weather front.

To help us navigate that uncertainty, DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick joins us to dig into what we know and what we don’t. He’ll cover his expectations going into this growing season and where he’s been proven right and wrong, in addition to talking us through the latest weather events, from extreme heat in Texas to wildfire smoke in the Northern Plains.

We’ll dig into the coming conditions for California and the Pacific Northwest, understand more about the Super El Nino that might materialize this fall, and gain a new perspective on the global weather picture and what it might mean for prices in the coming months.

Then we’ll check in on John’s harvest outlook, as well as his perception on hurricane and wildfire risk in the heart of summer.

Before the flashy demo at the farm show and the test drive at the local retailer, a lot of farm tech gets its start in university labs. Today, we’re zooming in on what’s happening in one small corner of the basic research space, to get an idea what might be in the future of soil moisture and nutrient management.

Today, we’re joined by Senior Editor for The Progressive Farmer Joel Richenberger (Rich-en-berger) who’s been following developments out of a Colorado soil sensor lab for a couple of years now. He brings us the latest on some groundbreaking engineering that’s helping to carve out a path for the next generation of precision agriculture technologies.

We’ll dive into the specifics, hear about the major learnings, how they’re being applied to newer, even bigger projects in the space, and catch a glimpse of other weird and wild tech experiments coming out of University labs and beyond.

Read more on "under the canopy" crop sensor research and aerial ATVs.

The recent DTN Ag Summit Series brought color to USDA’s reports of planting season and to what might be ahead during an uncertain summer with discussion among farmers, market analysts, and other experts about what they’re seeing in the field.

Today, we’re dropping in on a session hosted by Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger, who’s joined by farmers from two very different regions with a lot of interesting insights. Marc Arnusch, a Keenesburg, Colorado grower and previous View from the Cab participant, and Eric Oberbroeckling, a farmer from Eastern Iowa, talk planting, pest pressure, and seasonal outlook as their 2023 crop emerges.

On the panel, you’ll also hear about their marketing perspectives, how they’re thinking about risk management going into the weather-driven summer, and what wild cards they think may still be in play.

Uninteresting as the trade expected, a few unexpected changes were still enough to catch analyst attention. And beyond updated figures, the concerns of cold and wet soils delaying planting last month have morphed into worries that hot and dry soil in the Eastern corn belt might already be threatening USDA’s outlook for a record crop this year.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us to dig into a few surprises out of Brazil and Ukraine when it comes to corn and wheat stocks looking ahead, as well as offer perspective on how the emerging neutral weather conditions might shift the crop picture over the coming months. Plus, we’ll dive deep into the current price context of the soybean market given existing demand signals, and unpack what outside forces might be driving markets for both pork and beef to unexpected places.

Then we’ll check in on the broader economic picture, hear Todd’s perspective on the state of the Southern Wheat crop, and flag key reports to keep on eye on this month.

Over the last two decades, the US livestock industry has had some painful encounters with foreign animal diseases– from High Path Avian Influenza and its impact on the poultry industry to “mad cow” to the current looming fear of African Swine Fever. One of the most challenging things about these kinds of highly transmissible and dangerous diseases is how difficult they are to study, and how vulnerable that absence of information can leave the industry. But in the last few weeks, USDA has opened a new facility in Kansas that promises to help close that information gap.

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton joins us today to discuss his rare first look at the new National Bio and Agro-Defense facility near the Kansas State campus in Manhattan. He got a chance to discuss the facility’s top security priorities, learn how the latest, state-of-the-art technology will aim to keep the facility, and US ag, and see for himself how diseases will be studied as the facility gets up and running. Plus, he’ll dive into the planned vaccine development work, and highlight the history of protecting US livestock from foreign disease.

On May 17th, the annual Winter Wheat Tour wrapped up its survey of the Southern Plains wheat crop with its report on predicted yield averages, which indicated that the persistent impact of droughts have indeed driven wheat production to near-record lows.

Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Joel Reichenberger made his way to Colby, Wichita, and finally Manhattan, Kansas this week with more than a hundred fellow surveyors to see fields across the state first hand, and bring us the latest reactions from farmers, bakers, millers, and industry experts from across the country.

Today, we’ll talk about the weather impacts that affected various regions of Kansas, and what they might mean for abandonment rates, yields, and plantings of secondary crops as we move towards harvest.

Plus we’ll dig into other pressures, from pests to irrigation to protein levels.

The May WASDE dropped Friday, May 12th, as market watchers waited with high expectations for USDA’s latest insights as plant2023 continues. A number of unexpected adjustments made this a May report to remember, especially as the outlook for a possibly bin busting crop collided with continuing tight stocks.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us to dig into not only the latest on old and new crop demand and how the market is interpreting the most timely information on shifting weather, feed demand, and persistent wetness that’s thwarting planting in North Dakota. He’ll also give us an update on ethanol usage, the global ending stocks picture with surprises from Brazil, and the unpredictability in current beef and pork markets.

We’ll dive into outside pressures after the latest jobs report, global trade, and what the looming new wheat season might hold.

Despite optimistic news coming out of recent USDA reports for livestock producers, factors like drought continue to weigh down cattle markets, and the discouraging signs have left some analysts scratching their heads. DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us today to untangle the many issues that are driving today’s markets, and offers advice on how producers should be thinking about prices as they wade into the summer months.

ShayLe will dive into the latest USDA reports, discussing slaughter pace in addition to supply, demand, and outside pressures that are affecting decision makers in unexpected ways. Plus, she’ll compare the current conditions to those bull run years in 2014 and 2015 to give listeners perspective on how similar moments in history have played out. Then, we’ll dig into questions around mindset and planning, the broader economic picture, and check-in on ShayLe’s personal experiences.

Plant 2023 is off to a relatively good start, despite cold and wet conditions lingering in the Northern Plains. For much of the central corn belt, from Nebraska to Indiana and Ohio, farmers are having luck, getting into fields weeks before they were able to in recent years– which could prove promising for key crop plantings this season.

To bring us the latest on where planting stands now and how we expect it to advance in the next few weeks, we’re joined by Joel Karlin, a DTN Grains contributor and President and Economist at Ocean State Research. Joel will dig into the data on planting regional planting weather, highlighting where progress is dragging and where dryness might inhibit emergence as the season wears on. He’ll offer insights on expectations for prevent plant and replant, and look ahead to what current conditions might indicate for harvest. Plus, he’ll flag other key issues he’s keeping an eye on, from inflation to a possible recession, right after this word from our sponsor.

Learn more and register for the DTN Ag Summit Series at dtn.com/2023-ag-summit-series.

Getting approval to sell E15 year round has been a priority for the ag sector for years – and the industry has gotten close – especially 2022, to reaching that goal. However, with the summer driving season just weeks away, the ethanol sector continues to wait on a decision from EPA about whether a waiver will be granted this year to allow continued selling of high-ethanol blend fuel during the busiest fuel use season. And this is just one of many key issues EPA is currently juggling that could have a big impact on ag markets.

Luckily, DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley joins us today to give us an overview of the myriad issues on the agency’s plate. We’ll dig into the EPA’s new tailpipe rules that seem to favor electric vehicles, and what that might mean for the near future of the US fleet. We’ll also hear the latest on a lawsuit against the EPA relating to the Endangered Species Act and the RFS, and the conclusion of a case of biofuel credit fraud.

Then, we’ll set you up with topics to watch out for as news breaks this summer around biofuels and beyond.

ChatGPT, and a slew of advanced artificial intelligence tools, have created quite a stir since first becoming available to the public in late 2021. News stories about these programs creating art, writing college essays, and carrying on long and complex conversations have captured global audiences, and the attention of companies who see a world of new possibilities.

Now, artificial intelligence is coming to agriculture. DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us today to discuss her recent reporting on how farmers are using AI tools like ChatGPT to plan and strategize within their businesses. She’ll dig into announcements from companies like Farmers Business Network, who are already launching tools to help farmers make better decisions, powered by a whole internet's worth of information. Plus, we’ll explore the current limitations of these innovations, and discuss how curious ag professionals can start exploring for themselves.

Then, catch up on Katie’s recent reporting about Kansas farmland ownership, and what it might mean for ongoing discussions about out-of-state and foreign land purchases, and don’t miss her update on the next 2023's DTN Ag Summit Series.

Learn more and register for the DTN Ag Summit Series at dtn.com/2023-ag-summit-series.

Farmers are chomping at the bit to get into the field as planting season approaches, and as cool and wet weather lingers, staying in touch with the latest agronomics becomes increasingly important. Whether it’s news on the latest wheat crop, updates from this year’s Commodity Classic, or the current breaking stories around seed saving and improper chemical applications, DTN’s Crops Editor Jason Jenkins has all the details you need to know to stay up to date.

Today, Jason offers highlights from the National Wheat Contest, including insight from top producers on how they achieve top yields in dryland and irrigate, winter and spring wheat plantings. Then, he dives into the latest agronomy news from the wider industry, from seed trait announcements like Bayer’s ThryvOn cotton, to the emerging story about lawsuit brought against Missouri farmers alleging that they’ve saved and replanted high-tech seeds– in violation of their contract.

Plus, we’ll discuss wheat quality concerns and EPA moves around labeling crop protection products.

Learn more about the National Wheat Foundation Yield Competition here.

As a busy winter season of planning and farm shows come to end, we’re taking stock of the many and varying farm tech and machinery announcements that landed in the last few months, and there has been no shortage of news. From new farm data applications to advances in autonomous equipment, years of investment and talk about the future of farm equipment seems to be approaching commercialization, and Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller has been keeping up with all the winter releases.

Today, Dan joins us with updates from the National Farm Machinery show and other tech events he’s attended over recent months with more information on everything from new products to farmer reception. He’s seen implement advances, heard about roll-out plans, and done a lot of thinking about the overall competitive environment in new equipment, and who might be coming out on top.

We’ll dig into questions around pricing and availability, interoperability across different machines, and what we’ll be keeping our eye on in the year ahead.

The March WASDE dropped Wednesday, March 8th, largely meeting expectations as USDA refined numbers, specifically around corn exports and ending stocks. However, adjustments on the soybean and wheat front also shifted markets, while many watchers remain focused on the South American crop picture as today’s main driver.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us to dig into the latest world supply and demand numbers for major crops and livestock, plus offers insights into how these figures align with the forward looking numbers USDA published earlier this month during the Ag Outlook Forum.

We’ll dive into the inflation picture and how more interest rate hikes may impact ag markets, DTN’s weather outlook for planting, and what the Russia-Ukraine conflict means for world wheat markets one year later.

The 99th annual Ag Outlook Forum ran this year from February 23rd and 24th, two days jam-packed with new information from USDA experts and lessons learned from across the industry.

DTN AG Policy Editor Chris Clayton is here to surface the highlights for us, from a market-moving look at the 2023 crop year to USDA’s analysis on the livestock industry as cattle inventory continues to draw down. Chris will dig into the words of US Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack on the department’s priorities for the year, and the conversation he had with the EU ag commissioner, touching in particular on the war in Ukraine. He’ll also touch on headline grabbing sessions about the persistence of avian influenza and industry priorities around the farm bill and climate discussions.

We’ll also be checking in a host of other stories Chris reported on while in the nation’s capital, from a house vote on waters of the US to a growing conservation program debate.

The annual Farm Bureau meeting was in Puerto Rico, and served as a kick off for 2023 discussions about key ag-related policy. Everything from immigration reform to disaster aid to Waters of the US is on the table, and in the background looms the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill and the need to get another major piece of ag legislation across the finish line sooner rather than later.

Here to help to share what he learned at the Farm Bureau meeting and what he’s been tracking on the policy front since is DTN AG Policy Editor Chris Clayton. He’ll dig the meeting’s spotlight on Puerto Rican agriculture, key topics that delegates were focused on, and what lawmakers expect to see as the farm bill process continues.

We’ll check in on dairy and coffee in a tropical climate, where the Farm Bill budget might be at risk, and responses to the big Right to Repair announcement between Farm Bureau and John Deere.

The February WASDE dropped Wednesday, February 8th, offering relatively few significant updates to the January figures. In the notoriously quiet Northern winter months, attention was trained on updates to Latin American crops, especially in drought-effect Argentina– where the corn crop in particular is suffering due to ongoing La Nina conditions.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to dig into the tweaks that USDA is and isn’t making to key figures around global supplies and demand, to add some context around historically high basis numbers for major grains, and to offer some insights around recent livestock industry data that’s likely to a continue affecting cattle and pork markets in the months ahead.

We’ll dive into what’s moving the market today, how to think about updates to inflation and a historically strong jobs report, and how growing US-China tensions might impact trade going forward.

Then, stick around for a preview of what Todd is expecting to highlight at the DTN Get Set for Spring Ag Summit Series event on planting. Register here: https://whova.com/web/KjPI3H2MPlhF8c8CbuvSXkXavlZoE0ZAUhcbBfkBZAM%3D/

Mental health is a topic that’s growing more prominent in the agricultural space as more and more farmers and ag professionals come to terms with how important it is not only to be physically well, but to be mentally and emotionally healthy too. In recent years, conversations have flourished at national ag meetings and in local communities and peer groups as growers and those around them flex their skills at reaching out and helping one another, especially during stressful seasons.

Today, Rural Mental Health Expert Dr. Josie Rudolphi joins us to discuss her recent research on farm family psychology and how to apply what she and her colleagues are learning about stress and anxiety on farm to help keep your farm family and business healthy this year. She’ll dive into how children and adolescents can be affected by stress and depression in farm settings, and how to help them through difficult times with strategies around communication and support.

Plus, she’ll discuss how to identify warning signs, what resources are available, and even how to think about mental health first aid.

For all the resources and information provided by the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center, visit: https://farmstress.org/

To find your local Concern Hotline number: https://www.concernhotline.org/

To learn more about Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

DTN’s latest ag confidence index captured the perspectives of farmers as harvest concluded, the midterm elections wrapped up, and winter planning was getting underway. Now, the numbers have been crunched, and we have a clearer picture of grower expectations as the 2023 crop year looms.

This week, we’re joined by DTN Progressive Farmer Editor-in-Chief Greg Horstmeier, who will take us beat by beat through the latest ag confidence numbers, shedding light on where the ag sector’s collective head is at as solid grain prices persist. We’ll dig into shifting perspectives from different regions and crop groups, understand how input prices and supplies fit in, and tackle how growers report preparing for uncertainties on the horizon.

Plus we’ll discuss farmer outlooks given the promising weather forecast, inflation in the broader economy, and the perspective of agribusiness.

To learn more and register for the DTN Ag Summit Series, visit https://spotlights.dtnpf.com/agsummit/.

When it comes to understanding a farms financial position, conversations with accountants and advisors can often be overwhelming. There are many different strategies and ratios that can be calculated to gain context on different aspects of your operation, from how efficient farm assets are to how risky a debt load could become.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to discuss her recent reporting on the financial metrics that are helping farmers make more profitable decisions. She’ll dive in to stories from farmers who have determined which factors to track, and offer advice on how to start beefing up your financial analysis with real world examples.

Plus, she’ll discuss what experts are saying about debt management, today’s land values, and how to prepare for an uncertain future. And don’t miss her update on the 2023's DTN Ag Summit Series, coming soon.

The January WASDE dropped Thursday, January 12th, surprising traders and market watchers alike with stock adjustments that exceeded expectations in a bullish direction. But the WASDE wasn’t the only report on USDA’s docket today, with Quarterly Stocks and Winter Wheat Seeding adding additional context to an interesting first report of 2023.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to dig into the department's adjustments to corn and soybean demand figures, and to update us on the shifting global picture as Latin America barrels towards its harvest season.

We’ll dive into the La Nina Summer, China’s future demand for soybeans, and how global wheat stocks are likely to fare in the coming months. Then we’ll get an update on ethanol, what we can learn from a record strong basis, and so much more.

Senior Editor for The Progressive Farmer Joel Richenberger was excited to find some time recently to get out to visit Joe Knobbe and Devon Birchem at Flyover Whiskey, a distillery and farm in West Point, Nebraska. These two recently purchased a nearby distillery and have decided to do something novel with it– take your corn and make custom whiskey.

Today, Joel will tell us all about the operation he saw, the motivation behind some of the businesses moved, and discuss how Flyover’s model fits into the trend of farmers, especially young and beginning farmers, building on-farm businesses that go beyond commodity grain or livestock production.

We’ll talk whiskey by corn variety, details of the distilling process, and challenges the operation has faced.

With just a few days left in 2022, cattlemen across the country have been rocked by back to back weeks of harsh weather. DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart has been tracking not only the weather this month, but also the markets, and joins us today with an update on where we are and her latest outlook on what might be ahead in the new year.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and the end of the year can be a weird time for markets, but ShayLe guides us through what to look for as far as recent and near-term reports from USDA as well as inventory, demand and feed prices.

We’ll also dig into ShayLe’s advice about keeping a productive mindset during the darkest and hardest days of winter, and how to prepare for the opportunities likely to be on the horizon in the coming months.

DTN’s 2022 Ag Summit has just wrapped up, with farmers from across the country convening virtually to discuss and learn about conquering the chaos– Strategies to Build Endurance for farm Businesses. The conference provided tons of insights and information on everything from volatile commodity markets to supply chain challenges to the war in Ukraine and the outlook for 2023.

But in the midst of it all was one DTN’s most exciting annual announcements, that of the 2022 winners of the Best Young Farmers and Ranchers awards. In today’s episode, you’ll learn a little bit more about this years’ five winners, who sat down with DTN’s Dan Miller to discuss their operations, their motivations and the challenges they face today, and why they stood out this year.

The December WASDE dropped Friday, December 9th, largely meeting market expectations with a few key updates around demand and global crop levels. And yet, as the 2022 draws to a close, a few key riddles remain in the market– leaving many scratching their heads about what USDA, and traders, might be missing.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to dig into the relevant changes in the corn export and ethanol demand pictures, as well as to walk us through the inexplicable current state of the global wheat market. We’ll dive into farmer outlooks on the year’s harvest, unpack how EPAs announcements on the renewable fuel standard are (and aren’t) affecting soybean crush expectations, and check in on the record high basis figures that are lingering across the country.

Then we’ll look ahead to the January WASDE, potential market moving news in 2023, and the hot and dry conditions in Argentina.

There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the global fuels market as what’s expected to be a cold winter comes into play-- from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to winter weather to the moves of key players at the Federal Reserve and among OPEC leaders.

Today, DTN’s Refined Fuels Analyst Brian Milne joins us again to update the story on European natural gas demand and how that’s likely to affect the global supply and demand picture, as well as to highlight other key issues that are affecting markets for oil and diesel, from the slowing global economy to China’s Covid lockdowns and protests.

We’ll discuss the current price situation and what might be in store for the coming months, taking winter weather, Russian negotiations, and Mississippi water levels into account. Then we’ll talk tactics, as Brian highlights what will be most important to watch as producers determine how to plan for input purchases during what’s set to be an uncertain season. We’ll talk about the weakening global economy, propane supplies, and likely trends for fertilizer markets.

Read more of Brian's reporting on today's topics here.

A colder than expected weather pattern is shaping up for much of the country heading into the winter months, and the slight shift in outlook is offering some hope that a cold, hard winter might be the start of a shifting pattern towards less heat and more precipitation.

To help us put the forecasts into context, team lead for Ag Weather John Baranick joins us today to discuss the long range outlook that DTN’s analysts are tracking, and what that might mean as farmers across the country continue to reckon with record dryness. We’ll talk about the evolving La Nina in particular, and what this rare third year could mean for the season ahead.

We’ll also tackle weather conditions in Latin America and what they could mean for the Southern continents' upcoming crop, the effects of late season tropical storms, and what to watch as we ring in 2023, from Mississippi river levels to snowpack.

There were a lot of divergent expectations going into the 2022 midterm election, after a tumultuous year of national and state level politics. For the agricultural community, the end of the election season means that the 2023 farm bill season will be starting in earnest, especially after the new members of the house and senate ag committee are chosen and seated.

Here to help us unpack who won, who lost, and what it all means for American agriculture is DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who’s been keeping an eye not only on key races at the federal level, but also state policymakers that might affect the way ag is governed in key states.

We’ll talk to Chris about the most important stakes for agriculture and rural America in this election, dig into the biggest surprises, and understand how critical issues are likely to be tackled by new and returning lawmakers. We’ll check in on the farm bill, farm labor legislation, and the EPA’s pending moves on the RFS.

The November WASDE dropped Wednesday, Nov 9th, offering just a few small surprises for a market that was expecting USDA to hold steady from the October numbers. With more than 90% of the 2022 crop out of the field, the department is honing in, making minor adjustments to the crop size, but not enough to relieve the incredibly tight supply situation across all the major grains.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to highlight the adjustments and where they’re likely coming from, and to discuss how the latest figures fit in with earlier estimates related to the hot and dry season. We’ll dig into the shifting demand picture, highlight energy markets as crush continues to drive markets, and check in on the export figure that’s been disrupted by low water levels along the Mississippi river.

Then we’ll look ahead to the winter season and talk staying on top of the market news that matters in the offseason.

Just in the last year or so, Congress and the USDA have determined to spend more than $3 billion dollars on what’s being called climate smart agriculture– including projects and pilots carried out by private companies and nonprofits to help support the ag industry in its efforts to improve soil health and reduce negative impacts on the planet.

Progressive Farmer reporters and editors have been keeping a close eye on the evolution of climate smart policy and spending, and are bringing their reporting together in the November issue of the magazine– the climate-smart issue. Content Manager Anthony Greder joins us this week to discuss the intention behind the stories, what trends are emerging, and how DTN is supporting the efforts. He’ll talk carbon markets, weather resiliency, conservation programs, and what the heck climate smart even means.

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 weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the rest of the broader farm community.

2022’s farmers are no exception, and today we’re happy to be joined by Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch to talk about water, farm business strategy, and thinking about the farm’s future.

We’ll dive in to Marc’s history with specialty crops, his exploration into the seed and distilling spaces, and learn more about his perspective on investment and growing the farm’s team.

The October WASDE dropped Wednesday, October 12th, and this month’s estimates include insight from farmer surveys as harvest gets underway across the country. Markets have rallied as USDAs numbers inch closer to those reported by Gro Intelligence and other yield tours, though outside influences are holding down prices in some regions.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to help us link the data from the recent September 30th report with today’s global figures, and to unpack what changes in inputs, exports, and global demand might mean for prices in the months ahead. We’ll dig into record setting wheat and corn crops, and shape up possibilities for livestock markets in the fourth quarter of 2022.

More on rising interest rates, shipping disruptions, and the state of Eastern Europe’s grain market.

From the Federal Reserve’s moves to raise interest rates to the war in Ukraine to droughts around the world, the challenges facing the global ag sector are many– begging the question, how does a thoughtful farm manager keep up.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to talk more about key issues that she’s been focusing on this year, related in particular to the economy, and what the evolution of these issues might mean for the year ahead. She’ll discuss labor shortages, on farms and in the supply chain, what experts are predicting for farm income in 2022 and beyond, and how all of this might fit into a farmers strategy.

Come for the latest from the Kansas State Risk and Profit conference, stay for updates on the future of wheat marketing, and the latest news on 2022’s DTN Ag Summit.

As farmers across the country get into the thick of harvest, a late season hurricane– Ian – slams into the Southeast, threatening to disrupt work across the Carolina’s, Georgia, even up into Virginia and over into Kentucky and Tennessee. Otherwise, however, a relatively dry forecast offers a mix of benefits, a positive outlook for getting through harvest quickly, but no relief from devastating dryness in many areas.

Today, team lead for Ag Weather John Baranick will help us understand these latest harvest weather forecasts, as well as offering us a look ahead at the winter months. We’ll talk about the global situation in Latin America and Europe, the lingering impacts of the La Nina system, and where soil moisture might be as we look at planting in the coming year.

We’ll also tackle wheat conditions, winter precipitation, and the drought outlook in Nebraska.

The Biden Administration’s big announcement in 2021, announcing new funding specifically aimed at increasing competition in the US’s meat packing sector, was not by far the first sign that ranchers and feedlots alike are feeling the sting of tough conditions, even while consumers paid record high prices at the meat counter.

In the wake of such funding, a number of new meat packing facilities have been proposed all over the country. DTN AG Policy Editor Chris Clayton has been keeping an eye on a number of these proposed projects, and learning more about their viability and their potential impacts on markets and producers in their areas.

He joins us today to unpack his latest reporting on the meat processing sector, to shed some light on how successful similar projects have been in the past, and to discuss how changing economic and policy conditions might affect which plants get off the ground. We’ll also check in on the farm bill and other key policy stories to watch.

With harvest well in view for most farmers, plans for winter down time are also coming into focus. For years, DTN’s Ag Summit has been helping farmers prepare strategically for the uncertainties in the markets, weather and current events of the year to come, and this year is no exception.

We’re talking to DTN’s Katie Dehlinger today, who brings up updates on what to expect from the all virtual event this year, as farmers and ag professionals join from across the country and around the world. She’ll say more about the theme of conquering the chaos, announce some of the speakers and sessions that she’s most excited about, and update listeners on logistics for how they can participate.

She’ll talk panels, the national young farmers and ranchers awardees, and what this year's event might mean for the future of DTN programming.

The September WASDE dropped Monday, September 12th, and with harvest looming and the crop looking lackluster, grain markets in particular are on tender hooks as they await any new information about the 2022 stocks.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to unpack some surprise adjustments that USDA made ahead of the September 30th report. And as corn and soybeans information gets an update, he’ll put it in context giving shifting demand at home and abroad and the risking input market going into this winter.

Plus, we’ll discuss why wheat updates matter to all grain growers, dig into livestock market updates, and talk bears and bulls as we unpack Todd’s final overall outlook going into the harvest season.

It’s just weeks away from the end of another year for the cattle market, and the most recent news for and from the markets has been discouraging. But for DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart, the next steps for savvy cattlemen are clear– don’t panic, and keep the fundamentals in mind.

Today, we’ll talk through the latest data with ShayLe, checking in on feed markets, drought impacts, and slaughter pace to understand whether recent sputtering activity is the beginning of a trend or just a hiccup.

We’ll get into demand indicators as inflation rises, discuss the regionality of today’s markets, and dig in to the data that’s making ShayLe see great things coming for cattle in 2023 and beyond.

We’ll also hear insights on recent grading numbers, heat, and end-of-year emotions.

Senior Editor for The Progressive Farmer Joel Richenberger is fresh off a visit to the 2022 InfoAg conference, and has been digging into the rapidly maturing world of drone technology since his return.

What was once a piece of fringe equipment used for scouting and photography has this summer grown into a valuable implement that farmers around the country are using for precision spraying. Not one but many companies are wading into the drone space, angling towards bigger machines that can carry more chemicals, while at the same time executing on highly precise instructions that may soon– companies expect, start replacing terrestrial spraying tools.

We’ll get into the details around price, timelines, and what farmers are saying with Joel, and hear some hints about what the incumbent equipment players might have in store in the years ahead. We’ll talk about use cases, limitations, and what’s next.

DTN’s 5th annual Digital Yield Tour wrapped up just days ago on August 12th, 2022, and yield estimates meaningfully lower than USDA’s left some surprised and others feeling validated.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to reveal the latest estimates that Gro Intelligence published during the tour, including granular estimates for 10 key midwestern states and national yield numbers for both corn and soybeans. We’ll dig into the meaning behind the numbers, talk through the hyper-local effects that many farmers are dealing with, and discuss what might still be ahead as weather continues to create uncertainty in the weeks ahead.

We’ll discuss drought impacts, delayed planting, and when DTN/progressive farmer readers and listeners might hear the next updated from Gro Intelligence.

The August WASDE dropped Friday, August 12th, and with the broader US economy reckoning with turmoil and the global harvest still uncertain, markets were eager for the information infusion from USDA.

DTN’s Lead Analyst Todd Hultman joins us to unpack some of the adjustments the department made that moved markets as analysts zero in on final estimates before harvest. He covers the drought picture, USDA’s planted acres update, and zooms out to put the latest news in the context of a record tight supply situation.

We’ll discuss the global supply and demand picture for key grains and oilseeds, dig into livestock market shifts that might be ahead, and talk tactics about how to keep the many, many factors affecting ag markets in mind while planning for the next few months and beyond.

More on Ukraine, declining propane levels, and record low wheat supplies.

A host of factors — from the war in Ukraine to the global pandemic — have been putting the refined fuels market through the wringer, both in the US and around the globe.

The result — record low inventories in recent months for fossil fuels from gasoline and diesel to propane and natural gas. The inevitable price increases have helped contribute to price inflation for consumers, but for farmers, the prospect of securing enough fuel to harvest and dry down their crops is an additional hurdle.

Today, DTN’s Refined Fuels Analyst Brian Milne joins us for an update on where these fuel markets are today, how they’re likely to trend over the coming weeks and months, and what farmers should be on the lookout for as winter approaches.

We’ll discuss the unusual summer driving season, some optimistic news on propane availability, and how economic strain might lessen the diesel shortage. Then we’ll talk through the global picture, the weather forecast, and the timelines for alternative fuels

DTN’s 5th annual digital yield tour is just a few days away-- taking place August 8th through August 12th.

With the help of cutting edge data from Gro Intelligence, including satellite imagery, AI and machine learning that updates day by day, the tour promises to add some very timely clarity on what as currently an uncertain crop picture.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us for a preview of the tour, including her expectations of what she might see in the data and on the ground, info on what regions will be covered, and all the details you’ll need to follow along and even participate.

We’ll also dig into how the models work and discuss changes since last year’s tour.

Farmers and ranchers across the US are in the thick of the season, and watching carefully as even the slightest weather shifts move markets. What has been a hot, dry, and drought-stricken summer for many has ag commodity watchers on the edge of their seats as harvest looms, and the size and condition of the corn, soybean and wheat crops, among others, come into sharper focus.

DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick joins us today to offer us an inside look at weather conditions as we move through the hottest parts of summer. He’ll talk through drought and heat conditions, the impacts of recent derechos and likelihood of more extreme weather, and how global weather conditions might be impacting US markets.

We’ll also talk hurricanes, grazing conditions, and the state of the Colorado river basin, plus hear a full and updated outlook for the coming months.

Transitioning a farm from one generation to the next is a many stepped process, some of which are legal or financial, but many more of which are personal, interpersonal, and emotional. And that can make this work really, really hard.

Today, DTN Special Correspondent Elizabeth Williams joins to talk more about her series on the process of succession planning. She’ll share wisdom she’s learned in her reporting, discuss the advice she’s heard from experts advisors and farmers who have been through the process themselves alike, and point listeners to valuable resources as they wade into their own planning journey.

We’ll discuss communication and fairness between on farm and off farm heirs, how to compensate recent returnees to the farm, and how to invest in the skills and abilities needed in the farms future leadership.

Since the now infamous occurrence of a class of compounds described as forever chemicals on a West Virginia farm years ago led to devastating consequences for animals and humans alike, EPA, state regulators, and scientists have been detecting PFAS across the country, in soil, water, and even human blood.

High concentrations of PFAS in some areas have led authorities to prohibit farmers in multiple states from selling their goods, from dairy and meat from exposed cattle to produce. DTN AG Policy Editor Chris Clayton has been keeping an eye on the evolving story around these PFAS cases in agriculture, and specifically on the policy response from USDA, EPA, and state and federal lawmakers.

He joins us today to unpack his latest reporting on the topic, to shed some light on why there’s so little information available on what the future might hold, and to flag what he’ll be watching as multiple cases in different states move forward

The USDA’s June 30th acreage report has been long anticipated– as conditions over the months since the March prospective planting report have shifted considerably.

DTN’s lead analyst Todd Hultman joins us today to put the report’s findings into perspective– as ag markets have softened, and that trend looks to continue, despite market fundamentals.

Todd unpacks his expectations going into the report, as well as a bit of history around the reliability of June numbers. He also puts USDA’s estimates into the broader context as the conflict in Ukraine, high fuel prices, and uncertain weather continue to influence the market on a daily basis.

We’ll discuss stocks and outlooks for the major grains, total acreage numbers, and what summer weather and harvest might have in store.

For many months now Boerson Farms has been at the center of a federal investigation, led by the IRS. This comes after a number of lawsuits were filed against the farm in recent years, primarily attempting to force Boerson Farms to pay money owed to companies both local and national, that had provided products and services used to operate the farm’s 83,000 cropland acres. One creditor, Helena Agri-Enterprise, obtained a $15 million judgment against the farm, but this proved to be just the tip of the iceberg as other creditors have come forward claiming hundreds of millions in outstanding debt.

Today, DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley brings us up to date on the Boerson Farms story, provides some insight into reactions he’s hearing on the ground, and outlines what might come next in the investigation. We’ll dig into the facts of the case, who’s been impacted, and what this means for both those directly involved and the farm sector more generally.

The 2022 Ag Symposium was held by the Kansas City Fed May 23rd and 24th, and the theme of the bank’s annual event is help wanted in agriculture.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to talk more about what she heard from President of the Kansas City Fed, Esther George, and from various Fed economists who have their attention trained on the ag sector as inflation climbs, global factors disrupt supply chains, and the resources farmers need to run their businesses get harder to find.

From the bank's perspective– ag labor is at the top of the list, whether it’s the need for hired hands on grain operations, cowboys or dairy workers, or picking and pruning teams, workers are becoming fewer and farther between. We’ll discuss how the Fed understands this growing issue, what they can and can’t do about it, and where they expect relief to come from.

The June WASDE dropped Friday, June 10th, and what is usually a quiet report ahead of a more interesting USDA missive at the end of the month did not disappoint.

Nevertheless, DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to unpack the smaller updates that the department made to their production and stock estimates, and to talk about why even small tweaks matter in today’s historically tight supply situation.

We’ll discuss the near and long term weather forecasts and what they might mean for heat and dryness in the coming months, in addition to digging into the prospects for a new proposal to get grain out of Ukraine. We’ll also dig into what might be ahead for ag given current fuel costs, and what all of this means for grain and livestock producers as competition with South America heats up and China’s needs continue to rise.

Then we'll talk more on soybean crush, record basis, and what Fed actions might mean for ag.

After months of back and forth on various legislative proposals, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees both sat down for a hearing in recent weeks to learn more from industry leaders about the problems and needs of the cattle market when it comes to price transparency.

In light of the added recent hardships of rising feed prices and inflation in the grocery store, many ranchers are looking for answers, but there’s little agreement about what possible actions might be the most sensible way forward.

Today, we’re joined by DTN Ag policy editor Chris Clayton to talk about recent discussions on Capitol Hill and beyond. We’ll dig into proposed bills and their chances of being signed into law, responses from major cattle groups, how cattlemen are weighing in, and what might be next as a new farm bill cycle looms.

On May 19th, the annual Winter Wheat Tour wrapped up its survey of the Southern Plains wheat crop, which were estimated yields based on the results of 550 stops through the region. Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde made his way to Kansas with dozens of other industry experts to participate in collecting the data, and reports what he saw on the ground.

Today, we’ll talk about crop development and weather risk still to come, in addition to pest and disease pressure and quality expectations. We’ll dig into variations by region and discuss what’s up next as the wheat harvest gets underway.

In the last few years, the ethanol industry has been through a lot. From promised E15 expansion and small refinery waivers through a global pandemic that cratered driving demand through today’s energy scarcity that has prompted the Biden administration to expand E15 availability during the summer months once again.

Though demand is certainly looking up for ethanol, there are risks too as corn and other commodity grains rise in price. And at the same time, legislative uncertainty looms.

Today, DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley joins us to discuss what we can expect to see in terms of ethanol news and announcements during this summer driving season, and what that means for corn and ethanol demand.

We’ll dig into the potential impact of pending state-level action, what the impact of global demand and alternative markets might be, and what the EPA might be thinking as it looks to a less certain future of the RFS. Plus, an update on how all of these factors may impact other parts of the ag sector.

The May WASDE dropped Thursday, May 12th, with USDA offering a first look at what might be ahead in the new crop season that’s just starting to unfold.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to unpack the department's updates to production estimates for corn and stocks predictions for wheat, and we'll also take a closer look at what all this might mean for a shifting demand landscape.

The global weather picture, from the rain delaying planting, to drought in the plains and in South America will be in focus as we explore what pressures the market is most worried about. Then we’ll check in on the wide ranging impacts of the Ukraine conflict, and what it means for everything from wheat exports to soybean crush demand.

We’ll discuss a heatwave in India, the complex supply chain picture, and why USDA is tweaking a long held prediction practice in 2022.

From state-level adoption of low carbon fuel standards to companies like FedEx and Amazon making emission-reduction commitments to global conflicts putting petroleum-based fuel supplies in doubt, just about everything seems to be trending in favor of biodiesel at the moment.

And soybean crush rates reflect that enthusiasm, with crush levels at historic highs and promising to go even higher as many new plants come online in the coming months. To discuss what all of this means for producers, we’re sitting down this week with Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde. He’s been working on a deep dive into the biodiesel and soybean crush space, and brings us the latest on the issue, including the increased competition for acres, likely impacts on feed and exports, and what all of this could mean for farm revenue, income, and even basis.

We’ll dig into all of this, and hear what experts and farmers think the future might look like.

It’s been a long winter for cattle producers in the Western United States, as a historic drought has continued and hard choices have had to be made about herd size. Though some precipitation has come, the overall conditions remain dry, and as supply dwindles, producers see signs that later in the year, prices will likely climb… if they have cattle left to sell.

Today we’ll catch up with DTN Livestock Analyst Shayle Stewart, to learn more about the latest news and put all of these issues in a wider context.

We’ll talk about consumer demand and inflation, how feed prices and availability are influencing decisions, and how progressive producers are getting through. Plus we’ll hear an update on cattle price transparency and get an outlook on what might be ahead in terms of summer demand.

The April WASDE dropped Friday, April 8th, with USDA wrapping up its look at the 2021 crop as it turns its attention to the 2022 season with the March 31st Prospective Planting report.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to unpack the latest stock estimates for the major grains, including some surprising adjustments on soybeans due to changes in China, and the increasing role India might play in global wheat.

We’ll discuss the drought in Brazil and its long term implications, hear an update on the effects of the war in Ukraine, and break down the latest on crush and ethanol demand, feed, inflation, and supply chains.

As Plant22 gets underway across the country– farmers are battling high winds, wet soils, cold temperatures and drought. As we look ahead to what looks to be a hot dry year, not only in the US but also in other key growing regions, weather promises to play a major role in operations and in informing the market in the year to come.

DTN’s Team Lead for Ag Weather John Baranick joins us today to provide an overview of what we might expect to see in the year ahead, from the lingering winter weather in the coming weeks to the likelihood of a parched summer in different regions.

We’ll talk about changing drought conditions, La Nina effects, extreme weather and wildfires, in addition to discussing a far future look at what harvest weather might have in store. John also offers perspective on spotting and understanding weather wild cards, and points out which trends, both in the US and abroad, he thinks might be most likely to change.

High commodity prices have been the name of the game for months now, and though 2022 promises to be a profitable year for producers, the dramatic rise in the price of inputs is already complicating the picture, and effecting farmer confidence, and thus decision-making, as they report prospective planting and as they look beyond this season.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to unpack this complicated story, discussing everything from the pressures weighing on fertilizer prices and equipment availability to the uncertainty surrounding Ukraine and the ongoing weather challenges in the Western US.

We’ll talk about income predictions, 2023 farm bill discussions, lingering COVID effects, and inflation.

The day after Spring begins, the American farm sector has, for years, been celebrating National Ag Day. To commemorate the official announcement every March by the secretary of Agriculture, ag industry leaders flock to DC to talk with lawmakers and whip up support for the sector ahead of another season.

But the global pandemic put the in-person version of these festivities on hold for many years, and a plan originally scheduled to take place in 2019 was put off. This year, it has come to fruition, culminating in a major upgrade for National Ag day that included a two day demonstration of the technologies of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall.

This week, we’re joined by DTN Progressive Farmer editor in chief Greg Horstmeier, who not only attended the events in that nation's capitol this week, but has spent much time over the last three years planning them. We’ll hear about the vision, how the events worked out, and how they might set the tone for an uncertain year.

The results of the National Wheat Yield contest are in, and the winners represent those producers who were able to roll with the punches during one of the toughest years in living memory. There were definitely surprises; from winners in unusual wheat geographies to unexpectedly good protein levels, but the common thread around intensive management was clear.

DTN staff reporter Emily Unglesbee joins us today to discuss more of the details around these top farmers, and to dig in on conditions, markets, and what might be ahead in the 2022 season.

We’ll also hear her update from Commodity Classic, where she had a front row seat to some of the latest announcements around weed-killing technologies and seed trait advances. We’ll dive deep on where the technology is heading, and when farmers might be able to start using the latest tools.

The March WASDE dropped Wednesday, March 9th, with USDA offering updated figures on Ukraine wheat and corn supplies, given the state of the ongoing conflict in the region.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to unpack the latest news out of Eastern Europe and South America, and to discuss how roiled markets are thinking about basis, among other indicators, as prices for all the major grains reach highs not seen in years.

We’ll discuss the energy crunch and what that could mean for ethanol and biodiesel demand, livestock updates from USDA, the continuing impacts of inflation, global sanctions, and shipping slowdowns, and signs that China might be back in the US corn market.

We welcome DTN’s Todd Hultman’s on a special edition of Field Posts this week to discuss what we know, and the many things we don’t as the Russia-Ukraine War continues to escalate.

As fighting continues and civilians and civilian infrastructure seem to be increasingly targeted for attacks, ag market watchers the world over wait and watch for news not only on the fate of the Ukrainian people, but also on the vast collateral damage the conflict is likely to wreak on a growing region of global importance.

We’ll talk about the uncertain wheat supply and what it might mean for regional food security, Russian sanctions and the financial fallout, and what soaring energy prices and significant uncertainty might mean as farmers in the US and elsewhere prepare for planting in a world still recovering from a pandemic and substantial weather stress.

Drones and other autonomous aircraft have been a niche technology with a big following for years in American agriculture– but they’ve been plagued by the problem that too often, they’re too advanced or expensive a tool for what actually needs doing.

That’s starting to change rapidly according to Senior Editor for The Progressive Farmer Joel Reichenberger, who’s reporting this month on how farmers are using drone technology to do valuable work on their farms, and logging a meaningful return on investment in the process.

In Part two of our agtech check-in, we’ll talk with Joel about what’s next for these technologies, how farmers are adopting them, and the kinds of novel tasks they’re completing on farms.

As farmers look to a future determined more and more by changing climates and limited resources, technology– and the companies that create it– promises to help progressive producers to stay ahead of the curve.

This week, in the first part of our two part technology deep dive, we’ll hear from Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde. He’ll give us the download on autonomous equipment that is, after years of hype, making its way into fields in a big way this season.

We’ll hear about how farmers (and their neighbors) are reacting to tractors without drivers, how they’re adapting to take advantage of the changes, and what might be ahead in the coming years.

Then we’ll dig into the latest moves in the precision tillage space from John Deere and Case IH, and hear about a very special story hopping out of an Iowa dairy.

The February WASDE dropped Wednesday, February 9th, with USDA bringing the attention back to the drought in South America, even if their estimate struck traders as shy of the mark.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack the rest of a relatively quiet report and to discuss how possible conflict in Eastern Europe, among other factors, might be playing into market moves.

We’ll discuss the details of growing ethanol and crush demand, dig into supply chain issues at the US-Canadian border, and where China may turn to fill their demand in the coming month.

Though the intensity of discussions and debate within the cattle industry have waned slightly due to more favorable prices; pending lawsuits and proposed regulations have kept disputes over price fixing and market distortions top of mind for many producers and lawmakers alike.

As organizations like the American Farm Bureau meet for their annual meetings, some surprising dissent surfaced. DTN Ag Policy editor Chris Clayton was there to track this story, and in the meantime has been following a broad range of issues, from the latest on E15 and ethanol to trade news and global conflict.

Today we’ll dig into a range of topics that are occupying lawmakers and advocates in DC and discuss how these issues are likely to develop in the year ahead. We’ll talk China, supply chains, climate moves and carbon pipelines too.

Dicamba has been at the center of pesticide controversy for years, and though EPA says they don’t expect to be able to make changes before the 2022 season, a recent EPA analysis might have changed the stakes in a pending lawsuit that could cause some mid-season disruptions. On top of that, EPA also announced in January a new strategy for complying with the Endangered Species Act, which is already riling the ag and environmental communities over county-level restrictions of some pesticides.

DTN
staff reporter Emily Unglesbee joins us today for a deep dive on dicamba news
to watch, what’s next for chemicals like Enlist, and who to consult for
information about how your labels might have changed.

Big things are happening in the world of farm equipment, whether we’re looking back at the recently released 2021 sales figures, or looking ahead to some big announcements arriving about electric and autonomous machines.

Today, we’re talking with Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller, who is fresh off the 2022 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, where John Deere made waves with the unveiling of their autonomous tractor. He’ll talk about what he saw, and what he’s hearing from farmers in response.

We’ll dig into all these updates, and learn what they might mean for folks looking to upgrade in 2022.

The January WASDE dropped Wednesday, January 12th, putting the focus back on the global crop after affirming that the 2021 harvest in the US turned out mostly as expected. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack the latest on global stocks, and to discuss how he’s monitoring news about inflation, high fertilizer prices, supply chains, and COVID-19 as we move into the first quarter of the new year. We’ll discuss domestic and international demand shifts, the possible regional pressures on planting intentions, and basis and other price expectations. Then we’ll dig into the strength of the US dollar and the effects of higher freight costs.

DTN Progressive Farmer’s 2022 Class of best farmers and ranchers was announced in Chicago at the DTN Ag Summit in December, and attendees got to learn all about the young leaders who are moving American agriculture forward.

This week, you’ll get to meet them too.

We’re closing out the year with a celebration of the enthusiastic thoughtfulness of these young families, who are running revolutionary grain, beef, and dairy operations all over the country.

You’ll learn who they are, what they farm, and most importantly, why they’ve chosen to do this work.

A record number of Americans have left their jobs over the last 18 months, and the high demand for workers as the economy transitions out of a pandemic have sent wages soaring.

For farmers, this has meant having to get creative and savvy about finding, recruiting, and retaining top performers in order to keep their businesses operating.

This week, we’re joined by Lori Culler, DTN farm business advisor and the founder of AgHires, an online job board and recruiting firm dedicated to the agriculture industry. AgHires offers job postings, sourcing and full contingency recruitment for farms and agribusinesses. Lori offers some invaluable insight on the origins of the current labor shortage, and offers useful advise on how to think about all things ag labor in these challenging times.

We’ll discuss calculating compensation, how to think about return on investment for employee hours, strategies for crafting positions, and how to become an excellent trainer.

The December WASDE dropped Thursday, December 9th, confirming many expectations about minimal changes to the US crop for corn and soybeans while introducing a bit of the unexpected for wheat.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack just a few updated update figures, and to discuss what other factors he’ll be following most closely as markets switch their focus to other regions during the US’s quiet season.

We’ll discuss driving demand and soybean crush, the unusual price bump in cotton, how input scarcity might affect planting decisions, and what Russia-Ukraine concerns might mean for wheat prices moving forward.

Then we’ll dig into inflation rates and potential moves from the Federal Reserve, and what might be ahead in the January report.

DTN has been tracking farmer sentiments about the present and future of ag markets since 2010 through a tri-annual survey, which becomes the Ag Confidence Index.

The latest numbers have arrived, and the verdict is clear. Though things are looking good in many parts of the country today, the future looks much more uncertain.

This week, we’re joined by DTN Editor-in-Chief Greg Horstmeier, who will take us beat by beat through the latest Agriculture Confidence Index numbers, and break down the concerns farmers reported about the year ahead.

We’ll also discuss how an ambiguous trade and policy outlook, drought, and COVID might be affecting perspectives, and we’ll dig deeper into what might come next.

Fertilizer prices have been on a long climb over the course of 2021, and in the last few weeks have reached some truly jaw dropping heights as retailers struggle to even place orders for the chemical that farmers plan to use for the year ahead.

This week, we’re joined by DTN editor and reporter Russ Quinn to dig into what’s driving these price spikes, from a myriad of supply chain disruptions to higher commodity prices, to global inflation.

We’ll also discuss how farmers and experts are thinking about shortages, how producers globally might be altering planting decisions to accommodate, how weather and other factors should be playing into decision making, and what farmers can do to prepare.

Just a few weeks ago, a record-setting price of $26,000 per acre was paid for a stretch of Iowa farmland, representing the latest in what seems like an unstoppable upward trend in sales. There doesn’t seem to be any ceiling for this market, and today, DTN’s Victoria Myers joins us to discuss her recent story about America’s new Land Rush. She’ll walk us through the current trends in the market, who’s driving it, and how individuals and organizations within ag and without are responding.

Then, Victoria will bring us up to date on what might be ahead for the land market.

The November WASDE dropped Tuesday, November 9th, creating some short term confusion as traders moved on lower soybean ending stock numbers before measuring their response in light of weak export figures.

DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack the updated figures in a report, which is likely to be the last major adjustment to the 2021 yield numbers before the January WASDE.

We’ll discuss the China trade watch, domestic demand for corn and soybeans, weather outlooks, and how changes across US grains might be playing into planting decisions for the 2022 year.

Then we’ll discuss the lasting impacts of COVID, inflation, and how ag markets might be impacted by the global shipping snafu.

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 in the equipment market, and how to prepare for a year when it might not be possible to get needed parts and equipment fast.

Then we’ll check in the latest rollouts, DTN/Progressive Farmers’ Reader Insights awards, and what to expect at winter farm machinery shows this year.

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 in Chicago, from a master class on ag markets all the way to a dueling pianos bash to celebrate the best young farmers and ranchers in the country.

You can learn more and sign up for the DTN Ag Summit dtn.com/agsummit. The conference begins at Sunday, December 5, and concludes on Tuesday, December 7th.

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 to discuss her ongoing series on Cybersecurity in the ag sector, walking us through the hacks we’ve seen, how companies and law enforcement are responding, and what might be ahead in terms of future risk. Then, Victoria will bring us up to date on the best tips for keeping your systems and data secure.

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 more bearish we’ve seen in 2021.

We’ll talk more about the changes to stocks and demand estimates, how global supply chain disruptions are likely to continue unsettling ag exports, and how changes in the size of the US’s livestock herds might be affecting feed demand.

Then we’ll discuss short stocks for wheat, harvest weather, and how COVID, inflation, and a dispute debt ceiling could impact ag markets.

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 adjacent markets like ethanol and crush, how exports might come into play, and what might be on the horizon in terms of prices going into the October WASDE and beyond.

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 the season, and what might change in the coming months.

We’ll also talk about pressures beyond feed prices on cow/calf operators, dairy farmers, and feedlot operators alike, and discuss where some of the nation’s finest hay is being put up.

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 Chicago, is a great way to get a start on that work.

Today, DTN’s Katie Dehlinger gives us the full download on what to expect from this year’s in person summit, from a Q&A with a former US ambassador to China to an in depth breakdown about ag labor.

We’ll dig into this year’s theme, “Power up your business,” and discuss how you can prepare to attend.

Learn more and register to attend at dtn.com/agsummit

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 available until the October report, and which raised some fears and uncertainty in the market. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to unpack this move by USDA, as well as to discuss updated demand for the major grain crops. We’ll talk more about the weather factor going into harvest, ethanol demand and what might be on the horizon for biofuels policy, and what pressure in the wheat market might mean for acres on the edge. Plus
we’ll discuss livestock market impacts and China’s tireless demand.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Sukup Manufacturing. Sukup Manufacturing Co. is the world’s largest family-owned and operated manufacturer of grain storage, grain drying and handling equipment, and steel buildings. Learn more at sukup.com.

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 weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the rest of the broader farm community. 2021’s farmers are no exception, and as harvest approaches, we’re checking in with them on a year of uncertainty, their hopes for harvest, and their outlooks and advice on how to move forward with investments, technology, and family businesses.

We'll meet Kellie Blair of Iowa and Ryan Wieck from Texas today on Field Posts.

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, discuss the big weather picture, and look ahead to the coming months one last time. We’ll check in on the crazy weather events of the last few decades, talk about how farmers have changed their outlook on dealing with uncertainty, and hear what Bryce thinks could be ahead as a new generation of farmers takes the reins.

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 discuss what they’re hearing from farmers on the ground and put it in context with the USDA WASDE report that dropped Thursday, August 12th. We’ll talk more about what uncertainty remains, and what all of this information might mean for harvest and marketing later this season.

Get full results from the 2021 DTN Digital Yield Tour at spotlights.dtnpf.com/dyt21, there you’ll find reporting on the tour as well as detailed maps and data to dig into what’s happening in your area. Then, send your on the ground perspective and insights to talk@dtn.com, And follow along on Twitter with the #DTNYieldTour21.

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 wetness to the global spread of the delta variant might mean for grains. Then we’ll discuss livestock market impacts, trends in soybean crush, and the looming price increases for shipping.

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 Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde join us to discuss where these uncertainties stand, from small refinery waivers and pandemic-stalled fuel demand to the more recent supreme court ruling of E15. We’ll also dig into the future of the RFS as rule changes approach, what impact electric cars might have on the industry, and what producers should be keeping an eye on in the meantime.

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 preview of the tour, with info on what regions will be covered, what updates have been made to the predictive models, and what she expects to see in terms of results.

We’ll also dig into the logistics of how you can follow along and get involved in the tour. To follow the 2021 DTN Digital Yield Tour, visit spotlights.dtnpf.com/dyt20 or follow along on social media at #digitalyieldtour21.

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 Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us to talk about how farmers and experts are planning to keep the good times rolling with thoughtful decision-making around rents, land purchases, technology and equipment. We’ll also dig into evaluating inputs and return-on-investment in an up year, as well as how those considerations fit into marketing planning

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 both soybeans and the other grains in the months to come. Then we’ll discuss livestock market impacts, inflation risk in the broader economy, and what farmers should be watching for in the second half of this year.

This episode is sponsored by Sukup.

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 into seeding rates, side dressing, and the unexpected benefits of canopy cover.

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 market access to ethanol to the safety and livability of America’s small towns. This week, we’re joined by DTN editor and reporter Russ Quinn and DTN Staff reporter Todd Neeley to dig into where the infrastructure conversation has been, what the final package might look like, and what it could mean for rural life.

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 on David’s presentation, and take a closer look at how intangibles like trust not only matter on farms, but represent one of the most important inputs to a businesses’ success.

You can learn more about David at his website trustedge.com/, or follow him on social media @davidhorsager. There is much more to David’s Trust workshop that you can watch, alongside presentations given by the many DTN experts on topics like weather, market conditions, and so much more, at dtn.com/dtn-ag-summit.

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 Clatyon to talk about what might be on the horizon, from extended department of justice investigations to anti-trust policy chances. We’ll dig into political reactions, the role of the major packers in the market, and how exports continue to impact the situation.

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 how Latin American weather patterns will continue to influence prices for all the major grains. Then we’ll talk about international COVID news and what might be ahead in terms of economic recovery.

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 in a wider context. We’ll talk about consumer demand, USDA’s confusing reports, and how drought conditions in the West may contribute to further herd liquidation. Plus we’ll hear what impact rising grain prices might continue to have on the industry, and how to think about opportunity in this uncertain market.

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 risk, and what’s contributed to such a strong showing. Plus we’ll hear what’s on the minds of industry, and what Matt’s watching in terms of up-coming crop stories for the 2021 season.

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 and ethanol demand are in line with what we’re seeing on the ground. We’ll take a closer look at margins for weather error, how to put today’s vigorous soybean crush demand in context, what may be ahead in the wheat season, and how volatility in the wider commodities space may be impacting ag markets.

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 federal labels, and under various state restrictions. We’ll discuss the implication of local lawsuits, requirements for downwind buffers, and where to go for help.

An unexpectedly hot farm equipment market, fueled by the months long rise in commodity prices, is colliding with some of the biggest commercial rollouts of autonomous farm implements in 2021. Technologies that have been discussed for years are finally making their way into farmer’s hands, and the industry is already looking ahead to the next iteration. Today, we’ll talk with Progress Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller about the latest in farm machinery announcements, how farmers are responding as they adopt the latest innovations, and what might be next in this fast-evolving space. Then we’ll check in on grain bin safety and DTN/Progressive Farmers’ Reader Insights.

Find a screening of SILO near you: https://www.silothefilm.com/

After nearly one full year of podcast, here at Field Posts we’re taking some time to reflect on some of the many critical and exciting stories we’ve covered in the past 49 episodes. We’ve talked markets, weather, crops, diseases, laws, politics, livestock, equipment, and about the lived experiences of farmers in a time of tremendous upheaval. What we haven’t spent as much time diving into is another set of critical inputs to any farm business-- the relational and interpersonal skills that keep us connected to one another and that help farm businesses remain resilient. Today, Lance Woodbury of K Coe Isom will dive into some of the key relationship skills that help prepare younger growers, including self-awareness, negotiation, crucial conversations, conflict resolution, and the value of mentors.

A bizarre spring variously brought unseasonably cold weather, dryness, and heat to different parts of the country, setting the stage for an unpredictable crop year, even as grain stocks remain tight across the board. We’ll talk with DTN’s Bryce Anderson about how spring conditions are continuing to impact planting, what they might mean for the mid-season in the US’s many growing regions, and what harvest might look like. Then we’ll talk about severe weather potential and the global weather picture.

The April WASDE dropped Friday, April 9th. As usual, it was a relatively ho-hum report, but the market environment it was delivered into is anything but. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to break down what the market was actually responding to (a clue: it wasn’t the report) and to speak more to what might be ahead from international markets beyond China. We’ll take a closer look specifically at how tight grain supplies could get mid-season, how to put today’s record basis in context, how to think about weather as the wheat season draws to a close, and how a big post-COVID summer might affect agriculture.

With a new administration finding their footing in Washington, a renewed and re-energized focus on alternative energy, and wind in particular, is elevating many community tensions around wind leases on farmland. Today, Progressive Farmer Crops Editor Matt Wilde joins us to share the specific story about farmers, wind energy and the community response in Madison County, Iowa, and how the fallout from a landmark decision there might affect the appetite for wind investment elsewhere. We’ll talk about farmer perspectives, the economics of wind, how to take community feedback into account, and best practices when considering and reviewing a proposed wind lease for your farm.

March’s dynamite prospective planting report dropped Wednesday, March 31st, and markets responded with surprise and worry to low acres. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us today to break down that market reactions and to help shed some light on why the USDA, or producers themselves, might be underestimating what planting in the year to come. We’ll take a closer look at corn, soybean, and wheat plantings, discuss what might explain the absence of several million acres in the report, and dig deeper on what all of this might mean in the face of possible bad weather and uncertain demand from China.

As the current wheat season draws to a close, DTN Progressive Farmer is taking a deeper look at the winners of the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest, awarded by the National Wheat Foundation. DTN staff reporter Emily Unglesbee joins us today to take a deep dive on how America’s most bin-busting wheat farmers achieve those top results. We’ll talk management styles and varieties, population and soil, pests and water conservation. Plus a careful look at weather effects, and a look into what might be ahead for progressive grain farmers in terms of sustainability and technology.

2020 was a wild ride for the US cattle market, and now with the first few months of 2021 under our belts, it looks like the uncertainty will continue. DTN’s Livestock analyst Shayle Stewart joins us today to take a deep dive on the cattle market in particular. We’ll talk boxed beef prices, COVID and demand shifts, exports, and the continuing impacts of a strong corn market. Plus a thoughtful look at weather, and advice on how to stay on top of potential policy changes and other key factors likely to affect cattle markets this year.

The March WASDE dropped Tuesday, March 9th, representing the first relatively quiet winter report of the season. DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to break down market reactions and to help unravel what seem to be some overly conservative estimates by the USDA. We’ll take a closer look specifically at long term price trends, whether the growing demand for corn and soybeans is likely to hold out, what weather and international impacts could derail supplies, and how an upswing in the COVID vaccine rollout might favor all three of the major grains.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was confirmed just a days ago, and as he and his team settle in at Department headquarters in DC, ag spaces are already buzzing with what might be on the docket. Today, DTN’s Chris Clayton gives us the full download on a broad range of topics, from ethanol and regulation to COVID relief and the future of meatpacking. We’ll discuss what a more determined focus on climate change and righting the wrongs of USDA’s long history of racial discrimination might look like, plus more on how all of these priorities might effect markets.

Over the past year, the first Reader Insight Survey from DTN has collected nearly 10,000 pieces of farmer feedback on equipment to offer a never-before-seen level of insight about Big Iron. We’ve spoken to DTN’s Dan Miller twice here on Field Posts on individual category winners, but as of the 2020 DTN Ag Summit, the votes are in, and the overall best in show was announced. Today, we’re featuring a conversation amongst leaders from some of the winning companies, from John Deere and CaseIH, to Great Plains and Kabota.

A little over five years ago, Dr. Ranveer Chandra started the Farm Beat program at Microsoft. It was started to help solve the world’s upcoming food problem by finding ways to grow more, healthier food without harming the planet. Dr. Chandra spoke at the DTN’s 2020 Ag Summit about how data will be the key to doing just that. Today, we’ll hear his talk about how farmers should be preparing for an even more demanding, unpredictable, and data driven world. Plus, questions from farmers about what’s next and how to get started.

The February WASDE dropped Tuesday, February 9th, bringing with it some additional bullish news for corn and soybeans, though perhaps not quite as much as expected. Today, DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to break down the expectations and market reactions to what's usually a quiet report. We’ll take a closer look at recent purchases from China, what these might indicate about future demand, and what narrow stocks around the globe might mean for secondary corn and soybean markets. Plus, more on weather risks in the US and across the Americas.

Finding the optimal trade-off between tillage and yield is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to achieve. How can precision tillage technologies play a role? Progressive Farmer's Crops editor Matt Wilde joins us today to break down the costs and benefits of the latest tech to help inform farmer decisions on how to invest for the 2021 season.

From the 2021 Covid-19 possibilities to what a new administration might be planning at USDA and EPA, Field Posts gets deep into the weeds on what factors might have the potential to derail a season that’s already looking more profitable in the markets than the last several. Today, we’re sitting down with the DTN Editor in chief Greg Horstmeier and Progressive Farmer editor in chief Gregg Hillyer to break down the data and information we have right now and make their predictions on technology, labor, and so much more.

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 series. These farmers, Ryan Jenkins of the Florida Panhandle and Reid Thompson of Illinois, get to know each other and DTN’s Pamela Smith as they work through weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the rest of the agricultural community. 2020’s farmers had a particularly unique experience, and the dozens of stories written from their perspectives reflect all the madness of an unprecedented year. We’ll meet these two progressive farmers, hear about their season and how they coped with change, and what they're looking forward to in the year ahead.

A few unexpected announcements surprised markets coming out of a set of reports from USDA this week. The news could bode well not only for soybean markets, but for corn and wheat too in the months ahead. DTN's Todd Hultman joins us to break down how can producers stay on top of this fire hose of information.

Today's episode is brought to you by ADAMA

2020 has official come to a close, but at the dawn of a new calendar year, many of the biggest worries of the past persist. Progressive Farmer Senior Editor joins us this week to discuss what farmers and rural American's may be thinking about the year to come in his analysis of the DTN Zogby Pulse of Rural America Survey. We'll talk COVID impacts, healthcare, the economy, the environment, and so much more.

The December WASDE dropped Thursday, December 10th, bringing with at an unexpectedly low estimate for soybean demand, an unexpected move after a year of big swings from USDA on exports. Today, DTN’s Todd Hultman joins us to discuss what’s usually a very quiet report, what neutral outlooks for corn and wheat, and a bullish soybean market, could mean for the markets during the likely quieter months ahead, and why some trader positions might offer some caution.

To watch Todd's full outlook for 2021 markets, visit dtn.com/agsummit

Over the last decade, young farmers and ranchers have been on a wild ride. But a few among them are shining particularly bright, and making a name for themselves. Today we listen in on the announcement of the 2020 class of Best Young Farmers and Ranchers as they discuss key issues their facing and share about their vision for the future of agriculture with DTN's Dan Miller as part of the DTN Ag Summit.

To experience the full 2020 virtual Ag Summit today, visit www.dtn.com/agsummit.

The 2020 election is finally behind us, and as the political dust settles in Washington, all eyes are on the Biden administration and what the new blood in the nation’s capitol might mean for the ag sector. We’re joined today by DTN’s Chris Clayton, who’ll give us a preview of USDA and EPA chief picks, and also explore the possible shake-ups in the House and Senate ag committees. We’ll discuss the odds and contents of possible stimulus and relief package as well before turning over to DTN Editor-in-chief Greg Horstmeier, who’ll break down the latest Ag Confidence Index numbers that indicate a surprisingly optimistic bump in as 2020 comes to a close.

2020 has been a year like no other, and has fundamentally rocked so many aspects of agricultural businesses and lives, and preparing for what comes next will take more than just investing in the farm. DTN's Katie Dehlinger joins us to discuss how you can use the DTN Ag Summit to invest in a more vibrant future for your farm business.

Sign up for the DTN Ag Summit today at dtn.com/agsummit.

The November WASDE offered some genuine surprise for a market that is already in the midst of a bullish run. DTN's Todd Hultman joins us to help us understand whether the source of that surprise, and other uncertainties beyond the farm economy, should be cause for concern as planning for the 2021 crop season gets underway.

This episode of Field Posts is sponsored by ADAMA. Learn more at ADAMA.com.

As the 2020 season comes to a close, many farmers will be looking at how they can put capital to work in the coming year. DTN's Vicki Myers brings us the latest update on ag land values, and what experts are expecting could be in store in the next 12 months.

Read the full story "Seller's Market" in the November issue of DTN Progressive
Farmer, or visit dtnpf.com for more reporting by Vicki.

The November 3rd election is just days away, and though coronavirus has made it clear that we won’t know the result by election night, the question remains-- how will farmers and rural American votes?

DTN’s Dan Miller joins us to discuss the results of DTN’s Pulse of Rural America poll, in partnership with Zogbys, and to hear how shifting perspectives on everything from the farm economy to healthcare to climate change might be affecting the farm political landscape in years to come.

With COVID-19 still an ongoing concern, this winter’s ag event season is going to be unlike any most producers have ever experienced. DTN's farm business editor Katie Dehlinger joins us on Field Posts this week to discuss how you'll be able to attend this year's revolutionary virtual event, right from your farm. Link to register: dtnagsummit.com

The October WASDE hit our inboxes October 9th, dropping into a market that was already looking more optimistic that it has essentially all year. We’re joined by DTN’s Todd Hultman to break down how the USDA got beat to the punch, where bean and corn markets might be headed next, and how to avoid the emotional rollercoaster of trying to sell at the market high.

You may be listening to this episode from your combine right now, and if you are, DTN is wondering how you feel about your iron. Dan Miller joins us to break down what thousands of farmers reported about their combines and planters in DTN’s reader insight survey.

Trait stacks in corn and cotton seeds have got more and more advanced in recent years, but farmers are starting to think more critically about how much return these technologies offer. DTN Staff Reporter Emily Unglesbee joins us to talk about how farmers can evaluate stacks to maximize return, and how a new EPA proposal could change the game of what genetics are available in the coming years.

The full impact of the August Derecho continues to be counted with harvest underway across the country. We're joined by James Henegan of GRO Intelligence to dig into what the satellite data tells us, and how it can help farmers understand the larger market impacts of future disasters.

The September WASDE brings some unexpected good news as harvest continues. We're joined by DTN lead analyst Todd Hultman to breakdown the news and discuss what could short supplies in Brazil and new orders from China could mean as we head into the 2021 season?

The August derecho left behind a trail of destruction that could have a big impact on the 2020 harvest. Matt Wilde from DTN brings us the latest, and discusses how downed bins and damaged elevators could affect harvest storage capacity this year.

The ag industry has been abuzz for years with talk of the future of driverless cabs, autonomous grain carts and mini-bots, and all the future applications of drones. Today we catch up with Progressive Farmer's Joel Reichenberger to discuss how, in 2020, farmers can start to put that tech to the test.

A global pandemic cast a glaring spotlight on the often painful shortcomings of US cattle markets. But this was far from the first time producers felt like the markets had been hijacked. We'll sit down with Vicki Meyers, Senior Editor at Progressive Farmer, to learn more about proposed solutions, and where markets might go from here.

A bearish WASDE last week didn’t shake the market rally brought on by a Midwest derecho. We'll talk with DTN's Katie Dehlinger, Emily Unglesbee, and Todd Hultman about the crop in the field and the risks of August weather as harvest looms.

A good year in terms of weather continues to help along a potentially record setting crop, but pockets of extreme weather, including a derecho in Iowa this week, could take the top off. We're joined by DTN's Katie Dehlinger and Emily Unglesbee to discuss DTN's 2020 Yield Tour results in progress.

The DTN Progressive Farmer Digital Yield Tour Powered by Gro Intelligence begins August 10th. We'll connect with DTN's Farm Business editor Katie Dehlinger about what we might be able to learn, and how you can participate.

With the school year looming and no end to global pandemic in sight, the question of how rural communities and businesses are adapting to a virtual world lingers. We'll spend the episode with Russ Quinn from DTN to learn first hand how are farmers and their families are faring as they confront lack of rural broadband.

From missing acres to optimistic export figures, markets have been taking USDA reports with a grain of salt and watching the weather instead. We'll break down the latest reports, and discuss how the July WASDE posed more questions than it answered, with Todd Hultman, Lead Analyst at DTN.

2019 saw a notable upward trend in grain entrapments throughout the Midwest. We'll talk with Dan Miller from Progressive Farmer and Progressive Ag Foundation Bernard Gesky about how a bad year for crops leads to more confinement injury and death, and what can be done to prevent them, among children in particular.

The controversial herbicide Dicamba had it’s EPA registration overturned by the 9th
circuit court in the middle of the season. What does that mean for crops in the ground, and for seed selection this fall? We'll check in with Emily Unglesbee and Pamela Smith from DTN for the full download.

The most recent Cattle on Feed Report contained some unexpected news. We're reconnecting with ShayLe Stewart, Livestock Analyst with DTN, to learn how markets are reacting, and how producers might prepare for what could be several more months of COVID-related backlogs and disruptions.

The path from serving in America’s armed forces to American agriculture is well-trod, but not without its challenges. We'll speak with two veteran farmers about building farm businesses, and with the executive director the Farmer Veteran Coalition about the resources and tools available.

The June WASDE is out, but don’t let the lack of seismic market shifts fool you. We sit down with Todd Hultman, Lead Analyst for DTN, about what this month’s numbers tell us about the future of a crop overshadowed by a pandemic.

Choosing a piece of farm equipment, especially a tractor, is a big decision, and objective information about farmer experiences can be hard to come by. DTN is changing that with Reader Insights, and Dan Miller joins us to dig into the data on how farmers rate their satisfaction with thousands of piece of big iron.

As the 2020 season continues, a seemingly unshakably good crop is coming up. Can two late spring cold spells, possible limits on dicamba use, and full moisture profiles derail it? We'll talk with Bryce Anderson, a senior ag meteorologist at DTN, and Pamela Smith, a Crop Tech Editor at DTN, about what might be ahead for summer field work, pest pressure, and harvest.

Today Matt Wilde, Crops Editor with DTN, is helping us dive into the new trend of yield guarantee programs. We'll discuss the different programs available, how they work, and when they make sense for a progressive farmer.

The May WASDE is here and Todd Hultman, Lead Analyst at DTN, will discuss his analysis in light of a chaotic COVID-19 market.”

We’re launching Field Posts in the midst of a global pandemic-- one that’s had a tremendous impact on every aspect of the US meat sector. DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart joins us to discuss what’s really driving market prices and how producers are and could be reacting and adapting to an indefinite crisis.

Plant2020 is going... Especially in the wake of the 2019 planting season, the positive outlook coming out of the midwest in particular have optimism about the year. We’ll talk with Bryce Anderson, senior ag meteorologist with DTN, about what might be in store later in the season, and we’ll discuss how global conditions and the growing possibility of extreme weather could affect markets.

The global pandemic shocked the economy, agriculture has not been spared. Policymakers in Congress and at the USDA scramble to provide relief. But what will those programs look like for producers-- and how long will it take to role them out? We learn more from Chris Clayton with DTN.