Field Posts

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, wh...

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...

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 ...

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 unfoldin...

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 column...

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 ...

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 s...

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 pot...

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 contes...

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 monst...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 th...

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 t...