NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Here is a look across U.S. agriculture this week, highlighting harvest pace, crop conditions, market signals, and policy developments affecting farmers. Reports are organized regionally for a clear snapshot of the week’s agricultural landscape.
Great Plains
- Texas: Corn and sorghum harvests continue to accelerate; dryness in West Texas and the Panhandle is stressing late fields. Cow-calf operators report tight forage and elevated supplement costs, which have lingered from the past drought.
- Oklahoma: Soybeans and cotton are mostly mature; scattered rains created uneven pod fill and boll development. Winter wheat seeding is underway where soil moisture allows, but lingering heat could challenge emergence.
- Kansas: Corn and soybean maturity has slowed in the drier southwest counties; test cuts are starting elsewhere. Wheat planting has begun with localized early germination following spotty showers.
- Nebraska: Combines are rolling in south-central areas; disease pressure earlier this summer trimmed expectations in pockets. Dry weather aids fieldwork but raises fire risk during harvest.
- South Dakota & North Dakota: The harvest pace is uneven—north sees moisture and frost risk, while the south benefits from drier conditions—quality variability expected in later soybeans.
Midwest
- Iowa: Faster bean cutting where fields dried; corn ear fill still lags trend in some late-planted acres. The basis remains firm to near-strong for end-users.
- Illinois: Cool temperatures and limited rainfall accelerated dry-down, especially in central counties; southern Illinois remains very dry. Early corn yields are mixed, and beans are generally holding up.
- Indiana & Ohio: Corn harvest advancing amid scattered downed stalks from earlier storms. Soybean moisture is variable; double-crop fields trail normal.
- Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan: Early frosts clipped some northern acres; silage nearly wrapped. Grain corn maturity is behind average in cooler zones.
- Missouri: Split story—south reports decent yields, north battling patchy moisture deficits and staggered maturity.
Delta & South
- Arkansas: USDA officials have flagged additional support tools as growers face high input costs and soft prices, notably in cotton and rice. The harvest pace is improving with drier weather conditions.
- Louisiana & Mississippi: Late showers slowed dry-down; rice and beans see pockets of quality concerns. Cattle producers are watching feed and pasture recovery closely.
- Alabama, Georgia, Florida: Peanut digs and cotton picking are advancing where fields are firm. Specialty crops are still feeling labor and freight cost pressures.
- Kentucky, Tennessee, Carolinas, Virginia: Tobacco wraps up; soybean cutting building. Disease hangover lingers in humid areas; wheat seed deliveries are picking up.
West & Southwest
- New Mexico & Arizona: The monsoon finish was mixed; rangeland improved, but humidity delayed crop maturity in some areas. Feed costs continue to be a headwind for livestock producers.
- Colorado, Utah, Nevada: A warm, dry pattern favors small-grain planting and late hay, but stresses dryland farming—irrigated acres holding better with tight water management.
- California: Nut and fruit harvests contend with heat-related quality issues and a tight labor market. Vegetable transitions are underway; logistics and export timelines are closely monitored.
Northwest & Northern Rockies
- Washington & Oregon: Apple and pear picking near finish; sugars benefited from late warmth, but water supplies stayed tight. Eastern wheat is essentially wrapped.
- Idaho, Montana, Wyoming: Barley and wheat are mostly done; early high-elevation snows risk unharvested forage. Cow-calf operations eyeing winter feed balance sheets.
Northeast
- New York & Pennsylvania: Dairy margins pinched by feed costs as corn silage moves fast; some fields too wet for ideal chop timing. Manure application and wheat planting windows are opening.
- New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland: Fresh-market vegetables are winding down; pest flare-ups have been reported in isolated pockets—grain harvest queue building.
- New England (grouped): Field crops near finish; disease pressure persists in wetter zones. Direct-market farms are pivoting to fall agritourism as a cash-flow bridge.
Related Stories
According to the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives (NCFC), President and CEO Chuck Conner says, there is only one other option besides addressing ag labor shortages.
The modest cut should slightly reduce borrowing costs on operating loans, land notes, and equipment financing for agriculture, giving some relief to producers under heavy debt loads.
Sen. Roger Marshall, a founding member and chairman of the Make America Healthy Again caucus, joined us with his thoughts on the commission’s latest report and the key ag-related issues.
It’s been a decade since Hurricane Rita ripped through southwest Louisiana, and recovery has been a long, difficult process for many who have lived in the coastal area. Today, oyster farming offers a pearl of hope.
The Fertilizer Research Act, reintroduced by Sens. Grassley, Ernst, and Baldwin, would direct the USDA to study and publish public reports on competition and pricing trends in the fertilizer market.
Producers may need to prepare for margin pressure in livestock feeding, while dairy farmers could benefit from stronger product demand.
