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.
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