NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — Agricultural conditions remained highly uneven across the country during the past week, with heat and moisture stress challenging parts of the Plains and West while crops generally advanced toward harvest across the Corn Belt and South.
The latest USDA state condition data available Monday morning cover the week ending August 9; USDA’s next Crop Progress report is scheduled for release Monday afternoon.
Beyond crop ratings, producers are dealing with tight cattle supplies, changing beef-processing capacity, elevated fertilizer and fuel costs, uneven forage supplies and increasingly important harvest logistics. USDA’s August supply-and-demand estimates also lowered the national corn yield outlook while maintaining expectations for a very large crop, adding another layer to late-summer marketing decisions.
Great Plains
- Kansas: Corn, soybeans and sorghum moved deeper into reproductive development as heat and uneven moisture remained important yield variables. Cattle feeders continued working through historically expensive replacement costs, while the Holcomb beef plant becomes even more important regionally as Tyson concentrates more of its slaughter network there.
- Nebraska: Corn and soybean development continued toward maturity, with irrigated and dryland fields showing increasingly different moisture needs. Nebraska cattle feeding and slaughter capacity remain central to the regional beef market, particularly after Tyson’s earlier Lexington closure left Dakota City as a more important anchor.
- Oklahoma: Pastures and summer crops remained highly variable, with western areas carrying more persistent drought stress than eastern production regions. Cattle producers continued watching forage availability and feeder costs while sorghum, cotton and peanuts progressed toward late-season development.
- Texas: Cotton, corn and sorghum conditions remained sharply regional, with irrigation demand and heat still important across western production areas. Cattle supplies remain tight, but the planned phased return of Mexican feeder cattle could eventually improve placements in Texas and neighboring southern feedlots.
Midwest
- Iowa: Corn and soybeans continued through grain-fill stages with yield potential increasingly dependent on August moisture. Livestock producers remained supported by abundant feed-grain prospects but faced elevated financing and replacement-animal costs.
- Missouri: Corn and soybean development advanced while pockets of dryness continued to create uneven yield expectations. Cattle, hay and pasture conditions varied by region, making late-summer forage inventories an important concern.
- Illinois: Corn and soybeans continued filling under generally favorable but variable moisture conditions. Farmland values increased from a year earlier, although Chicago Federal Reserve lenders reported weakening agricultural credit conditions across the broader district.
- Indiana: Corn and soybeans moved toward maturity, while farmland values softened from year-earlier levels. Agricultural lenders are reporting more repayment stress and greater use of loan renewals and extensions across the region.
- Ohio: Corn and soybean development progressed with summer moisture determining how much yield potential can be maintained through grain fill. Dairy, livestock and forage operations continued managing feed inventories and elevated borrowing costs.
- Kentucky: Corn and soybean fields moved farther into reproductive stages while tobacco, hay and livestock producers watched rainfall distribution closely. Pasture quality remained important for cattle operations trying to limit supplemental feed needs.
Delta & South
- Arkansas: Rice harvest approached in earlier areas while soybeans, cotton and corn continued maturing. Poultry and livestock operations remain important feed-grain users, while heat and irrigation costs continue shaping crop expenses.
- Louisiana: Rice harvest activity expanded while sugarcane, soybeans and cotton continued developing. High humidity and storm potential remained concerns for crop quality, fieldwork and livestock stress.
- Mississippi: Corn moved closer to harvest while cotton and soybeans remained in critical reproductive stages. Producers continued balancing irrigation needs against fuel costs while watching late-season insect and disease pressure.
- Tennessee: Corn and soybeans continued toward maturity, with cotton developing bolls and cattle producers monitoring pasture conditions. Livestock operations remain exposed to high replacement costs even where forage supplies are adequate.
- Alabama: Cotton, peanuts and soybeans advanced while livestock producers managed summer heat and pasture quality. Poultry remained a major feed-demand component, while hay producers worked around scattered rainfall.
- Georgia: Peanuts and cotton remained major field priorities as growers monitored disease, insects and late-season moisture. Poultry production continued supporting feed demand, while specialty-crop growers managed summer heat.
- Florida: Cattle and pasture conditions remained sensitive to heat and rainfall distribution, while citrus and vegetable operations continued preparing for upcoming production cycles. Tropical weather remains a continuing late-summer risk.
- North Carolina: Corn progressed toward harvest while soybeans, cotton, peanuts and tobacco remained active field crops. Hog and poultry producers continued to face feed, labor and energy costs even as grain supplies improve seasonally.
- South Carolina: Cotton, peanuts, and soybeans advanced, with heat and rainfall shaping late-season yield prospects. Livestock and forage producers continued monitoring pasture quality after an uneven summer.
- Virginia: Corn and soybeans continued through reproductive development while tobacco, hay and livestock producers managed variable moisture. Cattle and dairy operations remained focused on forage availability and feed costs.
West & Southwest
- California: Tree nuts, grapes, vegetables and other specialty crops remained in active harvest or preparation periods, keeping labor, irrigation and transportation needs high. Dairy producers continued managing feed costs while almond, walnut and pistachio growers watched crop quality and export demand.
- Arizona: Cotton continued developing under intense heat while alfalfa, dairy and cattle operations remained heavily dependent on irrigation and water availability. The Douglas port is scheduled to become the first crossing used in the phased reopening of Mexican cattle imports, making Arizona important to rebuilding southern feeder supplies.
- New Mexico: Rangeland conditions remained uneven, and irrigation supplies remained important for chile, pecans, alfalfa, and livestock. Planned cattle-import operations through New Mexico crossings could eventually improve regional feeder availability.
- Nevada: Hay and livestock remained the dominant agricultural concerns, with water supplies and high temperatures affecting forage production. Cattle and sheep operators continued managing grazing pressure and winter-feed needs.
- Utah: Hay, cattle and dairy operations worked through summer heat while water remained the central production constraint. Tyson’s decision to close its Eagle Mountain case-ready beef facility adds a food-processing change to the state’s agricultural economy.
- Colorado: Corn, cattle and forage operations continued under periods of heat and moisture stress, particularly in drier eastern areas. Feedlots and ranches remain exposed to high cattle prices and uneven rangeland conditions.
Northwest & Northern Rockies
- Washington: Wheat harvest continued while apples, potatoes, hops and other specialty crops moved deeper into harvest preparations. Tyson’s decision to seek a buyer for its Pasco beef facility creates uncertainty over whether that regional slaughter capacity remains in operation under new ownership.
- Oregon: Wheat harvest advanced while tree fruit, vegetables, grass seed and specialty crops remained active. Irrigation availability and wildfire risk continued to influence farming and ranching decisions in drier areas.
- Idaho: Potato, sugarbeet, grain and hay crops progressed while dairy and cattle operations maintained strong feed demand. Irrigation supplies remained critical as producers moved toward late-summer harvest.
- Montana: Winter wheat harvest advanced while spring wheat, barley and pulse crops approached or entered harvest. Ranchers continued watching range conditions and hay supplies as they prepare for fall cattle movement.
- Wyoming: Haying and livestock remained the dominant farm activities, with dry conditions increasing pressure on some rangelands. Cattle producers continued weighing grazing capacity against expensive purchased feed.
Northeast
- Pennsylvania: Corn and soybeans advanced while dairy farms continued managing forage inventories, feed costs and milk margins. Fruit, vegetable and specialty-crop harvests also remained active.
- New York: Dairy remained central as corn silage development, hay supplies and forage quality shaped feed planning. Apples, vegetables and other specialty crops moved deeper into seasonal harvest.
- New Jersey: Fruit and vegetable harvest remained active while growers managed disease pressure after a summer marked by swings between dryness and heavy rainfall. Direct-market and greenhouse operations remained important seasonal outlets.
- Delaware: Corn and soybeans continued maturing while poultry remained the state’s major agricultural demand engine. Producers watched grain development closely because local feed availability directly affects poultry economics.
- Maryland: Corn and soybeans advanced while poultry, dairy and vegetable producers managed summer heat and humidity. Grain growers remained focused on yield potential and preparations for fall harvest.
- West Virginia: Livestock, hay and pasture remained central, with cattle producers monitoring forage supplies going into fall. Small-scale fruit and vegetable harvests also continued statewide.
- Connecticut: Vegetable, fruit and nursery operations continued after a summer marked by major swings between drought, heat and heavy rainfall. Dairy and livestock farms faced the same weather volatility in forage production and pasture management.
- Massachusetts: Cranberry, vegetable, fruit and dairy operations continued through late summer with water and disease management important after earlier drought concerns. Forage availability remained a key livestock issue.
- Rhode Island: Vegetable, nursery and small livestock operations continued managing lingering moisture concerns. Groundwater and pasture recovery remained important after earlier drought stress.
- Vermont: Dairy operations remained focused on corn silage development and hay quality, while vegetable and maple-related farms prepared for seasonal transitions. Pasture and forage inventories remain important heading toward fall.
- New Hampshire: Dairy, hay, vegetable and fruit operations continued through late summer, with localized rainfall determining pasture and forage quality. Apple harvest preparations accelerated.
- Maine: Potato, blueberry and vegetable harvests remained major seasonal activities while dairy and livestock farms monitored forage supplies. Weather during the next several weeks will be important for potato quality and harvest conditions.
Upper Midwest & Great Lakes
- Minnesota: Corn and soybeans continued grain fill while sugarbeets, small grains, and livestock operations moved closer to harvest season. Dairy and hog producers remain important users of the region’s large feed-grain supply.
- Wisconsin: Corn and soybeans advanced while dairy farms focused increasingly on corn silage quality and forage inventories. Farmland values declined from a year earlier in the Chicago Federal Reserve survey, while farm repayment problems across the district increased.
- Michigan: Corn and soybeans continued developing while dry beans, sugarbeets, fruit and vegetable crops moved through important late-season stages. Dairy remained heavily dependent on forage quality and feed costs.
- North Dakota: Spring wheat, barley and other small-grain harvest activity increased while corn and soybeans continued developing. Cattle and forage producers monitored moisture carefully because late-summer pasture conditions will determine fall grazing capacity.
- South Dakota: Small-grain harvest continued while corn and soybeans progressed through grain fill. Cattle operations remained a major focus, with pasture quality, hay inventories and feeder prices shaping fall decisions.
Far North, Hawaii & U.S. Territories
- Alaska: Hay, vegetables and livestock operations continued through the state’s short production season, with growers moving quickly as daylight begins declining. Small grains and specialty crops approached late-summer harvest.
- Hawaii: Tropical fruit, coffee, macadamia, livestock and diversified vegetable operations continued under variable rainfall. Water availability and high input costs remained persistent concerns for producers.
- Puerto Rico: Plantains, coffee, livestock, vegetables and other tropical agriculture remained exposed to heavy-rain and hurricane-season risks. Producers continued managing high transportation and input costs alongside weather uncertainty.
The national picture remains one of large crop potential but increasingly complicated farm economics. USDA’s August outlook lowered expected corn yield to 180.7 bushels per acre even as greater harvested acreage kept production near 16 billion bushels, while tight cattle supplies, fertilizer costs, processor restructuring and weaker farm credit conditions are influencing decisions well beyond the field.
