Sara Schafer

Sara (Muri) Schafer, editor of Top Producer magazine, grew up on a family farm where they raised hogs and cattle, along with soybeans, corn, wheat, milo and hay. Since joining Farm Journal Media in 2008, she has covered a broad range of topics pivotal to the success of U.S. farmers. In addition to being an award-winning journalist, she has played several key roles with the transformative relaunch of AgWeb.com and spearheaded the Farm Journal Legacy Project expansion. Sara graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in agricultural journalism and a minor in agricultural economics. She resides in Columbia, Mo., with her husband and daughter.

Latest Stories
Corn and soybean production will both be down from 2021, according to USDA’s September Crop Production report. That news sent prices higher for both markets.
Before booking your 2023 hybrids and varieties, reflect on your biggest challenges this year.
For 2022, the national average for cash rents on cropland is $148 per acre. That’s up $7 from last year and eclipsed the previous high of 2015’s $144 per acre.
If thinking about negotiating cash rental rates makes you sweat—you’re not alone. Employ these negotiation strategies.
For the upcoming crop season, CONAB forecasts Brazilian farmers will produce more than 300 million tons of soybeans, corn, cotton, rice, wheat and soybeans. That’s an all-time high.
Weather challenges this spring tugged total crop acres down for 2022. USDA’s Farm Service reports farmers were unable to plant on 6.387 million acres.
On Thursday, corn prices jumped again. Prices are set for an week of back-to-back gains, the longest streak since May 2021.
Talk to your crop insurance agent now to see if margin protection coverage is a good fit for your operation. The deadline for it is Sept. 30.
December corn futures rose to the highest price since late June and soybeans and wheat also rose amid concern over dry weather. Why did corn prices surge? Several bullish factors are at play,
“We’ve got a huge discovery process that will be underway in southeast Nebraska,” says Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.