Iowa

Why High GDUs Aren’t Guaranteeing Quick Emergence This Year

Tue, 12 May 2026 20:35:00 GMT

While farmers keep a close eye on the thermometer and their favorite weather app during planting season, Phil Long says the most important metric right now might be the one they can’t see: the temperature beneath the soil surface.

Long, a regional agronomist with Liqui-Grow, says growers in north-central Iowa are reporting sluggish emergence for corn and soybeans. That’s despite the fact the region accumulated roughly 197 Growing Degree Units (GDUs) from April 10 to May 1, outpacing the 30-year average of 121 GDUs.

“It takes about 130 or so GDUs to get corn or beans out of the ground,” says Iowa-based Long. “So why aren’t more crops emerged?”

The discrepancy, he contends, lies in the difference between air GDUs and soil GDUs. While air temperatures are important, seed reacts almost totally to the heat of the soil surrounding it. For a seed to germinate and push through the soil surface, it requires consistent warmth that hasn’t materialized during recent chilly conditions in some areas.

“What’s most important to the corn and beans out there in the ground is soil GDUs,” Long says. “Even corn up to V6 is regulated primarily off the heat in the ground.”

Why Some Crops Have ‘Just Sat There’

The formula for calculating GDUs relies on a base temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and a ceiling of 86 degrees. When nighttime temperatures dip into the 30s, as they have recently in Iowa and parts of the Eastern Corn Belt, the soil temperature can linger in the 40s and 50s. At those levels, the “heat engine” for the seed essentially stalls.

“We’re not getting that soil temperature up there very far,” Long explains. “That does not stack up GDUs very quickly.”

Long notes that along with the chilly weather conditions, two additional factors can act as “buffers” against soil warming: crop residue and cloud cover.

While heavy residue is often a benefit in the heat of July, it can act as an insulator in the spring, preventing the sun from reaching the soil. In some cases, high-residue fields can see a 50% reduction in GDU accumulation compared to conventionally tilled ground, Long notes.

Furthermore, a stretch of overcast days will rob the soil of solar radiation.

“If there’s heavy cloud cover, that can reduce solar radiation by 80%,” Long says. He explains that even on a cool 55-degree day, direct sunlight can push soil temperatures much higher. But persistent clouds have kept the ground locked in a cool cycle.

As planting continues into the heart of May, Long advises farmers to look beyond the air temperature and keep in mind the micro-climate of the seedbed as they plant.

“Although we’re ahead in terms of air temperature GDUs for this year compared to the ‘average’ year, we’re probably behind in terms of those seeds sitting in the ground,” Long says. “That soil GDU is a big factor when it comes to getting crops out of the ground.”

Soybean Gall Midge Emerges As Top-Tier Threat

Mon, 11 May 2026 20:19:03 GMT

Soybean gall midge is no longer just a curiosity or annoyance for many Midwest farmers. The pest is chewing into yield and profitability for soybean growers across parts of at least seven states – Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.

Iowa State University Entomologist Erin Hodgson reports the pest’s footprint is significant, present in at least 42% of the 45.4 million acres of soybeans farmers harvested across the seven states in 2025.

“At least 19 million soybean acres are potentially impacted by this pest,” Hodgson says, noting that the pest continues to spread. Eight new counties were confirmed in 2025, with five of those being in Iowa .

According to a recent farmer survey led by University of Nebraska Entomologist Doug Golick, the pest has become a major threat in parts of Nebraska. “In the last year or two, soybean gall midge is approaching as near high of concern as herbicide-resistant weeds for survey respondents,” Golick says.

Since 2018, the soybean gall midge has spread to 185 total counties in seven states, including five new counties in Iowa this past year, according to Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University Extension entomologist and professor.

(Erin Hodgson)

Look For Small Orange Or White Larvae

Damage from the insect starts at the base of the soybean plants, largely out of sight. Adult midges emerge from the ground in May and June, then seek out tiny fissures in young soybean plants near the soil line to lay eggs, according to Thales Rodrigues da Silva, a master’s student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The larvae cause severe, localized yield losses from 20% to 100% loss along field edges and 17% to 50% reductions in entire fields average under heavy infestation, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension. The larvae – small, orange worm-like pests – feed inside the base of the stem, causing plants to wither, die, and lodge (break), with damages sometimes extending 100+ feet into fields. Scouting for the pest should occur after the second trifoliate (V2) growth stage, according to the Crop Protection Network.

This damage in a soybean plant at the soil level shows the result of soybean gall midge larvae feeding.

(University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension)

Because the pest often feeds along field edges, the damage in affected plants is often mistaken for issues caused by compaction or herbicide injury, according to Stine Seed Company .

To confirm the pest’s presence, Stine agronomists recommend digging up compromised soybean plants and splitting open the stem. If white or orange larvae are found feeding within the inner layers, growers should check the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network tracking system to determine whether the pest has been reported in their area. Next, they should contact their local Extension specialist to help confirm the diagnosis and report the finding if their county is not yet documented in their area.

Cultural Practices Show Promise

Unfortunately, there are few strategies to manage and control soybean gall midge, according to Tony Lenz, Stine technical agronomist.
With no labeled, consistently effective in-season insecticide program and no established treatment threshold, researchers are testing cultural and mechanical tactics that might give farmers at least partial relief.

Tillage ahead of planting — a tough sell in no-till systems — shows some promise in reducing early infestations in current-year soybean fields.

“Turns out that disking alone, at least in (our) study… did reduce infestation,” says Justin McMechan an entomologist and associate professor at UNL.

“There’s a significant reduction as we move from no-till to that… where it’s just disked and planted into, and then disking and hilling (a practice used in growing potatoes), which really is effective, because you’re covering up the infestation site,” McMechan adds.

He notes that even subtle changes in seedbed shape may help by covering fissures or altering microclimates at the stem base.

On planters running row cleaners, McMechan says adjustments at field edges might be one of the more accessible tools.

“There are not huge differences, but they are statistically significant,” he adds.

Field edge management has been another area of experimentation, including mowing or managing dense vegetation next to infested fields. Results are mixed, but McMechan says there are situations where mowing modestly cuts pressure.

“Nebraska saw on occasion where mowing would reduce infestation and lead to marginal yield benefit… we’re talking like 6-bushel differences,” he says, adding that weather and nearby corn canopy can override those gains.

There are no insecticides currently available to control soybean gall midge. A combination of cultural practices and mechanical efforts is likely the best option, for now, to stop or slow the pest.

(Justin McMechan)

Scientists Evaluate ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Practices

Other work by researchers is pushing even further outside the box to find control measures. At UNL, graduate research assistant Kristin Heinrichs Stark is testing whether a biodegradable surface barrier called BioWrap can physically trap larvae in the soil and prevent emergence.

The work is early-stage and raises reasonable questions about cost and field-scale application rates, but it points to the kind of layered, non-chemical tactics Extension researchers say will likely be needed to address the pest.

Even as these cultural and physical strategies are developed, Hodgson reminds farmers that the ag industry still lacks any clear control option once larvae are inside the soybean stem.

“We really don’t have a treatment threshold, or a rescue treatment option at this time,” she says. “We know that the soybean gall midge certainly can cause yield losses, plant death, and that directly relates to yield. But we don’t really have great answers on like, how many plants does it take? How many larvae per plant (causes yield loss)?”

For now, farmers dealing with soybean gall midge are being asked to combine careful field scouting, crop rotation, and targeted cultural tactics to address the pest as the research community races to find answers and close those gaps.

Specialists from three Midwest universities provided the latest updates on soybean gall midge (SGM) this spring in a webinar, available at the link below:

A Frustrating Spring: Spotty Spring Rains Push Southwest Iowa Planting Slightly Behind

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:33:18 GMT

USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report showed as of Sunday, 22 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is planted, which is right in line with the five-year average. Soybean planting sits at 11 percent, which is just slightly behind. But those statewide numbers don’t tell the whole planting story this year. In southern Iowa, spotty spring showers are creating a far more uneven planting picture for farmers trying to make progress in the field.

In the far southwestern corner of Iowa, farmer Pat Sheldon is finally back in the field and relieved to see planters rolling again after a stop-and-start spring.

“We’ll be 25 or 30 percent done with the beans by the end of the day,” says Pat Sheldon, a farmer from Percival, Iowa.

While Sheldon prefers to be wrapped up planting by now, this season is running just a bit behind his typical pace.

“Usually we like to try to have almost everything done by now. We’re shooting for the end of April, but we usually don’t make it. So we’re a little behind where we normally are,” Sheldon says.“For no sooner than we started, we’ve come right along.”

About 80 percent of his corn is already planted, but some acres remain too saturated to finish, especially on his heavier ground.

After being out of the field for much of the past week due to wet conditions, Sheldon says the moisture hasn’t been as severe as in other parts of the region, but still enough to delay progress.

“We’re not as wet as it’s been east and south, but just enough to keep you out,” Sheldon says.

Even so, he is confident that progress will accelerate quickly if the forecast holds.

“The forecast looks good for here anyway, dry weather for a week or so, and I can get a lot done on the bottom when it’s dry,” Sheldon says.“ Just need dry weather and sunshine and let us work. It won’t take long. It’ll go in fast once it stays dry like this for a few days.”

Input costs have been a concern across agriculture, but Sheldon says his operation avoided the worst of recent fertilizer price spikes by planning ahead.

“We had all of our dry on last fall and over half of our anhydrous before it got too nasty for us to keep going, and we finished it up this spring,” Sheldon says. “We had it all pre-bought before all the prices went crazy, so we were fortunate on that aspect.

With planting back up and running this week, Sheldon says their operation is “in good shape,” and it’s that sense of stability is a stark contrast to conditions just seven years ago.

Sheldon’s family farm is situated next to the Missouri River. It’s fertile ground that’s been in his family for generations. But in 2019, Sheldon’s farm was devastated by flooding along the Missouri River, with water levels reaching several feet high in areas that are now being planted.

“There was probably three feet of water where we’re standing. Nothing got planted in the bottom ground. There was some stuff in the hills, but that was about it,” says Sheldon.

The floodwaters lingered for months, leaving lasting reminders still visible today.

“The water was here about 100 days. It was late June, I think, when they closed the breach,” Sheldon says.

And he says for the water lines still stained on the rain bins, it’s a constant reminder of what the Missouri River can take away, often without warning.

“You have a reminder every day,” says Sheldon. “You see it every day.”

Farming along the Missouri River means managing both risk and resilience. Despite the challenges, Sheldon says recent years have brought more favorable growing conditions, and he’s hopeful this year is shaping up to be the same.

“Are you optimistic about this growing season,” we asked.

“Very, very, as far as raising a crop,” Sheldon says of his outlook for 2026. “We’ve got decent moisture, probably better than we had going in last year. We’ve been lucky the last two or three years—timely rains, not a lot of rain, but at the right time—and we’ve raised really good crops. We’re hoping for more of the same.”

Are You Planting Second-Year Soybeans And Skipping Corn?

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:26:30 GMT

As input prices and markets fluctuate, many U.S. farmers are considering a shift from corn to soybeans this season. For some, like northwest Missouri farmer Todd Gibson, continuous soybeans aren’t just a one-year pivot—they are a long-term strategy to capture ROI on challenging soils.

Gibson, based near Norborne — a farming community that proudly bills itself as the “Soybean Capital of the World” — keeps a traditional corn-soybean rotation on his Missouri River bottom ground. But most of his fields with tougher, gumbo-type soils haven’t seen a corn planter in two decades.

“Growing corn on some of this heavy ground just doesn’t pay,” Gibson explains. “I’ve got some fields that have been in continuous soybeans for 20-plus years now.”

More Second-Year Soybeans In U.S. Farmers’ Plans

Gibson says he will grow more soybeans this season and on his better ground. “I’m going to cut my corn acres maybe in half. I’ll have more beans on the better dirt this year, mainly because of input prices,” he says.

Other U.S. farmers – many without Gibson’s experience – are looking to grow second-year soybeans. The Allendale Report released March 18 says private acreage estimates point to a shift toward more soybeans this season, notes Rich Nelson, chief analyst. He estimates U.S. corn planted area at 93.678 million acres, down about 5.1 million acres from 2025, while soybean acres are pegged at 85.659 million acres, up roughly 4.4 million acres over last year.

In southern Illinois, farmer and broker Sherman Newlin says the conversations he has with farmers these days are dominated by input costs and fertilizer availability concerns. While some tell him they’re sticking to their corn-bean rotations, others are considering a 100% shift to soybeans. Newlin is keeping his options open.

“I’m not planning on switching, but we’ll see,” he says. “We’ve still got a few weeks to go where we can swap out seed if we need to.”

Iowa Soybean Association Agronomist Lucas DeBruin says the farmers he works with in the state are sticking with their regular rotation and planting corn if that’s what the original plan was for this season.

“We use a lot of fall anhydrous here, so most guys are pretty locked into growing corn,” DeBruin says. “A lot of them also need the corn for livestock feed. Sometimes you can still squeeze a little bit more margin out of corn than the soybeans,” he adds, “and guys like growing corn more than soybeans. It’s more fun to pick corn.”

Look Before You Leap: The Ferrie Checklist

For farmers looking to change their seed order, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie suggests taking a hard look at your balance sheet and your fields first. Here are some of his key recommendations:

Consider What You’ve Invested To Date: If you’ve already applied fall anhydrous or dry fertilizer for a corn crop, the “switch to beans” math doesn’t work. “You can’t afford to go to beans, because you’ve already spent the money,” Ferrie contends.

Account for the Yield Penalty: In a beans-after-beans scenario, Ferrie tells growers to expect a 5-to-7-bushel yield drag due to more stress from potential disease, insect and weed pressure. His question: “If you take 7 bushels off your bean yield, does it still cash flow against your corn APH?”

The Management “Claw Back": You can potentially mitigate some of the yield penalty in second-year soybeans by moving your planting date up from May to April, Ferrie says. Early planting helps the crop get an earlier and longer flowering period which can help recover some of the lost potential.

One morning this past week, Ferrie noted that the market was leaning back toward corn and that the see-saw between crops could continue this spring — another factor to keep in mind.

“Looking at the markets this morning, I think a lot of guys would prefer growing corn at $4.90 than beans at $11.10,” he contends.

The Continuous Soybean Playbook

For Gibson, success with continuous soybeans works based on a disciplined management system he relies on every year:

Fertility is Foundational. Even if you shift from corn to soybeans, Gibson says be aware that the beans could require more nutrients. He monitors his soil fertility closely, noting that continuous beans often require extra sulfur, phosphorus and potassium. He also keeps a close eye on micronutrients to ensure the crop won’t hit a hidden yield ceiling.

Non-Negotiable Seed Treatments: In continuous soybeans, the soil is more likely to become a reservoir for pathogens. Gibson hasn’t put a bare seed in the ground in 20 years. “Seed treatment guarantees me 100% replant,” he says. “It lets you sleep better at night knowing that if you get a heavy rain, you have that insurance to fall back on.”

Row Spacing and Canopy: Gibson plants in 15-inch rows at a rate of roughly 130,000 seeds per acre. The goals are quick emergence and a quick canopy. He believes a fast-closing row is your best defense against weeds and helps preserve soil moisture in the heavy gumbo. Seed treatment use and regular scouting help him feel confident in using narrow rows.

Keep Your Boots In The Field: In a corn-bean rotation, the “break” in the cycle helps farmers manage various diseases, insects and weeds. In continuous soybeans, you lose that advantage.

Gibson compensates by routine scouting and being prepared to address problems. “If you hear your neighbors have bug pressure, assume you will, too,” he says. “Don’t have the attitude that you can ‘get by,’ because you probably won’t.”

He has similar thoughts regarding weed pressure – “be proactive.” His program typically starts with a pre-emergence/burndown or early post application, with residual herbicides used to hold back weeds. If weeds break through, he is prepared to return with a post pass.

“We kind of wish sometimes we didn’t have to worry about weeds so much,” he says. “But if you don’t, then next thing you know, you think, ‘Oh, I wish we would have sprayed.’”

The Genetic Advantage: The final piece of the puzzle for Gibson is the advancement in soybean technology. He recalls the days when he says Williams 82 was his only real option for continuous soybeans. Today, advanced traits have made managing weeds and disease in continuous systems much more manageable, he notes.

On his continuous soybean acres, Gibson consistently sees yields average in the 50-to-60-bushel range. When he factors in the lower input costs compared to growing corn on heavy gumbo ground, he believes the decision to go with continuous soybeans is a good one. For Gibson, it’s not about following a trend— it’s about knowing what his land does best and having the management practices in place to succeed.

Could Your Future Tractor Run on Corn? John Deere Thinks So

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:38:14 GMT

As the ag economy searches for the next evolution of demand, Deanna Kovar says the future tractor might not just sip diesel, it could run on E98 ethanol grown by farmers themselves. In an exclusive interview with Farm Journal , Kovar said the tractor is still in trials and testing, but John Deere is debuting the E98 tractor, and engine, during Commodity Classic next week.

Kovar, president of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, Production & Precision Ag for John Deere, says the company is actively testing an ethanol-powered tractor in Iowa and other locations. While diesel remains the dominant fuel across production agriculture, Deere engineers are exploring whether high-ethanol blends could offer a cleaner, farmer-driven alternative.

“We’re not just thinking about diesel,” Kovar says. “We’re also considering how might we fix this problem another way. And that’s an ethanol tractor.”

A Tractor Fueled by the Farm

With so much talk about E15 and what that would mean for added domestic corn demand, Deere is taking it a step further for farm equipment. The concept centers on E98, a fuel blend made up of roughly 98% ethanol (the remaining 2% is denaturant). Unlike traditional diesel engines, an E98-powered tractor would burn clean enough that it would not require diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to meet emissions standards.

That’s a notable shift in an era where emissions systems add cost, maintenance and complexity to modern equipment. But for Kovar, the opportunity goes well beyond simplifying aftertreatment systems.

“The idea that we could use E98 to run a tractor, it’s so clean you don’t need diesel exhaust fluid to run it,” she says. “It would allow a farmer to grow the fuel that they put in their tractor to grow next year’s crop.”

That means corn grown in the field could be processed into ethanol, then returned to the farm as fuel — creating a tighter, more circular production system while generating more demand for the crops farmers already grow.

From Concept to Cornfield

One of the farmers helping test that concept is Tim Burrack of Arlington, Iowa, who recently shared his experience on “AgriTalk”.

Burrack first heard about the ethanol tractor while traveling and speaking with Deere representatives.

“They were talking about this tractor they had built that ran on 100% ethanol — or actually 98%, because ethanol is denatured,” Burrack says. “And I said, ‘Well, I’d sure like to have that tractor on my farm.’”

Before fall harvest ended, Deere delivered.

For five days, Burrack put the prototype to work, four days on a grain cart and one on tillage. The tractor, which Burrack says looks like a traditional John Deere 8R, is rated at 350 HP. Burrack says Deere has built only a handful of the prototypes, with one reportedly operating in Brazil and another in Iowa this past fall.

“I’m really thankful I got to run it, and I’m extremely impressed by it,” he says.

Unlike today’s high-horsepower diesel machines, the E98 tractor uses a spark ignition engine, a major departure from the compression ignition systems farmers are accustomed to.

“If you can imagine this, though, having 350 horse using electronic ignition, we’re not used to that in agriculture anymore at that large scale,” Burrack says.

In the field, however, he says performance spoke for itself. Hooked to an 1,100-bushel grain cart, the tractor handled full loads during harvest without issue. On tillage, Burrack says it performed “really well.”

Fuel consumption, he notes, ran about 1.65 gallons of ethanol to equal the energy performance of one gallon of diesel, which is consistent with the lower energy density of ethanol compared to diesel fuel.

The prototype isn’t perfect. Burrack says cold-weather starting remains a challenge, and Deere engineers are still refining the system.

“They know the problems they’ve got to resolve,” he says. “But I think John Deere is committed to making this work.”

The Infrastructure Hurdle

Kovar emphasizes the biggest barrier to adoption isn’t necessarily the engine itself.

“I don’t think it’s the engine technology that limits how long,” she says. “I really think it is the infrastructure.”

For E98 to become viable at scale, the industry would need:

Reliable production and distribution channels
Fuel retailers equipped to handle high-ethanol blends
On-farm storage and dispensing systems
A coordinated effort from fuel companies and equipment manufacturers

“There is a ton of infrastructure that would need to follow to allow an E98-type fuel to flow and be on [the] farm,” Kovar says. “Are the fuel companies ready to deliver it to the farm? Do we have the on-farm ability?”

If that system were in place, she suggests, the technology could move more quickly. Without it, adoption becomes a longer-term play. Kovar wouldn’t give an exact timeline on how long it could be before it’s commercially available to farmers, but she says the technology in the equipment will more than likely be ready before the infrastructure to support it.

A Local Fuel Loop

Burrack emphasizes the close, convenient loop the idea creates.

“Just imagine, within 20 miles of my farm, I can grow the corn, take it to the ethanol plant, they’ll make the fuel and all the liquid fuels that I need will be made right here,” he says. “I think it’s a transformation of equipment. And John Deere needs some encouragement to keep moving, but it actually works.”

Diesel isn’t going away anytime soon. But as Deere continues testing, and farmers like Burrack put E98 prototypes through real-world paces, the idea of tractors powered by the very crops they harvest is moving from thought experiment to field trial, and possibly, one day, to a field near you.

Watch the complete interview with Kovak on YouTube.

Biofuels Groups Urge President Trump to Expedite Biofuels Policy

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:58:50 GMT

Biofuels groups representing both ethanol and biomass-based diesel wrote letters to President Donald Trump — and also took out newspaper ads — ahead of his visit to Clive, Iowa. They are asking the administration to make biofuels policy a priority, expedite rules on the 45Z Clean Fuels Production tax credit and Renewable Fuels Standard Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) and support E15 passage that would give certainty to farmers.

Biomass-Based Diesel Production Down With Policy Uncertainty

U.S. biomass-based diesel production was down substantially in 2025, with many plants shuttered or throttling back production due to biofuels policy delays. In Iowa alone, last year’s volume was down about 30%.

That’s at the heart of the letter Clean Fuels Alliance America sent to President Trump, says Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs.

“The letter was really to tell the president: ‘Use the tools that you have available to you on the RVOs, and also on 45Z as well, to move those regulations along and provide certainty to the industry’,” Kovarik says.

CFAA Asks President Trump for Robust RVOs...Soon

While the fate of the half RIN proposal is uncertain, as part of the RVOs, Clean Fuels wants 100% of the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) volumes reallocated and adoption of EPA’s proposed 5.61 billion gallon volumes on biomass-based diesel.

Kovarik says: “The proposal that we received from EPA back in the summer is incredibly robust and would send a great signal. So, all we’ve asked the president to do is finalize that volume obligation near what was proposed, and that would go a long way to turning plants on.”

Finalization of the 45Z Clean Fuels Tax Credit Also Needed

In addition, Kovarik says the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) indicates the proposed rules for 45Z are complete. The guidance now goes back to the Treasury, but they’ve also asked for that proposal to be expedited.

“It’s a proposal. So, this will include a notice and comment period for the public before it becomes final,” Kovarik says. “But I think just seeing the proposal for a lot of our producer-members and feed stock providers will go a long way to addressing a lot of the uncertainty that has existed with this credit.”

Kovarik thinks it’s realistic both of these biofuels policies can be completed within the next 60 days, meaning the end of February or early March.

Iowa Groups Take Out Ad Urging the President to Support E15

Farm groups including the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Iowa Corn Growers Association also took out ads prior to President Trump’s visit to ask for help on year-round E15 passage.

Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, says the hope is the President will turn up the heat on Congress to get the legislation over the finish line.

“We all know that what we need right now is an act of Congress,” Skor says. “And so really the conversation has to be: ‘Congress do your job. Okay? We need this.’”

This comes after Congress failed to include an amendment on nationwide year-round E15 in the government spending bills. Speaking on “AgriTalk”, Skor stated the administration and President Trump have been supportive of E15 since he campaigned for the job in Iowa.

“I think the White House wants to see Congress get something done so they can bring a bill to his desk, so he can sign it and we can be done with this once and for all,” she says.

Biofuels policy is critical for corn and soybean farmers as it adds value to homegrown corn and soybeans.

Iowa Farmer Battles Today's Pests While Eyeing Tomorrow's 'Mean Sixteen' Threats

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 18:52:50 GMT

For Worth County, Iowa, farmer Sarah Tweeten, the list of high-priority agronomic threats isn’t a political abstract — it’s a harsh reality she deals with every season.

Farming with her parents, Brian and Julie, and her uncle Roger, Tweeten has been steering the partnership toward more resilient cropping practices since joining the operation in 2021. This includes shifting from conventional tillage to strip tillage and splitting nitrogen applications.

The changes are part of a broader mindset: Protecting yields today from weeds, disease and insects while aggressively preparing for the next generation of agronomic threats. This forward-thinking approach is what led Tweeten to Washington, D.C., earlier this week as a Farm Journal Foundation farmer ambassador to help introduce a new report: “ The Mean Sixteen: Major Biosecurity Threats Facing U.S. Agriculture and How Policy Solutions Can Help. ”

Today’s Battles and Tomorrow’s Warnings
Researched and developed by Stephanie Mercier, PhD, the report takes an in-depth look at 16 significant pest issues U.S. farmers face now or could realistically in the future.

Tweeten is already battling a couple of the problems that underpin the urgency behind the research. For example, Palmer amaranth (pigweed) is gaining ground in her fields and across Iowa. The pervasive broadleaf weed can drastically reduce yields, with studies showing corn yield reductions between 11% and 91% and soybean yield reductions of 17% to 68%.

“We’ve struggled with pigweed as it continues to establish more resistance to our herbicides in our toolkit,” Tweeten says.

Two additional agronomic issues the report details include:

1. Asian Soybean Rust. First detected in the U.S. in Louisiana in 2004, this fungal disease has spread to southern states like Georgia and Mississippi. Scientists warn that warming winters could enable its migration to the Midwest, adding to existing disease pressures.

2. Corn Ear Rot. It can lead to aflatoxin production, making corn unmarketable and posing risks to humans and livestock. Aflatoxin is an issue Pickens County, Ala., farmer Annie Dee says is an ongoing problem for corn growers in her area.

“If we have aflatoxin, it can be impossible to sell the corn,” says Dee, also a Farm Journal Foundation Farmer ambassador.

A more recent threat she references is the impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (bird flu) on local poultry farms.

Since January 2022, HPAI has been confirmed in a commercial or backyard poultry flock in all 50 states.

(USDA)

“An important market for us is poultry feed meal, so that’s a constant worry. The trickle-down effect is if we can’t move our corn then we can’t meet our financial obligations,” Dee adds.

Despite agricultural R&D offering a high ROI — $20 in benefits for every $1 spent — the Farm Journal Foundation report notes public funding for ag research has been declining over the past two decades.

“Farmers urgently need sustained support for aflatoxin research and prevention because these risks threaten our yields, our markets and the trust consumers place in American agriculture,” Dee says.

U.S. public spending on ag research and development has been falling for two decades.

(USDA-ERS)

African Swine Fever Has ‘Devastating Potential’
Looking to the future, Tweeten says she is concerned about African swine fever (ASF) and its potential to impact crop farmers as well as hog producers. The highly contagious swine disease hasn’t been detected in the U.S. mainland, but it isn’t far away. ASF has been confirmed in the Caribbean countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, roughly 700 miles from Miami, Fla.

“Being a farmer from Iowa, where we have probably eight times the amount of pigs as we do people, an outbreak of ASF would be just devastating to our state,” Tweeten says.

Hogs are among the biggest customers for the corn and soybeans Tweeten and her family grow. If African swine fever were to shut down hog production or exports, it wouldn’t just be a blow to livestock producers – it would hurt the entire agricultural community, she contends.

Read about 5 livestock diseases that could impact U.S. food security and economic stability.

Food Security Is National Security
When it comes to justifying funding for ag research, Tweeten knows there’s competition for every federal dollar. But she believes agriculture deserves a front-row seat — not only because of its economic weight and impact on farmers, but because of its role in national security.

“There’s that argument that food security is national security,” she says. “If there’s one thing COVID made us aware of, it’s that a disruption to our food chain can be terrifying, quite frankly.”

The pandemic made consumers and policymakers more aware of supply chain vulnerability. In 2020, the shock to the supply chain came from a human disease and logistical bottlenecks.

(Sarah Williams Photography)

Next time, Tweeten says, the disruption could just as easily come from animal or plant disease — whether African swine fever in hogs, Asian soybean rust or some other pathogen in crops. She worries about scenarios where farmers could face a fast-moving disease or crop pest while critical tools are still hung up in regulatory delays.

Her message: Farmers need a full toolbox, not one that’s half-built by the time a threat arrives.

“Ag needs to be in a good position when these sorts of emerging diseases and pests come into the country,” she says, “to have the tools in our toolbox ready for farmers to pull out.”

About the Farm Journal Foundation
The Farm Journal Foundation is a farmer-centered, non-profit, nonpartisan organization established in 2010. It works to advance agricultural innovation, food and nutrition security, conservation, and rural economic development.

Record-Breaking Sale: Iowa Farmland Sets New High for State at $32,000 Per Acre

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:12:42 GMT

An Iowa farmland auction in Sioux County, just outside Orange City, is resetting the top of the market. A 35.5-acre tract sold on Dec. 1 for $32,000 per acre, and Jim Rothermich of Iowa Appraisal says it’s the highest auction price he has recorded in the state.

“It is a 35-and-a-half-acre tract that goes for $32,000 an acre,” Rothermich says. “As far as my data goes, I keep track of all the land auctions in Iowa, that’s the highest. It set a new record yesterday in Iowa.”

He says the previous record was $30,000 per acre, also in Sioux County, set in November 2022, and he’s quick to point out that while Sioux County regularly posts some of Iowa’s biggest numbers, this one still stands apart.

“ The last record is $30,000 an acre , and that is in Sioux County also back in Nov. 11, 2022,” Rothermich says. “So it’s not unusual to see those huge prices in Sioux County. It’s a heavy livestock and dairy county. They need those acres to apply animal waste, and they need the corn production to feed those animals. So it’s not unusual to see that, but that is definitely a high price — no doubt about it.”

A Farmer Bought the Land, Not an Investor

At a time when producers are watching margins and questioning who is really driving top-end land prices, Rothermich says this record isn’t attributed to a Wall Street fund or an out-of-state investor. According to the auctioneer, the winning bidder is a farmer, and the land is positioned to fit directly into an existing local operation.

“According to the auctioneer, it is a farmer buyer,” Rothermich says. “And the highest and best use of this farm is to raise corn and soybeans. I understand it is an adjoining landowner, and there again, it’s a heavy livestock area and dairy area. There’s some large dairies just right around there, and they’re going to use that land.”

No Comment......SOLD! SOLD! SOLD! $1.13+ million or $32,000/acre; purchased by local farmer to produce corn/soybeans. pic.twitter.com/hMeCFJjvjx
— Jim Rothermich, MAI, ARA, ALC (@theLandTalker) December 1, 2025

That adjoining landowner angle matters in competitive auctions, where neighbor value — operational fit, access and scale — can turn into aggressive bidding when a tract comes up for sale.

According to a local source, that dynamic played out in this sale and helped drive the final price higher. The source told Farm Journal the winning bidder operates a large Holstein dairy heifer replacement business, and the tract for sale was located near their existing operation. But competition for the land, and the reason the price went so high, is there was a bidding war with another farmer whose property borders the 35.5-acre parcel, pushing the price well above expectations.

Investor Pressure is Still Real, Amplifying the Top End of Farmland Prices

Rothermich says he can’t say for certain whether investor bids help push the Dec. 1 price to a record. But across Iowa, he says auctioneers describe a consistent trend: Investors, often with local ties, are showing up and competing hard, sometimes forcing farmers to dig deeper for high-quality acres.

“I don’t know if that is the case [in this auction],” he says. “But just visiting with different auctioneers across the state, they’re telling me these investors with local ties, they’re in the market, and they’re pushing these farmers to buy land. Some of those investors are getting them bought, but those local farmers on high-quality land are competing with those guys, and it’s making a difference on high quality.”

In other words, even when a farmer has the winning bid, the bidding atmosphere can still be shaped by investor presence particularly on ground that fits the region’s strongest operations.

Not many $30,000+ sales, but Plenty of Big Numbers in Iowa and Surrounding States

Rothermich says he doesn’t see other Iowa auction results above $30,000 per acre so far this year, but he does track multiple sales above $20,000, including county records.

“I haven’t seen anything over $30,000 this year,” he says. “Now we have several over $20,000 an acre. As a matter of fact, in Mitchell County on Sept. 10 of this year, there is a short 80-acre tract that brings $24,400 an acre, and that is a new price record for that county.”

And Iowa isn’t alone. Rothermich says he’s collecting late-year auction results around the region that show strength continuing across multiple Corn Belt states.

“It’s not just Iowa; we’re seeing these strong prices,” he says. “South Dakota has one farm sell for $18,200 an acre. One in Illinois is $20,150 an acre; I’ve seen several over $20,000 in Illinois. Missouri: $20,000 an acre. Minnesota: a couple tracts bring $17,000 an acre. So it’s not just an Iowa thing; it’s around the surrounding states of Iowa.”

Tight Margins, Strong Land Values Comes as a Surprise

Even with improved commodity prices compared to last year, many producers still describe the current environment as belt-tightening territory: Inputs remain high, and margins are pressured.

That’s why Rothermich says the late-year auction strength, especially the steady stream of standout sales, is catching his attention.

“It does surprise me,” he says. “I am very surprised at the volume. November is typically our busiest month for land auctions, and I’ve been surprised every week in the month of November — some of the strong prices coming out.”

Key Divergence Between High Quality and Lower Quality Farmland

Rothermich says there’s no clearer evidence of a two-speed land market than what’s happening on the lower-quality end, where more auctions are failing to meet seller expectations.

He says he tallies 10 no-sales in Iowa in November, which he calls a high number for the month that typically dominates the auction calendar.

“One area where we are seeing some weakness is the lower quality farms,” he says. “Those are being affected; there’s no doubt about that. And as I say, I keep track of all the land auctions in Iowa; there are 10 no-sales in November. That’s a high number for no sales in a month. So there’s no doubt lower quality farms are being affected.”

When asked directly whether the Dec. 1 record sale signals a widening gap between premium and marginal ground, Rothermich says absolutely.

“The people that have the money to buy that high-quality ground, they’re going after it. There’s no doubt about it,” he adds.

And when it comes to why lower quality farms are more likely to stall at auction, he says the buyer pool changes, especially the presence (or absence) of investors.

“They’re on those lower quality farms,” he says. “You don’t have those local investors competing with the local farmers on that. So those local farmers are kind of driving that market on that, and they’re definitely pulling back. There’s no doubt about it.”

He ties that pullback directly to economic pressure with the weaker performance in some land values a sign of current economic stress.

What to Watch Over the Next Six Months

Rothermich describes today’s auction environment as a market with two tails: a premium segment with strong competition and a lower-quality segment facing resistance. That split makes the overall market feel uneven, even when the headlines are bullish.

“It’s kind of got two tails right now,” he says. “The high quality is selling very good, and the low quality is being affected by the current economy. So it’s kind of a choppy market. That’s how I’d describe it right now.”

Still, he says two fundamentals support stability over the next six months: lower auction volume, which tends to firm prices, and grain prices higher than last year.

“Looking at the number of auctions for November, December, we’re going to be down for the year,” he says. “And that’s been a three-year trend. Lower auction volume is supportive to prices. So as I look at current grain prices, we’re higher than we were last year. So with those two fundamentals, it’s signaling we’re probably going to have a stable market the next six months.”

He adds that good yields, though not necessarily record yield, also help underpin buyer confidence in the near term.

“The lower volume of sales, good harvest … yields are good but not as good as last year,” he says. “Grain prices are higher than they were last year, and we still have buyers out there wanting to get their hands on some high-quality farm ground.”

The $32,000-per-acre Sioux County auction isn’t just a number; it’s a marker of how aggressively buyers are pursuing top-end Iowa farmland, particularly in regions where acres fit into livestock- and dairy-driven demand. The fact Rothermich says the buyer is a farmer adjoining the tract reinforces that operational value is still a powerful force.

At the same time, the record sale lands in a market that’s increasingly divided: Premium farms draw competition while lower-quality farms see more no-sales, signaling that economic pressure is shaping buyer behavior — just not evenly across all acres.

Iowa’s Apple Comeback: How Modern Science Is Reviving a Pre-War Legacy

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:36:41 GMT

Before World War II, Iowa ranked among the top apple-producing states in the country. Today, researchers at Iowa State University are working to bring that legacy back, using modern orchard systems that help growers produce more fruit on less land.

“It’s an orchard packed with more than just fruit,” says Suzanne Slack, assistant professor of horticulture at Iowa State. “This orchard has rows of research — with each tree bearing lessons on the best way to grow apples in the state.”

Building on a Storied Apple History

Iowa has a long relationship with apples, and Slack wants to see that history blossom again.

“Iowa, like I said, has a rich history of producing apples,” Slack explains. “Before World War II, we were one of the top apple-producing states in the nation, true story, and we wanted to see what we could do to help bring back some apple production in Iowa.”

Where Slack stands isn’t just any orchard. It’s a research station that’s been part of Iowa State since the 1960s, founded by renowned apple breeder Spencer Beach.

“He developed quite a few different apple cultivars that we still eat today, like Cortland apples are one of his most favorite ones, or Chieftain, which are the yellow ones behind us,” Slack says. “We’ve had a legacy of apples in Iowa ever since.”

A Modern Orchard for a Modern Era

Slack joined Iowa State in 2021 with a clear mission — to help Iowa growers produce more apples from every tree. Her latest project is a 2-year-old orchard that looks very different from traditional Iowa orchards.

“This orchard here was planted in ’23, so it’s 2 years old,” Slack says. “As you can see, it’s full of apples. The one behind us is a Blondie — aptly named — apple, very cute. And what this is, it’s called a high-density trellising system.”

The design, known as a modified super spindle system, is common in places like Washington state and the Northeast — but rare in Iowa.

“Basically, what we’re doing is we are trying out some of the Midwest heritage apples, or apples that people expect to find in Iowa, on this system to see if they can produce apples at the same rate as a larger tree,” Slack explains.

High-Density Systems: Doing More with Less

Across Iowa, about 300 apple varieties are grown by nearly 500 growers. Slack and her team hope their research will help those growers decide whether high-density planting can work in the Midwest.

“It’s easier to pick, easier to manage, it’s easier to spray, you have less disease problems, you get actually more apples faster,” Slack says. “An apple tree, if you plant it like a standard one, it could take five to six years to make your money back. You’ll make your money back pretty quickly on this one, even with the added cost of the trellis.”

And this orchard isn’t even planted at full density.

“You can actually plant a tree in between every single one of these for 18-inch spacing, like a tomato,” she says.

The trees are pruned constantly to stay compact and productive.

“These branches actually are pruned in a renewal style, so every branch you see with an apple on it is eventually going to be removed,” Slack explains. “We don’t have any permanent scaffolding. The only thing that’s actually permanent is the stem or the main leader of the tree, and the way we can keep them small is we’re just constantly doing pruning on them.”

Finding What Works in Iowa

Not every variety adapts equally well to the trellis system.

“Honeycrisp and Gala love this system of growing,” Slack says. “They make their apples on spurs — so the branch comes out, then they make their little spurs and you see these big clusters of apples. Easy to pick, it’s great. They can make a lot of apples in a little space.”

Others, however, don’t perform as well.

“Granny Smith is probably the most popular household name that doesn’t like this system,” Slack says. “It’s because they make their apples actually on the tips of the branches, and I just said we cut all the branches off. We do all this renewal pruning on them, so we’re actually removing a lot of our fruit whenever we try to grow them on this system.”

A Future for Iowa’s Apple Growers

For Slack, this research isn’t just about science; it’s about creating opportunity for more Iowa growers.

“I hope that they can get more bang for their buck,” Slack says. “They can have apples, people can pick them, they can sell them. They can also reduce their space, have less labor costs, less pesticide costs. And I think it could make it more commercially viable for more folks in the state.”

Barn Find Bonanza: Low-Hour John Deere 7810 Smashes Record

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:39:14 GMT

If you kick around the used farm equipment world long enough, every now and again you’ll come across the Holy Grail of auction finds: low-hour, premium condition (i.e. like new) pre-DEF machines.

Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson likes to call them “barn finds.”

This week’s Pete’s Pick of the Week is a pristine barn find that brought home a big return for its 89-year-old owner:

Last Wednesday at an online farm equipment auction in Viroqua, Wisc., a 2002 John Deere 7810 2WD row crop tractor with only 915 engine hours (shown top of page) sold for $158,392, which absolutely destroyed the previous record high for a 2WD 7810 by over $45,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

Another notable transaction from last week was a 1990 Case IH 7120 FWD tractor with over 4,000 engine hours (shown above) that sold for $61,000 at BigIron.com’s Rodney Patterson Farm Retirement online auction in Stratford, Iowa. It represents the second-highest all-time auction result for a 7120 with over 4,000 hours.

And this dealer-owned skid steer set a record for a used Case IH 435:

“You don’t see them very often, but they’re out there, more often than people think,” Pete says of the barn find John Deere 7810 and Case skid steer. “The guy probably retired decades ago and kept it to move some snow or something and it hardly had any hours on it. These pre-DEF, low-hour, barn finds always, always attract big money.”

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

And another notable auction result from the Rodney Patterson sale was a 1988 Case IH 1660 combine with 3,801 hours (shown above) that sold for $15,250.

Auction Market Insights

Pete shared a couple observations on the used farm equipment auction circuit during his appearance on AgriTalk this week:

His data shows that farm equipment auctions are up 14.5% through the end of September, year over year. And Pete anticipates an uptick in “whole farm fleet liquidations” in the months ahead and into 2026 due to the ongoing farm economy depression and many farmers aging out of active farming.

“[Right now] we’re just on the front end of this; the end of the year is going to be very busy as far as the number of auctions,” Pete says. “[There’s] all these different stressors and uncertainties out there, and combined with the fact the average age of the American farmer is older than me — and I’ll be 60 in a few weeks … yeah, there’s going to be a lot of auctions.”

Upcoming Auction to Watch

On Nov. 4, McGrew Equipment (Seven Valleys, Pa.) will host an auction featuring 150 skid steers (including an ASV PT100 with 141 hours) and several nice used tractors, like the Deutz-Fahr 5110G in the video above with only 33 hours. You can find more details at mcgrew-equipment.com.

Record Breaking Used Hay Baler And Seed Drill Headline Pete's Pick of the Week

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:22:49 GMT

Hay and livestock equipment is scorching hot on the used farm equipment auction market. This week’s Pete’s Pick of the Week is a shining example of positive momentum within the segment.

At a Jason Aycock Auctioneering sale Saturday in South Hill, Va., a “really sharp” New Holland BR7060 round baler (shown top of page) with 7,700 bales on it sold for $31,000. That topped the previous record auction price by $2,000.

(Jason Aycock Auctioneering)

In the same auction lot, a Hayduster 107 10-foot no-till seed drill (shown above) with 1,110 acres on it sold for $22,000, which once again broke the previous record high at auction by $2,000.

Here is a video from Machinery Pete’s Facebook page showing both machines being auctioned off:

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

And a few weeks ago, at a Richie Brothers auction in Saskatchewan, a 2017 John Deere 569 round baler with 5,968 bales under its belt (shown right) sold for $56,000 CA, which equates to just over $40,000 USD. Machinery Pete says that’s the seventh highest price all-time on a John Deere 569.

Used utility tractors with loader attachments also remain in high demand in the livestock/cattle producer markets.

(Jason Aycock Auctioneering)

At the Aycock sale in Virginia over the weekend, a New Holland T5070 with over 4,000 engine hours on it (shown above) with a NH 852 T loader implement included sold for $41,000. Pete says that’s not a record, but it still represents a “pretty, pretty strong price.”

And what about other livestock farming equipment, like feed trucks? Are those machines also bringing big dollar bids at auction? Yes, they sure are, says Pete.

(Purple Wave Auctions )

A 2024 Kenworth C500 feed mixer truck with a Rotomix 7002016 XD mixer (shown above) and 16,424 miles on it sold for $203,500 at a PurpleWave.com online auction last Wednesday.

“Whether it’s a round baler or a loader tractor, one of the things driving the market here is, you know, what’s a new one cost? When you’re buying horsepower on the used tractor market, it’s such a contrast with the price of new to a good used one that, even though it’s a record price, it’s still a big gap between the [price of a] new one. And that makes it awful attractive for used buyers,” Pete says.

Upcoming Auction

On November 4 Big Iron Auctions/Sullivan Auctioneers will be hosting the Jon and Marcia Kinzenbaw “No Reserve Collector Tractor Auction” in Williamsburg, Iowa, and online at BigIron.com. Jon Kinzenbaw founded Kinze Manufacturing Inc.

You can check out the auction docket for that sale here , bidding closes November 4 at 9:00 am CDT.

Your Next Read: Machinery Pete’s 5 Pointers For Equipment Auctions

From Best Buy Toy to Pro Spray Drone: A Father-Son Duo Takes Flight In Missouri Cattle Country

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:41:27 GMT

Iowa State University freshman Rhett Keaton and his father, Vance, are launching a drone spraying side hustle.

The father-son duo started out just having some fun several years ago, buzzing around the house with a $20 drone from Best Buy that “drove mom crazy”. But now, they are getting serious about turning entertainment to revenue.

Vance, who runs 5K Cattle Company out of Anderson, Mo., ran out and purchased a DJI Agras T20P spray drone this spring, and both Keatons secured the Part 107 Commercial Pilot Certificate needed to operate on a farm. Combined with the private pesticide applicator’s license 5K Cattle Co. already held, the guys can now apply restricted-use pesticides to their own pasture ground.

University of Missouri Extension experts recently weighed in on the promise of drone usage in farming, and more specifically, in cattle operations. Field specialist Caleb O’Neal likens the technologies’ versatility and practicality to that of a UTV.

“Back in the 1980s, it would have been rare to see a UTV being used on a farm,” he says. “Visiting farms today, I’m hard-pressed to find an operation larger than 20 acres that doesn’t have some type of UTV that they utilize on a regular basis.”

And while the Keaton’s are banking on custom application services with a spray drone as their next play in ag, you don’t have to spray crops or weeds to use drones for the benefit of your farm or ranch, according to O’Neal.

Use of drones in agriculture is increasing as row crop and livestock producers find new ways to improve efficiency and productivity.

(Photo courtesy of Caleb O’Neal.)

“Livestock producers can monitor fences and availability of water and can make sure animals are where they should be without even opening a gate,” O’Neal explains. “Drone technology lets cattlemen quickly check estrus indication patches for optimized breeding timing, monitor cows during calving season, look for hidden newborn calves and look out for potential predators.

Getting back to the Keatons, the next step is for Rhett, who is majoring in ag systems technology in Ames this fall, to secure his Missouri commercial pesticide applicators license.

Once that happens, the pair can start marketing drone spraying services to neighboring farms. Their plan is to start locally with pasture and grassland applications before seeking out work on row crop farms to the north once foliar fungicide season hits.

Related - The Scoop Podcast: What’s Next For Ag Drone Application?

Even though the T20P is one of the smaller spray drones offered by DJI, Keaton says it’s proven to be the perfect fit so far. He also rents a neighbor’s spray drone, paying a per-acre fee, when he needs more than one bird to cover more ground.

“We do a lot of flying in and out of trees and stuff like that,” Keaton says. “Having that smaller drone with less capacity and a more efficient battery, I get about double the battery life as [the bigger drones] do. But I also have about half the tank.”

The reservoir on the T20P holds about 5.5 to 6 gallons of tank mix, so Keaton will usually need to land and refill his tank after about five or six minutes of spraying. He averages 23 acres per hour when everything is set up for a quick land-refill-takeoff cycle.

Keaton says Corteva’s DuraCor herbicide, an aerial application-approved formulation containing two Group 4 AIs, is the main product he’s been spraying from the drone thus far. The product label calls for 2 to 3 gallons of active ingredients (mixed with carrier water) applied per acre with coarse droplets.

A fellow rancher kicks the tires on Vance and Rhett Kaiser’s spray drone trailer at a field day event. The Kaisers operate 5K Cattle Company out of Anderson, Mo., and have plans to launch a spray drone custom application business in the near future.

(Rhett Keaton )

Keaton and Vance also picked up a nicely appointed spray drone trailer off — of all places — Facebook Marketplace. The whole setup – drone, trailer, extra batteries, etc. – cost about $30,000 all-in, Keaton says.

“We found one that was cheaper to buy than it was to build our own, especially with the generator — that is probably the most expensive part of that trailer,” he explains. “It already had the generator, pumps, the mix tanks and a thousand-gallon freshwater tank, and everything was lined up.”

With the spray drone in the air and the nice, shiny trailer parked edge-of-field as Keaton makes his passes, cleaning up weed escapes in fields that he says are “pretty clean” already, neighboring farmers often take notice and stop by to ask if he and his dad can come by and spray some of their ground, too. Their plan is to find the sweet spot between a $12 to $20 per acre fee to charge for their drone spraying services.

Speaking of sweet spots, O’Neal feels that spot spraying, guided by aerial imagery or even first-hand producer knowledge of where weed problems are significant and need to be addressed, is a good target for drone service providers like the Keatons.

“A pasture with a rash of blackberry weeds in isolated areas has great potential for a prescription herbicide application where only the problematic areas receive treatment via a spray drone, as opposed to a broadcast application where the entirety of the field is treated whether it needs it or not,” he says.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity [for it] around us. There’s a lot of guys with hay fields, and they do a lot of burn down applications. That’s one thing we are planning on hitting on,” Keaton says. “I think some guys would be interested in that. Especially if we have a wet spring and guys can’t get in the field.”

Missouri Extension field specialist O’Neal agrees with that assertion.

“In my neck of the woods in southwestern Missouri, the topography can be quite unforgiving, with some areas too harsh to allow access by ground spray rig or even an ATV,” O’Neal says. “With an aerial piece of equipment like a utility drone, landowners can now get herbicide applications on these problematic areas and put them into useful forage production.”

With a pilot year of flying his family’s acres fastened securely under his belt, Keaton says the arrow looks to be pointing up on spray drone technology in agriculture.

“Hopefully we can expand and get maybe another trailer or a bigger drone, it just depends kind of on what’s calling for us,” he says. “I’ve got to see exactly how much work is out there in this business and from there just make it all work out. Our foot is just in the door [right now].”

Your Next Read: Now is the Time for Beef Producers to Invest with Purpose

With More Eye-Popping Sales, The Surprising Strength in Iowa Farmland Values

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 18:32:39 GMT

In a year marked by plunging grain prices and rising financial pressure, you might have expected Iowa’s farmland market to finally crack. But a closer look at recent sales data shows a market that remains remarkably resilient — and, in some cases, still setting records.

Jim Rothermich, vice president at Iowa Appraisal , shares his perspective on the surprising stability of Iowa land values, what’s driving demand and where some stress fractures may be starting to show.

2024 in Review: Rising, But Slowing

Even though commodity prices have been cut in half in just a few years, the farmland market has proven to show extreme resilience. According to USDA’s “Land Values 2024 Summary,” the average U.S. farm real estate value (which includes land and buildings) rose to $4,170 per acre, up 5% over 2023. Cropland values averaged $5,570 per acre, a 4.7% increase from the prior year.

These increases in values continued a multi-year stretch of rising land values, even though the pace of growth has clearly moderated. Still, considering the sharp drop in commodity prices, it would make sense for land values to also see pressure. But when you look at it as a whole — especially quality cropland — values are holding strong.

Tight Supply Keeps the Market Firm

One key factor is supporting land values: there simply isn’t much land for sale.

“As you can see, the number of acres going to auction has been trending lower the past four years — same for listings,” Rothermich says. “Most of the volume is from estate sales. There may be a couple of auctions from financial stress but not enough to influence volume. Lack of volume is supportive to market conditions.With fewer tracts hitting the market, buyers have fewer opportunities — keeping competition intense and prices supported.”

Farmers Still in the Driver’s Seat

Despite investors showing up at auctions, local farmers continue to dominate bidding wars. Just this month, a piece of farmland in Black Hawk County sold for $20,238 per acre.

Black Hawk County rings the bell this week with a $20,238/acre sale (including 5% buyer fee). It’s amazing how fast harvest happens with good weather – crops are disappearing fast! https://t.co/q90dgZFPjQ #IowaLandAuctionPrices pic.twitter.com/bNFPfL6cvo
— Jim Rothermich, MAI, ARA, ALC (@theLandTalker) October 13, 2025

That’s in addition to the notable sales last month. Rothermich says September saw several eye-popping sales across the state, including:

Mitchell County (north central Iowa): 80 acres sold for $24,400/acre — a new county record — after two local farmers battled for the tract.
Dallas County: 140 acres went for $20,100/acre.
Cedar County: 160 acres sold at $19,000/acre.
Osceola County: 70 acres fetched $18,400/acre.
Cherokee County: 160 acres brought $17,000/acre, purchased by a local farmer.

“Investors are still attending auctions but are being out competed by locals,” Rothermich explains. “No sales are not an issue currently. Where I do see price drop off is for low quality land. Investors don’t want low quality. If locals are the only bidders, they are discounting farms with issues.”

“Investors are still attending auctions but are being out competed by locals.”

Jim Rothermich, The Land Talker

Rothermich himself recently bought two “wet” farms, planning to enroll them in CRP for a 4% cash return — a sign strategic buying opportunities exist even in a tight market.

Rents Steady, But Financial Stress Emerging

Cash rents, according to Rothermich’s data, have held steady from last year. But beneath the surface, financial pressure is building.

“Financial issues are surfacing. I have had an uptick for appraisals with high-risk lenders on sizable operations. I have not had to do those appraisals since pre-COVID,” he notes.

He’s also hearing more chatter about sale-leasebacks, where financially stressed farmers sell land to investors but lease it back to keep operating — a trend not seen since before the pandemic. Still, a unique factor continues to underpin stability: 84% of Iowa farmland has no debt.

“It is under-capitalized,” Rothermich says. “Most people think Iowa will have a good crop despite a lot of disease pressure. [There are] still strong balance sheets in rural Iowa. The farmers who rent most of their land are really being affected by current economics. Working capital is shrinking.”

Echoes of the 1980s — But Not a Repeat

Some have drawn comparisons to the 1980s farm crisis. In the September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, 91% of ag economists said the row crop side of agriculture is currently in a recession. Of the economists who said ag currently isn’t in a recession, the major reason was simple: strong land values.

“The U.S. crop sector is losing working capital, but cropland values are showing little weakness, either in terms of rents paid or cropland prices. Until the latter two start to weaken, the sector is not in a recession,” said one economist in the anonymous survey.

While Rothermich acknowledges signs of stress, he says the market backdrop is fundamentally different.

“My auction data suggests Iowa land market conditions are down around 8% from the peak in 2022. Grain prices are down almost 50%. [It’s] remarkable the market has not been affected anymore than that,” he says.

Unlike the 1980s, widespread over-leveraging isn’t a problem.

“So far, I am not seeing anything like the ‘80s was and have no concern due to the equity positions that have been built since then,” he says.

“My auction data suggests Iowa land market conditions are down around 8% from the peak in 2022. Grain prices are down almost 50%. Remarkable the market has not been affected anymore than that.”

Jim Rothermich, The Land Talker

The one trend that does give him pause? Retirement auctions.

“It seems a lot of people are exiting the business — much like happened in the 1980s,” he observes.

The Bottom Line

Despite economic headwinds, Iowa’s land market has shown remarkable resilience. Tight supply, strong farmer demand and minimal debt are keeping prices elevated — even as grain markets falter.

But the rise in retirement sales and early signs of financial stress suggest the landscape could shift in the months ahead. For now, though, the surprise story in Iowa land is not decline — but durable strength.

John Deere Layoffs Continue Amid Sales Downturn, 142 Iowa Employees Notified

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 22:38:28 GMT

Farm equipment giant John Deere has confirmed it is laying off 101 employees at its Waterloo Operations (last day on October 17) and 41 employees at the Des Moines Works (October 31) plant, according to an official statement emailed to Farm Journal.

It is a little over a month since the last round of layoffs , which affected over 200 employees across factories located in the Quad Cities region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa.

Deere says in the statement: “Production schedules at each John Deere factory vary to align with seasonal farming needs. When fewer orders come in, each factory adjusts accordingly.”

Despite the layoffs and an overall tough farm economy that some think will stretch well into 2026, Deere still intends on moving forward with its $20 billion investment strategy here in the U.S., according to the statement.

During John Deere’s earnings call in August, the company issued a warning that tariff costs could total $600 million for fiscal year 2025. The company’s share price dipped 6% immediately following that call. Deere’s net income for Q3 also sank 26%, and its total net sales decreased by 9% compared to Q3 in 2024.

At the beginning of August, John Deere addressed long-standing Right To Repair concerns with a new digital diagnosis and repair product for John Deere machines and Hagie STS high-clearance sprayers. That tool costs $195 per tractor for farmers and $5,995 per year for independent service technicians.

And in May, Deere acquired Minneapolis-based drone and sensor provider Sentera . Financial terms for that deal have not been disclosed.

John Deere also just dropped a new commercial featuring injured San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Iowa State Cyclone Brock Purdy cooking meals for farmers with tractor influencer @JustAJacksonThing. You can check that out below.

Additional Information

Deere shares the following bullet points regarding compensation benefits available to laid off employees:

Affected employees are eligible to be recalled to their home factory for a period equal to their length of service. Those laid off are automatically placed in seniority order for openings they are qualified to perform at the factory.
Weekly supplemental unemployment benefit (SUB pay), dependent on number of years of continuous employment.
Transitional Assistance Benefit (TAB) pay, which may cover up to 50% of their average weekly earnings for up to 52 weeks. 
Profit sharing, calculated based on hours worked, average earnings and the company’s profit margin.

Healthcare benefits employees can receive during a layoff include: 

Employees can keep healthcare coverage for at least six months, or as long as they are eligible for SUB pay.
Weekly Indemnity (WI): Employees who become disabled while on layoff can get WI benefits for the same duration as their SUB pay.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Employees and their household members can access EAP services for the duration of their recall rights. EAP provides up to eight sessions of in-person or virtual therapy per year.

Other benefits laid-off employees may receive include: 

Life insurance
Legal assistance
Tuition reimbursement and job-placement assistance.

Your next read: Why a Farmer on the Brink of Suicide Chose to Keep Going

5 Critical Insights From The Southern Rust Rampage In Midwest Corn

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:48:29 GMT

Northeast Iowa farmer Elliott Henderson sprayed a fungicide on part of his corn crop three times this season and nearly all of his crop twice, battling to break the chokehold of southern rust in his fields.

Henderson, who farms in Buchanan County, wasn’t alone in his struggle to contain the disease. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension estimates southern rust reached all 99 counties in the state.

Most corn growers were aware of the disease but hadn’t experienced the ruthless destruction it could cause.

For many, that changed this season.

The farmers Henderson routinely connects with are finding extreme yield losses now, as they start combining a corn crop that in many cases dried down and died prematurely. What occurred is common to southern rust – the disease pustules ruptured corn leaf surfaces, making it hard for plants to retain or regulate moisture.

“I made some calls around to see what guys are getting, and yields are down. I mean, we’re talking 30 to 60 bushels,” says Henderson. “We’re seeing guys with a 240-bushel APH, and they’re talking 180-bushel corn.”

An update on this field. The kernels are many but extremely small. The cob is almost rubbery. One ear doesn’t tell the full story, but this field did not handle southern rust well. #ISUCrops https://t.co/QDDtBWHa0r pic.twitter.com/fiYUboKN1E
— Meaghan Anderson (@mjanders1) September 12, 2025

Yield losses of up to 45% can occur from southern rust in severe cases, according to the Crop Protection Network (CPN).

Along with the yield loss, Iowa test weights are also taking a hit and could result in lower prices for growers. The official minimum test weight in the U.S. for No. 1 yellow corn is 56 lbs. per bushel and for No. 2 yellow corn is 54 lbs. per bushel, according to Purdue University Extension.

Henderson says he’s hearing farmers share test weight numbers well below those.

“We’re seeing lows in the 40s, some upper 40s, so it’s definitely being affected,” he says.

A Perfect Storm Of Disease Pressure
Plant health issues were the biggest challenge many corn growers in the Midwest encountered this season, Randy Dowdy contends.

“It was not a pollination issue. It was not a kernel development issue. We didn’t see the tight tassel wrap. It was disease pressure — that was by far the limiting factor for growers this year,” says Dowdy.

When he participated in the Pro Farmer Crop Tour in mid-August, Dowdy says he saw corn crops from Ohio to Iowa that were affected by multiple diseases. The four main ones were southern rust, gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight and tar spot — sometimes all four were on the same leaf in Iowa.

“Those growers that sprayed and stayed on it and understood that a fungicide couldn’t last but for 21 days at best, and made multiple applications, I think they’re going to reap the benefits,” says Dowdy in this week’s Breaking Barriers With R&D podcast.

You can watch this episode of the podcast on YouTube: Breaking Barriers with R&D: Late-Season Wins and Soil-First Strategies

The Crop Protection Network map shows where southern rust was confirmed in counties across the U.S. as of September 16. Notice how far north the disease traveled in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

(CPN)

Both Dowdy and David Hula, business partners in Total Acre , lament that many Midwest growers didn’t take a cue from their southern brethren and spray fungicides multiple times this season.

“Industry, in general, says if you spray at VT or tassel time, you can get by with one time. That is mostly accurate under a normal weather year,” Hula says. “But this year [some Midwest states] just had that explosion of southern rust, so they were dealing with a disease that’s historically not been a problem. You just had the environment for it.”

With growers beginning to plan what to do next season, Dowdy and Hula spent some time this week considering how growers can build an effective agronomic management plan for 2026.

Here are five of their key takeaways:

1. Formalize a plan to address disease (and pests, too).

“You have to stay proactive with your scouting and be willing to go with earlier fungicide or multiple applications, depending on what shows up,” Hula says.

In the process of being prepared to make multiple applications, keep in mind that you might not need all of them. While tar spot overwinters in stubble, southern rust doesn’t. The latter might not be a severe problem next season, as it is blows in from warmer climes.

Dowdy believes the weather system bringing southern rust to the Midwest this season originated in the Delta.

2025 Colfax County Nebraska Crop Tour results: 12 dryland fields, 207.5 bu. 2nd highest yield on record (2021 was 214). Stands were slightly lower than expected. Tar Spot lighter than expected. Southern Rust probably will reduce this yield. #25croptour pic.twitter.com/72VZCFMdZQ
— Chris Clausen (@ChrisClausen34) September 11, 2025

“Let’s face it, the incubator for you was the fact that you were wet and then had high, nighttime temperatures. It was hot, and you had corn everywhere, and you had a perfect environment,” he says.

Henderson agrees, noting moisture at the wrong time and too much heat were factors.

“We had a lot of heat right after pollination into that blister stage. We were stacking GDUs up really fast on that early-planted corn,” he recalls. “I do think some of this later planted corn is probably going to have a better experience finishing out.”

2. Work with like-minded farmers, agronomists and industry experts.

Be aware of disease pressure that is around you or headed in your direction by tapping into a local agronomist or groups such as the Crop Protection Network, and stay abreast of what’s happening in other regions.

“Everybody here is on pins and needles about southern rust every season, and we are constantly getting feedback from county [Extension] agents and industry, who are pushing the information out to the farmer, because everybody is well aware of the ramifications of southern rust,” Dowdy says.

Henderson, who works with Dowdy and Hula via their Total Acre program, also has a network of farmers in Iowa that he connects with on a regular basis.

“It’s a network of dozens of us farmers that call each other, bounce ideas off each other,” he says. “The things we’re talking about are often time-sensitive. It can be a daily thing.”

3. Understand how to use fungicides for maximum ROI, if you have given them little consideration in the past.

“It’s all about coverage,” Dowdy says. “Drone applications can be fine, but no matter what you do, if a guy is spraying two to three gallons, and you compare it to a ground rig spraying 15 to 25 gallons, I mean, there’s just no comparison in that coverage.”

Another aspect of coverage, Hula adds, is making sure the fungicide gets into the plant canopy far enough to have the desired effect.

“Fungicides have a tendency to work from the leaf they’ve come in contact with and move up,” Hula says. “So, if you’re trying to protect at least that ear leaf – and I like to protect the leaf opposite and below the ear – you’ve got to get penetration with that product.”

For a drone application, Hula says growers might have to spend a couple extra dollars to get sufficient volume for the product to get down below the canopy.

“If that’s what needs to be done, let’s do it,” he encourages. “If I’m spending $30 or more an acre, then I want to at least have the success that I’m paying for.”

4. Use products labelled for the disease issue you face.

That sounds like a no brainer, but in the heat of battle the wrong product can get applied, or you can select a product that isn’t up to the task.

With a tough disease like southern rust or tar spot, using newer chemistries with more than one active ingredient is also a plus.

5. Stay with your crop throughout the season; don’t walk away.

Today’s corn genetics tend to have more back-end potential to add yield through kernel fill.

It’s a key reason to evaluate what a fungicide application can do for a crop that’s advanced into one of the later reproductive stages, say Hula and Dowdy.

Brian Herbek, who farms near DeWeese, Neb., has leaned into their advice the past few years.

“I found out a couple of years ago, there’s a lot of hidden yield out there that a lot of us leave on the table,” Herbek reports.

What he learned from Hula and Dowdy is corn has the genetic ability – some hybrids more so than others – to pack starch into its kernels late-season to create higher test weights.

He scouts corn late-season to decide where to make “the finishing pass,” an application of fungicide or nutrients or some combination of the two.

“It’s not for every field. I’ll tell everybody that right now, there are certain fields that don’t deserve that attention,” Herbek says. “But if you know what you’re looking for, and you have that potential, that application does makes sense, but you’ve really got to know what’s out in your field.”

Dowdy and Hula share additional thoughts on how farmers can improve next season’s corn crop in the face of disease pressure in the latest edition of their Breaking Barriers With R&D podcast on Farm Journal TV and YouTube .

More ideas and recommendations are available from the two corn yield champions on the Tuesday morning edition of AgriTalk with Host Chip Flory. Catch their discussion here:

Your next read: Farmer Finds A Silver Bullet For High Corn Yields

Pete's Pick: 29-Year-Old Used Case IH Skid Steer, 2000 John Deere 8310 Draw Strong Bids

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:19:57 GMT

This week’s Machinery Pete “Pete’s Pick of The Week” comes to us from the world of construction equipment.

On Thursday, Sept. 11, at a retirement auction in Gaines, Mich., a 1996 Case IH 1845 C skid steer with 1,745 hours (see Facebook post below) sold for $20,700. Xyz Auction Service handled the bidding.

“Now, if I had a nickel for every time someone told me: ‘Hey, Pete, my favorite skid steer model is an 1845 C’ I’d have a lot of nickels, [and] this one was nice,” Pete says. “I thought, you know, getting up almost over $21K for an almost 30-year-old skid steer, [that’s] pretty good stuff.”

Last Thursday must have been a good day in the used equipment auction world, because another transaction that day also caught Pete’s attention.

At the Tom Mix farm retirement auction near Clay City, Ill., a well-maintained 2000 John Deere 8310 tractor with 4,222 hours (see Facebook post below) sold for $111,200. According to MachineryPete.com sales data, that is the fourth-highest price all time on a used 8310. Schmid Auction handled the bidding there.

Upcoming auctions
On Tuesday, Steffes Auction Group is hosting the Rost Farms Retirement Auction in Ivanhoe, Minn. Bidding for that sale (see Facebook post below) closes tomorrow at 8 p.m. CT.

And on Wednesday, in Dyersville, Iowa, the Alex Lyon and Son Auction Co. Rental Fleet Construction & Utility Equipment auction will feature a healthy selection of heavy duty machines pulled from rental fleets from around the country. Pete will be attending that sale in person, so be sure to say hello if you’re also checking out the auction in person.

“There are 13 skid steers on the docket, 17 excavators, 13 wheel loaders, and eight tractor loaders/backhoes,” Pete says. “I love covering all types of auctions and any chance I get to hang out with Jack Lyon and his son, Alex, I’ll take. They have sales all over the U.S. and the world, and it will be fun to have him in Iowa.”

Your next read: Navigate The Used Farm Equipment Market With 5 Smart Buyer Hacks

New Data Supports Stable Farmland Market

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:30:31 GMT

Year over year, Iowa farmland values are down 2.2%. That’s the latest result from The Realtors Land Institute Iowa Chapter survey, where participants were asked to estimate the average value of farmland as of September 1, 2025.

(Realtors Institute, Iowa Chapter)

In the past six months, the statewide average showed a 1.2% decrease. The six months before that resulted in a 1% decrease. This is all for tillable acres.

Iowa Realtors say this continues the sideways trend for land values since the market spiked in 2021 and 2022.

“The market is continuing to confirm it’s stubbornly stable,” says Matt Vegter, Hertz Farm Real Estate. “To post the numbers we did with the uncertainty in the market with tariffs, the price of corn and soybeans, it’s really a bright spot in the farmland market.”

Survey respondents say the market is stable despite bearish corn and soybean prices.
What’s helping stand up the market are:

Lack of inventory
Expectation for an above average crop for most of Iowa
Strong cattle prices

Vegter says for his area of business, central Iowa, listings are down 10% to 20%, and that holds true across most of the state.

“The summer is normally slow, but this was extra slow,” he says. “Typically inventory picks up in the fall through the winter, and we are expecting an average season ahead.”

Pasture acre values across the state trended flat or up for every reporting district, ranging from 0% to +6.8%. Per acre average values range from $4,498 to $5,504 per acre.
Looking ahead through the winter, which is traditionally a time for higher volume in transactions, the Realtor respondents are watching how farmland values could be effected.

“The strongest values are in northwest Iowa and northeast Iowa, where you have the most cattle feeder,” he says. “But those strong values can be attributed to how profitable cattle have been in the last year or two.”

All states in the Chicago Federal Reserve district, average a 3% percent increase in dollar value of “good” farmland from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. And by state:

Illinois 0%
Indiana 3%
Iowa 4%
Wisconsin 11%

“We say that eight of 10 farms we sell are bought by a local farmer,” Vegter says. “That trend won’t change.”

Classic Tractor Shines: 1989 John Deere 4455 Hits $80,750 at Iowa Auction

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:11:34 GMT

Machinery Pete’s Pick of the Week didn’t shatter any auction records, but it’s worth noting considering this week’s machine of honor is almost 40 years old.

At a Nate’s Tractor consignment auction on Thursday, Sept. 4, in Riceville, Iowa, a 1989 John Deere 4455 tractor with 3,066 original hours sold for $80,750. It’s the 17^th highest price Pete has recorded for what he says is a classic tractor with an average auction price of $44,751.

“Five years ago [the average auction price] was just under $37,850, and 25 years ago it was at $37,765, so we’ve jumped [up] here in the last five years,” Pete says. “There’s a lot of love for those 4455s out there.”

The all-time record for a used John Deere 4455 was set last year at an auction in Berlin, Wis. That was a 1992 model with 2,260 original hours, and it sold for $160,000. The previous record high for a 4455 was set in 2023 and it sold for $97,850.

You can take a look at all the historical sales data for used John Deere 4455 tractors over at Machinery Pete by clicking this link.

Fall auction season heats up this week

Machinery Pete says the number of used farm equipment auctions is starting to increase. He believes that is partly due to two factors: high used machine inventories on equipment dealer lots, and more farmers hitting retirement age and deciding to call it quits and sell off the fleet.

Pete says the next seven days represent “a market testing week” and there’s a handful of sales he wants interested buyers to be aware of:

Merit Auctions is hosting its large dealer auction online and in-person on its inventory yard in Ft. Madison, Iowa, on Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT. Pete says that sale has a lot of late-model equipment and a wide variety of equipment makes to choose from. It features 31 used tractors, five combines, five skid steers and five sprayers.
Richie Brothers is hosting an online only, timed auction on Tuesday featuring a collection of classic machinery from noted John Deere collector Norman Balzer up in Duke, Alberta, in Canada. There is a 1953 John Deere Model D Wide Front “Streeter” antique tractor that drew Pete’s eye in that sale.
Hoenig Auctions is hosting its online Sievers Equipment Inventory Reduction auction currently , and the bidding closes at 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Sievers is a Case-IH dealer, and Pete says there is a pair of 2012 Steiger 450 4WD tractors and a 2008 Case IH 2588 combine among many good quality machines in that sale.
TractorTuesday.com is auctioning off a 1978 John Deere 4840 Powershift tractor out of Ohio among the 394 active listings on its website. TractorTuesday offers zero sellers fees on listings, Pete says.
DPA Auctions has an online-only auction that starts Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT. There’s a nice 2023 John Deere low-hour 8RX 410 tractor in that sale that could be a winner for someone looking for a bargain on a late-model machine. There are also some classic Alice Chalmer and Farmall tractors available.

Your Next Read: How Much Does It Cost to Run a High Horsepower Tractor?

5 Yield-Saving Combine Adjustments For Touch-And-Go Fall Harvest

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:15:53 GMT

As if 2025 hasn’t thrown farmers enough curveballs for one growing season, corn harvest in the Midwest is setting up to be a tricky affair as well.

Iowa State Extension digital agriculture specialist Doug Houser says it’s been “a long time” since he’s witnessed a corn crop set farmers up for such a difficult harvest season.

The reason for Houser’s concern heading into fall harvest is the remarkable levels of disease pressure that scouts and farmers have noted in corn fields across the country.

He says farmers need to get out and scout fields with a drone (if they have a Part 107 pilot’s certification) so they can get a full picture of just how much disease has taken hold, and then prioritize the fields where they need to get the crop off to avoid fallen plants or additional yield loss.

Moisture variability within fields is also something Houser is worried could trip up some harvester crews this fall.

“I see a lot of fields that have corn and it’s dry, and then in other parts of the field it’s wet,” he says. “It might be a situation where we have to go one way and pick again. I’m not trying to throw the scare tactics out there, but we just have to get prepared for this harvest.”

Houser has five combine settings adjustments he advises farmers to dial in each time they start harvesting a new field:

Rotor/Cylinder Speed: Many fields will require a reduction in combine rotor speed to minimize harvest losses , he says. The moisture swings within individual fields will mean varying kernel test weights, and higher-moisture kernels that are soft will be prone to cracking.
Concave Settings: Houser thinks it might be prudent this year to set your concaves a little wider than you normally would, because soft, high-moisture kernels will often crack more easily with narrow concave spacings.
Fan Settings: Houser says to be very diligent here making your adjustments, because the lighter test weight kernels will want to float backward. You might have to visually inspect the rear of the combine to ensure you’re not throwing kernels out the back end with your residue spreader.
Sieve and Chafer: Start with a wider sieve opening and adjust down from there. The higher moisture, disease-ridden corn leaves have a tendency to gum up and plug up the sieve.
Ground Speed: This is a recommendation a lot of farmers won’t be too happy to heed, but harvesting at slower speeds this fall can help reduce losses. Southern rust and other foliar corn diseases often lead to weak stalks, which increases your risk of lodging.

“I keep saying it, but it’s so important to prioritize those fields [with high disease pressure]. Get those off as soon as you can,” Houser says. “The fields where we’re seeing stalk deterioration, we want to make sure we get those off in a timely manner. I know a lot of producers will say ‘Well, yeah, but Doug, [what about] the drying costs?’ My answer there would be if we don’t get it into the bin in the first place, that’s not going to help either.”

Auction Experts: Buy Used Farm Equipment Now Before Prices Jump, Machinery Specs Matter More Than Ever

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:53:14 GMT

With fall auction (and college football) season fully upon us, Moving Iron hosts Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson are paying close attention to how the used equipment resale market shakes out over the next few months.

According to Pete, last year was just the second fall auction season in the past 22 years that saw an overall drop in used machine values, but there are signs this fall will reverse that trend. That would be a positive development for dealers and private sellers looking to get good value for their used equipment at auction.

“I mean, if we get a little positivity in the market, if that continues, it might point toward maybe a stronger end of the year,” Pete says.

Pete also thinks interested buyers need to be aggressive now, because we might have hit the bottom of the market this summer and prices are only going up from this point forward.

Two used machines sold at a Big Iron Auctions sale in Illinois this week; the results show there are still good deals floating around in the auction market, but it is anyone’s guess how long that lasts.

A 2014 John Deere S680 combine with 3,340 operating hours sold for $69,000. Last year, the average auction price for that same model/year combine was $80,185, and the year prior it was right at $99,000.

And a 2017 John Deere 8370R tractor with 4,499 engine hours on it sold for $127,850, which is well below the average auction price of $182,500.

Seymour and Pete are also keeping close tabs on the upcoming Sept. 12 USDA corn production report. A rise in corn futures following the release of that report could increase used equipment buying activity significantly.

“I think if we start to see more people coming to the table to buy stuff, then we’ll see some organic growth in prices,” Seymour says. “But it feels like there could be some volume at the end of the year that gets gobbled up because of this, and that could bleed over to that first quarter [of 2026].”

Commodities Analysis

Chip Nellinger, co-owner, Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, says fall harvest is now underway south of I-70, but a lack of moisture in the Eastern Corn Belt and increased crop disease pressure throughout the Midwest have corn and soybeans on separate paths.

“In the case of corn, you have yields coming down, but demand is phenomenal, arguably in some segments the best it’s ever been, you combine that with shrinking yields, and it can become somewhat explosive,” Nellinger says. “[It’s] kind of the opposite in beans; yields are probably coming down, but we’ve yet to see any movement on a Chinese trade deal.”

High Plains Update

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist, 21^st Century Equipment, joined Seymour to break down how machinery specs and different features drive resale values both regionally and nationally. Fintel says smart buyers must have a conversation with their dealer during the purchasing process so they know which machine specs used equipment buyers are looking for.

For example, combines with four-wheel drive and “Tri-Power” (power fold, power cast and power rear) are critical specs for high resale value. In the tractor segment, PTO shafts and high flow hydraulics are the current must-haves.

“With that third and fourth buyer paying more attention [to machine specs] it’s as vital as ever to get the right specs,” Fintel says. “Even if the guy has ordered the same thing for 30 years, there needs to be a discussion [with the dealer] all the time, because with how technology drives so much in ag right now, things change weekly.”

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode. Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

Your Next Read: Eyes On Mississippi River Levels: A Developing Situation

Southern Rust Set To Take Big Bite Out Of Midwest Corn Crop?

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 21:06:37 GMT

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then the video Iowa farmer Dan Striegel shot last week must be worth thousands more. In the video, Striegel is shown harvesting a field of emerald-green corn enveloped in a cloud of orangish-red southern rust.

“We were just getting that field opened up, and I looked over and saw that dust boiling up out of the chopper, so I shot the video,” Striegel says.

Southern Rust? Never heard of her.
What Cheer, Iowa. USA. #pftour25 #harvest25 pic.twitter.com/tiIsUc2CHl
— Dan Striegel (@djsinseia) August 21, 2025

To date, Striegel’s video has garnered more than 48,000 views on X, formerly Twitter.

“We’re in southeast Iowa, Keokuk County, and I think the southern rust is as bad here as it is anywhere,” Striegel adds. “Every field you walk in, if you’re wearing a white T-shirt, you’ll come out of there red.”

A Red Path Of Disease Mars The Midwest

Expect to see more red T-shirt-clad farmers walking out of cornfields across the upper Midwest, based on what the Crop Protection Network (CPN) southern rust map is showing.

The CPN continually updates its online, interactive map showing the counties by state where southern rust infections are confirmed. Now, in late August, the counties look like red steppingstones. They form a checkered path from southwest Michigan through northern Illinois and Indiana, into southern Wisconsin, across all of Iowa and nearly two-thirds of the way across Nebraska. Eastern South Dakota is also lit up with a string of red counties, as are parts of southern to central Minnesota.

The amount of southern rust present in the upper Midwest is worrisome to Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist. In severe cases, the disease can wipe out 45% of the yield potential in a field, according to the CPN.

“At most, one in 10 growers in northern Iowa and Minnesota have seen the kind of southern rust some of them are seeing this year,” says Ferrie, who was working last week with corn growers in both states.

“It was a problem in probably eight out of every 10 fields I was in, and they’d all been sprayed at least once,” he says. “Minnesota has a corn crop that’ll knock your socks off – yield potential of 250, 270. I encouraged every grower to spray their field a second time except for two fields. One had been knocked down by hail, and the other had a hybrid that was clean.”

I spoke with a good friend of mine from Iowa yesterday that is an agronomist and farmer. He said the southern rust in corn across Iowa and much of the Midwest will take 9 to 12 bushel/acre off corn yields on average from what his team and himself are seeing. pic.twitter.com/Ad1VJ9oQBg
— Captain Cornelius1 (@ISU145) August 26, 2025

Hybrids Have Little To No Resistance To Southern Rust

A combination of early-season moisture, heat and wind formed the perfect storm for southern rust this season, allowing the disease-causing fungal spores (Puccinia polysora) to move from southern climes up to the Midwest, according to Kurt Maertens, BASF technical service representative for eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

“We’ve seen it all – southern rust, tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot. Our corn has been inundated with all these fungal diseases, and we started seeing them early,” says Maertens.

If there’s a silver lining to southern rust, it’s that it does not overwinter in corn residue like tar spot does. But like tar spot, southern rust takes advantage of hybrids that have no built-in resistance. For many growers, that was an Achilles heel this season.

“When you’re dealing with a 117-day hybrid like they grow in southern Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky, you don’t grow corn that doesn’t have good southern rust resistance, because they deal with it every year,” Ferrie notes. “When you move to Minnesota, and you’re planting 102- to 95-day corn, you’re probably not going to find hybrids with southern rust resistance.”

Striegel says that was true for his neighbor’s cornfield, which he custom chopped for silage. “That field had two hybrids in it, one was worse than the other, and the field had been sprayed with a fungicide,” he says.

He adds that he also sprayed his own cornfields with fungicide, but they are still inundated with southern rust.

“We’ve had southern rust before, and it’s not usually something we have to worry about, but this is really bad,” Striegel says. “I’m standing on my deck looking at the cornfield next to my house, and you know, all of the leaves from the ears down in that field are covered with it.”

Southern rust is real in eastern Nebraska. Fungicide 3 weeks ago, 2nd app today with some potassium acetate pic.twitter.com/WZubU6IBwz
— Trent Mastny (@TrentMastny) August 21, 2025

How Late Is A Fungicide Application Still Worthwhile?

Ferrie says the fields he scouted last week were at late R3 to early R4 and had already been sprayed with fungicide at least once, but the disease was rebuilding.

“Any field where farmers had sprayed two weeks previously, the southern rust and northern corn leaf blight, to a lesser degree, were coming back, especially the southern rust. It was resporating,” he says.

The intense disease pressure from southern rust, tar spot and others have kept fungicide use at high levels this season, despite poor commodity prices.

“Because of that [amount of disease pressure], we have seen increased demand for our fungicides this year,” says Maertens, who encouraged customers to get applications made at the beginning of tassel.

Maertens says he has fielded a lot of questions this summer from farmers, asking how late they could go with a fungicide application and still benefit.

“Our recommendation is to get in front of disease,” he says. “Generally, we stop applications before we get to dent (R5). That’s not to say a later application can’t have some benefit, but our best results have been before infection was able to take place.”

Southern rust is a yield enemy farmers routinely face in the Southeast, reports corn yield champion Randy Dowdy, Valdosta, Ga. He participated in the Pro Farmer Crop Tour last week and said on U.S. Farm Report he believes many Midwest farmers still have time to address disease.

“We need to implore the fungicides, the technologies out there and get after it and protect this crop, especially that crop that still has not reached dent,” he says.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer likes to see farmers complete their fungicide applications on the front side of dough (early R4). “Once we get to early dent, I think it’s a little more challenging to get the payback consistently, though we’ve applied at early dent (R5), and seen a nice response,” says Bauer, who is based in south-central Michigan.

Under the tough disease pressure farmers are facing this year, Bauer is telling growers to scout fields and evaluate what growth stage their crop is in before they walk away or pull the fungicide trigger one last time.

She adds that farmers need to check the label to make sure the product used is able to address southern rust effectively. She describes these as “Cadillac” products containing the newest chemistry.

“When it comes to some of these diseases, especially southern rust and tar spot, I do believe a little bit of a Hail Mary pass can be effective,” she says. “Will it be as effective as an application you could have made on a more timely basis? Well, no, you could have made more money doing it timely, but you’re still protecting bushels and gaining ROI at the end.”

Ferrie adds that farmers might want to do the late-season fungicide application to keep their corn crop standing until they can put their harvest plan in place.

“Be doing the push test to check stalk quality,” he advises.

Southern Rust/Silage Alert!!

Southern Rust has been aggressively advancing in many fields, especially those without a fungicide treatment. In some situations the plants are shutting down prematurely and plant material is senescing rapidly.

While we typically want to get down… pic.twitter.com/aK3hGgZE19
— Pioneer Troy (@deutmeyer_troy) August 26, 2025

Striegel says some of the farmers around him are heading to fields to harvest their silage corn sooner than later, because of standability concerns. “Some of this corn got planted early, and we had a lot of heat. The crop matured quickly, and the diseases are kind of shutting it down. It’s just dying out, and guys are going to go get it,” he explains.

That’s the strategy Ferrie encourages farmers to use in regular production corn, too.

“Harvest the fields most at risk first. But if a field of corn goes down, go combine the fields where the corn is still standing and come back to that one later,” he recommends.

The reasoning is you don’t want to risk more corn going down while you’re harvesting the field of corn that already has.

“While I was driving through Iowa last week, I kept thinking that if I built corn reels to pick up down corn I’d bulk up my inventory, because I know where they’re going to get used,” Ferrie says, only half joking. “Yes, harvesting corn at 25% moisture is expensive, but down corn will kick your butt.”

Your next read: Revenge Applications: Why They Don’t Work, Cost You Money and Bushels, and Are Frankly Illegal

High Iowa Water Nutrients Come Down to (and With) Rainfall

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 20:25:16 GMT

The equivalent of 70 nurse tanks of nitrogen per day and one truckload of phosphorous per hour is flowing through the confluence of the Des Moines and the Raccoon rivers in central Iowa. This represents an estimated $50 million annually in agriculturally valuable nutrients lost as water pollutants. So says the “Currents of Change” analysis recently released by Iowa’s Polk County.

“Those nutrients would be much better spent as fertilizer applied to crops that are actually helping our plants grow and producing food that feed people,” says Eliot Anderson of University of Iowa, one of the analysis’ 16 contributing scientists, who spoke at a livestreamed public event presenting the findings.

The analysis highlighted several key findings about the central-Iowa watershed that supplies drinking water to the Des Moines metro area. These included ecological issues like declining biodiversity, fish kill events and harmful algal blooms and water safety problems like antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing pathogens, PFAS and pesticides.

But excessive nutrients, namely agriculturally-sourced nitrogen and phosphorous, were a key focus.

Awash in Nutrients

According to both the analysis and the scientists who presented the findings, the watershed’s normal nitrate levels sit at around 6 to 8 milligrams per liter. While this is lower than EPA’s nitrate standards for drinking water at 10 milligrams per liter, it still ranks the rivers as having among the highest nitrate concentrations of the country. The analysis and presenters note nitrate concentrations regularly spike up to double that level, especially following rain events. Too-high nitrate concentrations in drinking water can have severe health consequences, including “blue baby syndrome” and various cancers.

Concentrations of total phosphorus in the watersheds ranged from roughly 0.2 to 0.7 milligrams per liter depending on location. These levels were above the national average for comparatively sized watersheds. High total phosphorus can result in harmful algal blooms.

Jerald Schnoor of the University of Iowa, another of the analysis’ contributing scientists who spoke at the public presentation of the findings, says stakeholders might well ask where the nutrients are coming from.

“Most of it is from agricultural land — roughly 80% — and of that, 40% of the nitrate is coming from fertilizers applied directly onto the land, about 20% is coming from manure onto the land, and another 20% from soybeans and other legumes that can fix nitrogen and make more nitrate available to run off into tile drainage,” he answers for nitrogen.

For phosphorous, roughly three-quarters of what is in the rivers came from “the state’s extensive corn and soybean production,” overwhelmingly from applied fertilizers, according to the analysis. It cites 2019 data from the U.S. Geological Survey sourced from monitoring sites across the Midwest in identifying the sources of nutrients in the waterways.

However, the problem of high concentrations of nutrients in the Des Moines and the Raccoon rivers is not new. The analysis itself shows nitrate concentration rates regularly getting into current ranges going back to the early 1980s. A 1992 essay from Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture notes high nitrates was a long-running problem at the time. It points out that concentrations going back to the early 1980s were quite close to those of the mid-1940s, back before commercial fertilizer use.

A History of Nutrient Control Efforts

Agricultural efforts to curb nutrient runoff in the area isn’t new either.

Greg Wandrey, director of sustainability at the Iowa Corn Growers Association, points to the 2013 Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy as just one example.

“The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goal for phosphorus has been met,” he says. “Farmers have done a tremendous job reducing soil erosion with different practices like cover crops and less tillage and strip-till.”

Wandrey also describes the work of the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative , a public-private partnership run by Iowa State University. The initiative does on-farm trials to try to determine the agronomically-optimum application rate. He says the results of the hundreds of trials is the realization that application rate recommendations of a couple of decades ago — roughly 1.2 lb. of nitrogen per bushel produced — are too high for modern corn production practices and needs.

“The number of pounds of nitrogen per bushel is down to about 0.85 to 0.9,” he says. “The nitrogen use efficiency of farmers has improved dramatically over the last 15 to 20 years.”

And those improvements shouldn’t be surprising, he points out.

“[Farmers] don’t just put on a bunch of nitrogen just for the fun of it because nitrogen is, if you own your land, probably the second-highest input cost behind seed. And if you rent, it’s probably the third-highest behind rent and seed,” Wandrey says.

Iowa corn growers aren’t the only ones involved with controlling nutrient runoff into the watershed.

“Iowa pig farmers care deeply about clean water and clean air, and we always have, because we live here too,” says Pat McGonegle, CEO of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, in a public statement. “We’re constantly improving how we manage nutrients and care for the environment, from using advanced manure management practices to investing in research and conservation partnerships.”

Ag retailers also have been working on fertilizer best practices for some time. In a news release celebrating its 25^th year, the Iowa-based Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA) announced its official adoption of the 2025 Fertilizer Code of Practice . It describes the code as “a voluntary agreement between 12 ag retailers statewide to prohibit sales and application of nitrogen in early fall when conditions make nutrients more volatile.”

“Over the course of 25 years, we as an ag retail community have adopted numerous practices like nitrogen stabilizers, cover crops, reduced tillage, the 4R’s and many other practices to maximize the nutrients we are applying to be as efficient as possible,” says Dan Dix, ACWA board president. “The Code of Practice is just one tool we collectively implement to meet these nutrient goals.”

Dealing With Weather Problems

With these long-running efforts at reducing nutrients in the central-Iowa watershed, why do the levels continue to be so high? Wandrey points to weather when it comes to nitrogen.

“The single biggest factor in nitrate moving is rainfall,” he says, explaining nitrates are mobile in water, meaning that rain leads to more ending up downstream. “The last couple of years when we had literally no rainfall after June 15, there were no nitrate problems just because it wasn’t moving. It was staying in the soil and being used, and it wasn’t leaching down out of the fields.”

The inverse is also true, Wandrey notes.

“When we had all of this rainfall this year, way above average rainfall, you’re going to get more leeching,” he says. “Rainfall is the No. 1 factor.”

The analysis notes: “The greatest episodic nitrate events tend to occur in the days or weeks following heavy rain in the spring and summer.” It also highlights that, during the same time as improving farmer nutrient efficiency, climate change has meant more and more intense rain during that time, increasing 16% over the past 30 years. Not only can rainfall mobilize nitrates, the analysis notes it can increase erosion, a major contributor for phosphorous in the watershed.

Since rain cannot be controlled, farmers are working with what they can control. Wandrey points to shifting trends in nutrient application times as one example of farmers adapting to changing needs.

“We’re seeing farmers go to more in season [application] because during mid-May to July 1, that’s when that plant is rapidly growing,” he says. “Getting that nutrient, nitrogen in this case, applied when the plant is using it at that rapid rate has been found to be much more effective compared to just a fall application.”

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:49:31 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

Your next read: U.S.-Canada Trade Spat Leaves Farmer’s New Holland Combine Stranded Up North

Crops vs. Foliar Diseases: A High-Stakes Race Underway in Midwest Fields

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:55:22 GMT

Two words sum up the concerns Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts expressed about the corn and soybean crops they evaluated on Thursday in Minnesota and northeast Iowa: disease pressure.

Corn crops infected by southern rust and tar spot were a common sight in fields across both states during the fourth and final day of the tour.

“We saw disease in all of the fields we sampled today, though one of them really wasn’t too bad,” says Lane Akre, host of the eastern leg of the tour. “We saw a lot of early stages of tar spot, and we saw a lot of southern rust throughout.”

So it was no small surprise to the crowd attending Thursday night’s live broadcast when the final tally showed Pro Farmer’s corn estimate for Minnesota actually surpasses USDA’s 202-bu.-per-acre yield projection made August 12.

Pro Farmer estimates the Minnesota corn crop will average 202.86 bushels; that’s up 23.02% versus 2024 and up 13.41% versus the three-year average, according to Emily Flory Carolan, Pro Farmer Crop Tour data consultant.

“This crop is huge; it absolutely is,” Carolan says. “Minnesota is the only state on tour where we have recorded over a 200-bu. average this year. It is a record-year yield for the state.”

She adds that scouts recorded the longest grain inches in the crop that have ever been measured on the tour. “That’s definitely what pulled up that yield average for us,” she says.

Minnesota soybeans show similar yield promise, with final numbers pegged at 1247.86 pods in a 3' x 3' area. That’s up 20.38% versus last year, and up 19.9% versus the three-year average, Carolan reports.

(ProFarmer)

A Much Better Growing Season, So Far
The findings in Minnesota were a pleasant change from what scouts found in 2024, when weather seemed to jog between two extremes – drought and flooding – for much of the season.

Jaden Serbus, Pro Farmer tour scout and farmer based near Renville, Minn., says he was relieved to see Mother Nature had course corrected.

“Last year, the corn crop was only as high as my head, all yellow and stunted with very, very poor yields with all the rain,” Serbus recalls. “This year, many areas are like a garden spot.”

Minnesota District 8 & 9 (10 stops)
Nicolett, Le Sueur, Waseca, Steele, Dodge, Olmsted counties
🌱 Avg Pods in a 3X3 - 1262.80
🌽Avg Yield- 208.35#pftour25 @Feckersbrad73 pic.twitter.com/IklmOxDOTA
— McKenzie Feckers (@MFeckers) August 21, 2025

Northeast Iowa Crops Look Good, But…
As Akre and his team of scouts moved into northeast Iowa on Thursday morning, early yield estimates had Akre concerned results there could bring the state’s overall averages down.

“We saw a lot of drowned-out parts of fields, and that’s limited some of the ear size and counts as populations are down due to skips,” he says.

Despite some agronomic challenges, scouts recorded strong numbers that put the Iowa corn crop at 198.43 bu.-per-acre yield average for 2025. That’s up 2.93% versus last year, and up 6.4% versus the three-year average.

“This Iowa crop has a very, very strong ear count, great grain inches — just a very consistent equation putting that corn yield together,” Carolan reports.

Iowa soybeans are also looking to break yield records. The 2025 crop delivered a 1384.38 pod estimate average in a 3' x 3' area on Thursday; that’s up 5.49% versus last year and up 12.94% versus the three-year average.

(ProFarmer)

Linn Co. Iowa. Lots of tar spot and rust. 46 avg ear count, pretty light, but made some big ears. Yield est 208.53 but still a long way to go grain fill wise#pftour25 pic.twitter.com/efDDM6sbBG
— Lane (@iwatchcorn) August 21, 2025

“For the most part, the Iowa beans are pretty lush and the pod counts have been there, the soil moisture is up, so the potential is pretty high on beans...I think that’s been the real story the last couple of days — how many pods are out there,” Akre says.

But foliar diseases rearing up in Iowa fields have the potential to put the kibosh on record yields between now and harvest, reports Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk and lead scout on the western leg of the tour.

That concern is one reason he reminded crop tour listeners on Thursday that Pro Farmer’s current yield estimates could change before combines roll.

“When we put the corn yield estimate out, it comes with a plus or minus 1%. The soybean crop estimate comes with a plus or minus 2%, and that’s because things can change. We all know that,” Flory says.

“The other thing is the yield models that we use give us a range, and then, based on conditions, we can move within that range with the yield estimate that we’re going to pull,” he adds, noting that he wonders whether the soil moisture currently available will offset some of the discount scouts put on the crops because of the disease pressure that’s present.

At the end of the day, August 21, no one knows how the final corn and soybean yields will net out. As Flory notes, while there’s optimism about better yields coming in this harvest versus a year ago, the outcomes depend on how well the crops cross the finish line.

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 3 Results from Illinois and Iowa

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 2 Results from Indiana and Nebraska

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 1 Results from Ohio and South Dakota

Will 2027 Be The Big Bounce Back For New Equipment Sales?

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 14:17:32 GMT

With new farm equipment sales tracking downward as we venture into the used equipment auction busy season, more farmers are looking to late-model used machines. High interest rates for financing new equipment, as well as low commodity prices, are also factors driving interest in used machines.

Considering basic supply and demand principles, it makes sense Casey Seymour and Machinery Pete are seeing less late-model equipment inventory at auction than last year, and what is available now is starting to increase in price. They discuss the trend on a recent episode of the “Moving Iron” podcast.

“I mean, [John] Deere just laid off more people last week, and that was not unexpected, because you have one, now two, and we’re drifting into three years of lower sales of new [equipment]. There’s just less one-, two- and three-year-old units available — whether on the [dealer] lot, at auction or for sale privately,” Pete says.

(BrockAuction.com)

Pete says a recent auction transaction in western Iowa illustrates his point: a 2022 New Holland CR780 with 400 sep hours (pictured above) sold for $195,700. That’s in the ballpark of 54% of the total cost of a brand new CR7. With commodity prices where they are, Pete thought he would see a lower price come in on that machine, but it was only $7,000 off the all-time average auction price.

Seymour thinks dealers will start to move more equipment off their lots to the auction market if interest rates don’t go down, considering there are real, direct costs associated with machines sitting on the lot.

But even if Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell drops interest rates considerably — as President Donald Trump has been asking for months — Pete isn’t convinced farmers will rush to buy new equipment.

“We were already pretty iron-heavy going into this downturn. Farmers have a lot of iron,” Pete explains. “I think we could drift through ‘26 in the same belt tightening [mode], and then maybe we get into ‘27, and now its four years [into the downturn]. Does that become the point where we see more [buying] activity out of [farmer] need?”

Additional Industry Trends

Shawn Hackett, president and CEO, Hackett Financial, is spending his week closely following the results of Farm Journal’s Pro Farmer Crop Tour.

He doesn’t expect a big increase in projected corn yields coming out of the eastern Corn Belt, but he does anticipate some “really, really big numbers” from the western Iowa and eastern Nebraska portions of the tour.

“I think they’re going to come up with a crop yield somewhere around 185 to 186 (average bu./acre), and I think that is a more rational starting place for the crop based on what was planted,” Hackett says. “While that’s not going to create a problem for corn supplies anytime soon, it would move the carryout bushels and would more than justify a mid-$4 (corn) market.”

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21^st Century Equipment and CEO of High Plains Wholesale, says the two biggest needle movers in his area are two late-model John Deere machines: the 8RX tractor and S700 series combines.

Used forage harvesters are also starting to demand large dairy farmer and custom harvester businesses’ attention, he adds.

“It’s a market that used to be really wild and crazy in August and April. If you’re in the chopper business, it’s now become a more open market throughout the year — versus just those two months of activity,” Fintel says.

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode . Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

Your Next Read: Four Pro Tips To Help You Harvest More Soybeans

Iowa Corn Has High Potential, Illinois Crop Looks Average and Soybeans Shine in Both States

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 23:58:02 GMT

Bright orange is a great color for pumpkins but not so much for corn. Nonetheless, that was the prevailing color Brent Judisch reports seeing as he evaluated crops Wednesday morning in northwest Iowa’s Harrison County.

“Our first six or seven samples were terrible with southern rust,” says Judisch, a Pro Farmer Crop Tour scout and Iowa farmer. “We saw three fields in a row that were actually gross. I walked out of them just covered with it. After that, while we’ve seen it all day, it’s been more in the lower leaves and not nearly as drastic.”

Chip Flory, lead scout for the western leg of the tour, says the northwest Iowa crop is the best and worst he’s ever seen.

“In the snapshot that we took of it, and the measurables we saw in the field today, it is the best corn crop,” Flory reported during the tour’s nightly live broadcast.

But the disease pressure in the Iowa crop has Flory spooked.

“Disease pressure is putting a lot of bushels — a huge number of bushels — at risk,” he adds. “You can take 20, 30 bushels off of corn yield with what southern rust can do to the crop, even at this late stage in the game. It’s a dangerous crop that we’re looking at out here right now.”

Chip Flory says he was surprised to see corn that was well into R5 (dent) in northwest Iowa. “I can’t tell if it was this mature because of pressure from the southern rust, or if it was because of higher nighttime temperatures at pollination,” he reports. “I am concerned about how much disease is out here, and what it’s going to look like in another week or two.”

(Chip Flory, Host of AgriTalk)

Can The Iowa Corn Crop Still Hit A Record?
The Iowa corn results were a big shocker on Wednesday, given the amount of disease pressure scouts saw, according to Emily Flory Carolan, Pro Farmer Crop Tour data consultant.

“I would say all three districts were setting new records. They were consistently high in all measurements for corn in ear count, inches long and kernels around,” she says.

Carolan’s summary of the results scouts tallied in Iowa revealed some high yield estimates, despite the disease pressure:

*District 1 was 197.89 bushels, up 12.06% versus 2024 and up 9.89% versus the three-year average.

*District 4 was 207.25 bushels, up 5.82% versus last year and up 14.01% versus the three-year average.

*District 7 came in at 195.03 bushels, up 1.80% versus 2024 and up 6.35% versus the three-year average.

(ProFarmer)

Flory is concerned southern rust will impact standability in the Iowa crop, which he says is starting to dent in areas, and cause some of it to go down.

“I’d want to keep an eye on the stalk condition of this crop, because if this disease pressure continues, farmers are going to want to get out and prioritize fields for harvest before we get there,” he adds.

Illinois Corn Crop Looks Average
Scouts report the Illinois corn crop appears lush from the road, but once they walked out into fields, picked ears and pulled back husks, most described finding an average crop.

“We’ve seen some good corn, we’ve seen some average corn and we’ve some stuff that’s got a long way to go,” tour scout Jake Guse told U.S. Farm Report’s Tyne Morgan on Wednesday morning.

That perspective played out in the total results tallied and shared during the nightly tour meeting. Illinois corn averaged 196.19 bushels per acre, down 2.24% from last year but up 1.72% from the three-year average.

(ProFarmer)

Ninth and final stop 4 miles North of Roseville, IL. Population was very good at 34,000. The yield is 213. Kernel depth is just under a 1/2 inch. Some disease was showing up here including tar spot! Soybeans had 1778 pods in 3X3 area. #oatt #pftour25 pic.twitter.com/xAcDSxJL0q
— Darren Frye (@Frye_WSS) August 20, 2025

USDA-NASS estimates released August 12 project the Illinois corn crop will come in averaging 221 bu. per acre for the state, up 4 bushels over 2024.

That’s outside what Guse’s expectations are for the state.

“As you’re driving along the road, you can see ears that are already tipped over. I just don’t see it reaching [USDA’s projection],” he says.

Lane Akre, Pro Farmer economist and host for the eastern leg of the tour, agrees with Guse. He reports pulling several samples of corn that exceeded 200-bu. per acre as well as one that only hit 143 bushels.

“The Illinois crop just wasn’t what we’d hoped,” Akre says. “USDA is anticipating a 1.7% jump from a year ago, and we’re actually down 2.2%.”

Akre’s leg of the tour went through three Illinois counties that are typically heavy hitters for corn yields: Bureau County, Henry County and Rock Island County.

“There’s really good dirt through that area, and the farmers there are very good at actively managing their crops and what they do with fertilizer, herbicide and fungicide,” Akre notes. “We saw some poor emergence and that might’ve weighed on the samples we took.”

Soybeans Could Be the Star of the Season
Soybeans offered a better yield picture for Illinois farmers than the corn crop, Akre notes.

“We didn’t have a single sample in the state that was south of 1,300 pods in a 3’x3' square. We saw a lot of pods and a lot of potential out there,” he says.

The average counts Illinois scouts recorded was even higher than what Akre found, with an average of 1,479.22 pods in a 3’x3' square area. That is up 4.24% versus 2024 and up 12.65% versus the three-year average.

(ProFarmer)

Iowa soybean results across the three districts were equally impressive.

“This year’s crop is better than last year by far,” Greg Lehenbauer, Pro Farmer crop scout, told AgDay’s Michelle Rook. “They’ve had adequate rain across this part of Iowa almost all summer long.”

#pftour25 Day 3. Stop 2 Plymouth Co. IA. #Soybean pod count 816. @AgDayTV @FarmJournal @USFarmReport pic.twitter.com/GgmulwJ8UI
— Michelle Rook (@michellerookag) August 20, 2025

Carolan’s data confirmed the excellent soybeans that crop scouts found on Wednesday in all three districts:

*District 1 soybeans: 1,279.25 pods, up 15.38% versus 2024 and up 15.05% versus the three-year average.

*District 4 soybeans: 1,376.15 pods, up 9.73% versus 2024 and up 13.63% versus the three-year average.

*District 7 soybeans: 1,562.54 pods, up 14.37% versus 2024, and up 24.66% versus the three-year average.

(ProFarmer)

While Flory is cautiously optimistic about the Iowa soybean crop, he says stem rot and sudden death syndrome is taking root in more fields and threatening yield outcomes.

“Some of the routes through southern and west-central Iowa have seen a tremendous amount of disease issue on the soybeans, so I’ve got a feeling it’s going to look a lot different in a week than what it does right now,” he predicts. “Now, if it was September 10, that’d be one thing. But it’s August 20, and there’s still time for those bean diseases to take some yield away.”

Flory’s sentiment about what fields revealed in Iowa was shared by scout Brent Judisch.

“What it’s going to come down to here in the corn and the beans is, does the crop mature faster than the disease moves, or will disease outpace the crop?” Judisch says. “We won’t know for sure for another two or three weeks.”

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 3 Results from Illinois and Iowa

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 2 Results from Indiana and Nebraska

Watch On-Demand: Pro Farmer Crop Tour Day 1 Results from Ohio and South Dakota

About the Pro Farmer Crop Tour
The Pro Farmer Crop Tour is taking place Aug. 18-21, 2025. Simultaneously, the tour follows an eastern and western route, with the two culminating in Rochester, Minn. Nightly meetings in each location review daily results, scouting observations and historical comparison data. Attend nightly meetings in person or watch the nightly broadcast online at AgWeb.com/croptour .

BREAKING: John Deere Confirms 238 Layoffs Across 3 Plants

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:56:26 GMT

Following its earnings announcement for the third quarter and rumors of layoffs, ag bellweather John Deere confirmed layoffs at three sites in Illinois and Iowa. The company says a struggling ag economy continues to impact orders for its equipment.

On Friday, the equipment manufacturer issued a statement detailing workforce adjustments across sites in East Moline, Ill., Moline, Ill., and Waterloo, Iowa.

Here is the full, unedited statement from John Deere:

As stated on our most recent earnings call , the struggling ag economy continues to impact orders for John Deere equipment. This is a challenging time for many farmers, growers and producers, and directly impacts our business in the near term.

As the entire ag sector navigates these challenges, John Deere continues to provide customers the high-quality equipment they deserve while strengthening the foundations of U.S. manufacturing.

We remain committed to keeping our U.S. manufacturing footprint strong, viable and competitive. We are investing nearly $20 billion over the next decade to upgrade and enhance manufacturing facilities across the country. This is on top of recent U.S. investments to open new facilities and expand/modernize others.

Due to decreased demand and lower order volumes, the following factories will be implementing workforce reductions in the coming weeks. Affected employees were informed today.

Facilities involved include:

Harvester Works in East Moline, Ill.: 115 (last day of work Aug. 29)
Seeding and Cylinder in Moline, Ill.: 52 (last day of work Sept. 26)
Foundry in Waterloo, Iowa: 71 (last day of work Sept. 19)

Deere adds affected employees are eligible to be recalled to their home factory for a period equal to their length of service, and those laid off are automatically placed in seniority order for openings “they are qualified to perform at the factory.”

Laid off employees will also receive a handful of financial and health benefits that include supplemental income payments and continuing healthcare coverage for up to six months.

This follows earlier pushback from John Deere about erroneous reports that it was laying off over 800 employees in the Quad Cities, Ill., area. Illinois WARN has since issued an apology, pointing to an internal error as the culprit.

Iowa

Why High GDUs Aren’t Guaranteeing Quick Emergence This Year

Why Some Crops Have ‘Just Sat There’

Soybean Gall Midge Emerges As Top-Tier Threat

Look For Small Orange Or White Larvae

Cultural Practices Show Promise

Scientists Evaluate ‘Out-Of-The-Box’ Practices

A Frustrating Spring: Spotty Spring Rains Push Southwest Iowa Planting Slightly Behind

Are You Planting Second-Year Soybeans And Skipping Corn?

More Second-Year Soybeans In U.S. Farmers’ Plans

Look Before You Leap: The Ferrie Checklist

The Continuous Soybean Playbook

Could Your Future Tractor Run on Corn? John Deere Thinks So

A Tractor Fueled by the Farm

From Concept to Cornfield

The Infrastructure Hurdle

A Local Fuel Loop

Biofuels Groups Urge President Trump to Expedite Biofuels Policy

Biomass-Based Diesel Production Down With Policy Uncertainty

CFAA Asks President Trump for Robust RVOs...Soon

Finalization of the 45Z Clean Fuels Tax Credit Also Needed

Iowa Groups Take Out Ad Urging the President to Support E15

Iowa Farmer Battles Today's Pests While Eyeing Tomorrow's 'Mean Sixteen' Threats

Record-Breaking Sale: Iowa Farmland Sets New High for State at $32,000 Per Acre

A Farmer Bought the Land, Not an Investor

Investor Pressure is Still Real, Amplifying the Top End of Farmland Prices

Not many $30,000+ sales, but Plenty of Big Numbers in Iowa and Surrounding States

Tight Margins, Strong Land Values Comes as a Surprise

Key Divergence Between High Quality and Lower Quality Farmland

What to Watch Over the Next Six Months

Iowa’s Apple Comeback: How Modern Science Is Reviving a Pre-War Legacy

Building on a Storied Apple History

A Modern Orchard for a Modern Era

High-Density Systems: Doing More with Less

Finding What Works in Iowa

A Future for Iowa’s Apple Growers

Barn Find Bonanza: Low-Hour John Deere 7810 Smashes Record

Auction Market Insights

Upcoming Auction to Watch

Record Breaking Used Hay Baler And Seed Drill Headline Pete's Pick of the Week

Upcoming Auction

From Best Buy Toy to Pro Spray Drone: A Father-Son Duo Takes Flight In Missouri Cattle Country

More spray drone stories:

With More Eye-Popping Sales, The Surprising Strength in Iowa Farmland Values

2024 in Review: Rising, But Slowing

Tight Supply Keeps the Market Firm

Farmers Still in the Driver’s Seat

Rents Steady, But Financial Stress Emerging

Echoes of the 1980s — But Not a Repeat

The Bottom Line

John Deere Layoffs Continue Amid Sales Downturn, 142 Iowa Employees Notified

Additional Information

5 Critical Insights From The Southern Rust Rampage In Midwest Corn

Pete's Pick: 29-Year-Old Used Case IH Skid Steer, 2000 John Deere 8310 Draw Strong Bids

New Data Supports Stable Farmland Market

Classic Tractor Shines: 1989 John Deere 4455 Hits $80,750 at Iowa Auction

Fall auction season heats up this week

5 Yield-Saving Combine Adjustments For Touch-And-Go Fall Harvest

More harvest machinery content:

Auction Experts: Buy Used Farm Equipment Now Before Prices Jump, Machinery Specs Matter More Than Ever

Commodities Analysis

High Plains Update

Southern Rust Set To Take Big Bite Out Of Midwest Corn Crop?

High Iowa Water Nutrients Come Down to (and With) Rainfall

Awash in Nutrients

A History of Nutrient Control Efforts

Dealing With Weather Problems

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Crops vs. Foliar Diseases: A High-Stakes Race Underway in Midwest Fields

Will 2027 Be The Big Bounce Back For New Equipment Sales?

Additional Industry Trends

Iowa Corn Has High Potential, Illinois Crop Looks Average and Soybeans Shine in Both States

BREAKING: John Deere Confirms 238 Layoffs Across 3 Plants