News, Insights & Interviews Archive

Daily high temperatures in Wichita may not top out cooler than the high 90s for the next week, following the first all-90-degree August in recorded state history, as a prolonged drought grips much of Kansas.

Numerous agricultural organizations are sorting through the Environmental Protection Agency's confirmation that it will nearly double the number of exemptions for smaller oil refineries from Renewable Fuel Standards blending requirements.

Nevada became the first state to sue the Trump administration after federally mandated water usage cuts due to decades of drought that diminished the Colorado River. It is the latest example of a regional water crisis that threatens agricultural vitality.

The problems facing U.S. potato growers could fill a 10-pound sack. They have added up to mounting financial pressures on some farmers and a pullback in planted acres in Idaho, America’s potato capital. Drought Impact on Potato Growers The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System’s drought map shows two troubling colors for Idaho: crimson and red. Crimson, a color that illustrates on the map the area considered “exceptio

Some farm families in Minnesota now know that nitrate levels in their wells could be higher than levels deemed acceptable by health officials. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) tested water quality for 125 families at FarmFest 2026 last week. The department laid out this information about nitrate levels: “Nitrate levels above 1 mg/L are considered elevated, and those above 10 mg/L are known to be harmful, especially for infants and pregnant women. Recent studies a

Hundreds of thousands of farmland acres could go out of production – at least temporarily -- because of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), Macotera Ag Group President & Founder Scott Bozzo believes.

New analysis from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) raises questions about whether the USDA’s staffing changes will be able to meet the needs of local farmers.

Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings last week could affect farmland owners in two different ways: fertilizers and workforce. One involves a top priority for the Trump administration, and the other could prevent numerous lawsuits across the country. The Court ruled 7-2 in Monsanto v. Durnell that federal law overrides state-level claims that require pesticide makers to include cancer warnings on their products. The decision could protect pesticide manufacturers like Bayer (the comp

Every now and then, something comes along that sounds like it belongs in a science fiction movie. It goes something like this: Hydrogen is trapped 8,000 feet beneath Iowa farmland. Private developers extract it. Landowners have a new source of income. Their neighbors have new protections. Eventually – maybe, just maybe – residents across the state could see lower income taxes. They might not pay income taxes at all.

Farmers and tech companies are working together to build a system that can sell carbon intensity (CI) scores. For over a decade, farmers like Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, believed they would be able to make a profit from their conservation practices. Now, the market could open early next year, pending an update from the IRS on its Section 45Z federal tax credit proposal. Hora has been pushing to make 45Z happen and help farmers profit from it. He has worked

A new product may soon emerge for farmland owners across the United States: their data. At the 2026 TopSoil Summit June 10 in Riverside, Iowa, speakers emphasized the importance of watching updates on the Section 45Z federal tax credit. By using conservation practices and keeping good records, farmers and landowners can tap into an emerging asset. Mitchell Hora, who created the summit and is also founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, said there was a lot of uncertainty when he fir

Mitchell Hora, an Iowa farmer and soil health consulting company owner, will soon have a decade of experience putting on his TopSoil Summit. The question is whether he will have a vital answer in time for the 300-500 farmers and investors from across the country who will show up.

Midwest states’ renewable fuels industries also received promising news with the long-awaited vote by the U.S. House of Representatives that approved nationwide, year-round sales of E15, which followed years of battling between ethanol supporters and leaders from other states that prioritize continued focus on the oil industry. Ethanol supporters believe the expansion could bring new markets, grow existing ones, and allow the industry to make better use of its surplus product

The proposed $9 billion multi-state carbon capture pipeline that has led to disagreements over its potential, fights over its path, and disputes about its future is now headed for a different journey. Summit Carbon Solution -- the Ames, Iowa-based company -- has a new plan to shorten its path, travel through a different combination of states, and no longer focus solely on carbon sequestration. The project’s original path would link biofuels facilities through a pipeline that

Sure, farmers like John Delmotte would like to get more than $4.50 per bushel for his corn. But that figure isn’t really the reason why his operations in Monroe, Michigan, have a math problem. Delmotte is president of the Michigan Corn Growers Association where farmers expect to harvest more than two million acres this year in the state. Delmotte explained to Bridge Michigan why many farmers can’t make a profit with input costs that keep getting worse after the U.S. war with

First came the fast-moving wildfires, damage, and agony. Then came the help from fellow farmers who always seem to rise to the moment to help another farmer in need. High winds and dry conditions fueled some of the worst fires in the history of Nebraska this month, burning more than 800,000 acres and reshaping the outlook for farmers and ranchers heading into the growing season. At the center of the devastation was the Morrill Fire. That fire scorched more than 640,000 acres

As renewable energy projects expand across rural America, many landowners are weighing the benefits of wind and solar leases against concerns from neighbors and local officials. For farmers looking for financial stability in a volatile agricultural economy, the conversation increasingly centers on how to find reasonable compromises that allow development while addressing community concerns. That balancing act is at the heart of the work being done by the Renewable Energy Farm

Missed deadline led to another missed deadline, which is only fueling frustration from agricultural industry groups and farmers who keep waiting for the Trump administration and Congress to approve year-round sales of E15 fuel nationwide. Previously, both the Trump and the Biden administration have approved temporary E15 sales through the summer, bypassing decades-long restrictions that claimed smog concerns from the use of higher ethanol fuel over the summer months. But the

President Donald Trump is trying to protect glyphosate, one of the most widely used and effective herbicides. Meanwhile, Bayer is trying to protect its business interests by offering billions of dollars to settle a class action lawsuit that claims that Roundup is making people seriously ill. President Trump’s executive order invoked the Defense Production Act to ensure continued U.S. production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides, arguing that both are es

For rural landowners, renewable energy remains one of the most talked-about — and misunderstood — developments shaping the countryside. Waylon Brown, Regional Policy Manager for Clean Grid, sees both the promise and the growing pains facing wind, solar, and battery storage across the Midwest.