News, Insights & Interviews Archive

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

Corteva selects Johnston, Iowa, for its new seed business HQ, reinforcing the state’s role as a hub for agricultural innovation.

It is the U.S. Senate’s turn to work on the Farm Bill. After months of negotiations and a vote of 224 to 200, the U.S. House of Representatives on April 30th passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. Now, the Senate may have to reference that version. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told a group of the nation’s agricultural reporters that the Agriculture Committee will have to deal with food assistance conflicts and efforts to undo some 2025 tax provision

Farmland investing has been increasingly appealing to some people as an inflation hedge. But some potential investors have stayed away because they don’t want their money tied up for too long.

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

Photo Courtesy INTX: The Internet & Television Expo - 2000 Most Americans who have no connection to agriculture may remember Ted Turner as the founder of CNN and the unconventional visionary who changed television by creating the first 24-hour news cable television network, winning America’s Cup, and purchasing his hometown baseball team (the Atlanta Braves, a team he briefing managed after firing the manager). But Turner later devoted some of his interests to agriculture whe

Franklin/Indiana/Clinton County, Indiana farm near Lebanon. Photo courtesy: Geswein Farm & Land. A large farm with high-quality soil located in west-central Indiana drew a lot of interest at auction this spring, but it wasn’t just soil and size driving the price. Its position inside one of the Midwest’s growing high-tech corridors helped push the sale well above typical farmland values. The nearly 602-acre property, marketed by Geswein Farm & Land, sold March 31st for an aver

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

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube No doubt that some farmers are feeling serious financial pressure now. But much of the overall agricultural sector can handle this if some of that pressure is not long-lasting, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Senior Vice President Nate Kauffman believes. Kaufmann, who has worked for the Kansas City Fed for more than 14 years, is also the Center for Agriculture and the Economy Executive Director. His role demands a

The House passed a new Farm Bill, but disputes over pesticides and E15 fuel leave key questions unanswered as the Senate weighs next steps.

A U.S. program for international food aid is now directed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and some agriculture groups believe it has found its “rightful home.” The congressionally authorized Food for Peace program, established in 1954, was previously under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration made significant changes to USAID last year. It shuttered Food for Peace alongside USAID then moved it to the

Photo Courtesy: Merit Auctions. A 128-acre farm in southeast Iowa sold at auction in late March for a total of $2,095,250, or $15,674 per acre. The Louisa County property was offered in four tracts, including a 79-acre parcel of cropland and three smaller timber tracts. A fifth parcel featuring a home in nearby Henry County was also part of the auction. The farmland was the clear highlight, drawing strong competition and ultimately selling for $21,050 per acre. John Probasco,

The rapid rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is reshaping how Americans eat. And that shift is beginning to slice through one of the country’s most iconic crops: potatoes. For growers, particularly in states like Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, and Colorado, the health phenomenon could lead to piles of potatoes unless the potato industry can overcome this latest challenge.

There are numerous new reports on how the Trump administration’s decision to launch military strikes on Iran has raised prices for American farmers and ranchers, threatened to push costs higher for months, and strained the vital supply chain. And the failure to end Russia’s attack on Ukraine also continues to elevate costs. Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture laid out several numbers in a new report that showed why American farmers are exposed due to supplie

Y Bar O Ranch in Brewster County, Texas. Image courtesy: Hall and Hall. When you think of classic American cattle ranches, Texas is often the first place that comes to mind. And this week, one of the Lone Star State’s well-known ranches changed hands for the first time in 60 years. The Y Bar O Ranch, located in the far West region of the state, was sold last week by the family of original owners, W.B. “Dub” Yarborough and his wife, Kay. The 29,071-acre property was listed at

Listen and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts The Global AgInvesting World Summit in New York City has long been a bellwether event for institutional capital flowing into agriculture. This year, the gathering of 700 people from across the globe will see a change in focus to reflect issues that will shape the agricultural landscape for years to come. “For ’26, there were things that were a lot different than ’25,” said Global AgInvesting World Summit Conference P

A new set of long-term projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) points to a subtle but important shift in the U.S. farm economy: a significant reduction in the number of acres used to plant row crops over the next ten years. Economists with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois outlined this trend and wrote about what it means for farmers and landowners on the farmdoc website. Ten-Year USDA Outlook Total Planted

How dire is the escalating price of fertilizer for America’s farmers and ranchers? The American Farm Bureau Federation knew that it was getting more challenging and conducted a nationwide survey of 5,700 farmers in early April to find out. The results: nearly 70% of those farmers reported that they were unable to afford all the fertilizer they need. Some fertilizer costs have already increased 40% since the U.S. military strikes began against Iran in February. Midwestern

Younger generations haven’t been drinking nearly as much milk as their parents’ generation or especially their grandparents’ generation. But America’s new focus on higher protein consumption could increase demand for dairy products. The country’s newfound use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has emphasized the need for protein to maintain muscle mass. GLP-1 drugs have helped decrease appetite for adults, but they can also lead to decreased muscle during the weight loss process.