October 22, 2025

Soybeans were mixed, with nearby contracts up and deferred months down. Beans continue to wait for meetings between the U.S. and China this week in Malaysia and next week in South Korea. That’s even with some questions as to whether or not President Trump and President Xi will have face-to-face tariff negotiations at that APEC […] The post Corn futures edge higher on strong ethanol demand amid U.S. harvest progress appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A central Illinois farmer says he’s not making major changes to his operation in 2026, despite the uneasiness hanging over the ag economy. John Klemm, who raises corn, soybeans, and cattle in DeWitt County, says he’s sticking to his plans even though commodity prices are low and inputs are high. “Some seed is booked; we’ve […] The post Despite ag economy concerns, Illinois farmer keeping 2026 cropping plans unchanged appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An Iowa soybean farmer says an upcoming trade mission to China could provide opportunities for the U.S. soybean industry. “We’ll try to get a take from them where we’re at,” said Brent Renner. Renner says the lack of soybean purchases from China has been concerning, but he tells Brownfield current trade tensions are out farmers’ […] The post U.S. soybean farmer stresses need for dialogue with China as trade tensions linger appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A commodity broker says there continues to be a lot of risk in the cattle markets.   Brad Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek tells Brownfield, “Forty-five years I’ve done this. It’s never been this bad.”  He says the limits are too big, and it creates volatility.  The USDA was scheduled to release its latest Cattle on […] The post Cattle market continues to face unprecedented volatility appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Strong demand has pulled the U.S. ethanol supply to a near-one year low. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says ethanol stocks of 21.919 million barrels were the lowest in 51 weeks, falling 709,000 on the week and 304,000 on the year. The biggest supply drops were in the East Coast and Midwest. Ethanol production averaged […] The post Strong demand drives U.S. ethanol supplies to 51-week low as production and exports rise appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The chairman of the U.S. Grains and Bioproducts Council says an extended government shutdown could put vital trade outreach at risk. Mark Wilson, who farms in north central Illinois, says some of the organization’s main funding comes from the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. “We have a little bit of […] The post Extended shutdown could threaten grain trade outreach appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A nationwide leadership initiative is helping the next generation of leaders strengthen and advance their communication skills.  Lauren Agrotte with Indiana FFA says the Speak Ag Pioneer Program is teaching participants how to bridge the gap between producers and consumers. “During a Farm to Pizza event, we were able to teach elementary school students about how food gets […] The post SpeakAg Pioneer program helping state officers strengthen communication skills appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A new initiative from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City could help inform federal policy that impacts the ag industry. Nathan Kauffman says the Center for the Ag and Economy will include research and expertise from the ag sector. “We are looking to try to put together as much objective analysis as we can […] The post New initiative will help inform Federal Reserve about ag industry appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Planting conditions are favorable for South American farmers. Michael Cordonnier with Soybean and Corn Advisor says about a quarter of the Brazilian soybean crop is planted. “The big state of Mato Grosso, 43 percent (planted) and Parana 39 percent. Rainfall continues to favor southern Brazil, but it has started to pick up in central Brazil […] The post Favorable weather accelerates South American soybean and corn planting appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story