December 17, 2025

An ag economist says the current price environment is putting the squeeze on farmers. Greg Ibendahl with Kansas State University says there aren’t many options to lower costs and doesn’t see much relief in 2026. “I’m not really sure they have a whole lot of ability to manage things to a great extent other than […] The post Ag economist sees limited cost relief for producers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An agricultural economist at the University of Illinois says he expects commodity prices to remain low and stable in 2026. Joe Janzen says trade uncertainties and a large U.S. corn and soybean crop mean there’s not much room for improvement in prices. “USDA did release some numbers this fall where they cut the size of […] The post University of Illinois economist expects low, steady commodity prices in 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The director of communications for Indiana Pork says a partnership with a minor league baseball team is helping provide local food banks with much-needed protein. Jeanette Merritt says the organization donated more than 2,000 ground pork meals to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana alongside the South Bend Cubs. “We’re hearing from these food pantries about how long their […] The post Community partnership with the South Bend Cubs brings pork to families in need across Indiana appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A southeast Minnesota farmer says conservation practices are paying off. Tom Cotter began using cover crops and reducing tillage in the late 1990’s. “When you treat soil healthy and treat it good, the nitrogen is more efficient. You can get up to 4.6 times more nitrogen out of earthworm channels. Same with potassium and calcium.” […] The post Southeast Minnesota farmer says soil health practices are paying dividends appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Farmers are already starting to make plans for the 2026 growing season. In this episode of Managing for Profit, Iowa-based Channel technical agronomist Lauren Botine discusses how farmers can utilize field data to help balance yield goals and manage their input costs. Listen to learn more! The post Balancing Yield Goals and Farm Input Costs appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A farm management specialist at the University of Illinois says high nitrogen prices have many farmers rethinking their application strategy heading into 2026. Gary Schnitkey says research through Precision Conservation Management (PCM) shows that following the recommended Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) rate helps the bottom line. “Our PCM data confirms that it is, in […] The post Tight margins drive closer review of nitrogen management practices for 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says he expects uncertainty in the industry to continue into 2026. Allen Featherstone with K-State says it could be a similar situation for row crop farmers. “If you look at the markets, they are pretty level from where they were in 2025. One of the things that will be uncertain is what […] The post Economist sees steady markets but ongoing trade uncertainty for next year appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story