January 8, 2026

A grain and oilseed analyst with Terrain says row crop profitability could come down to luck for many farmers this year. Marc Rosenbaum says margins for corn, soybean, and wheat are expected to hover near breakeven. “Some folks will do ok, some folks are going to be tight, and as the averages show, there’s going to be some […] The post Row crop profits under pressure as grain markets tighten faster than normal appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist with University of Missouri Extension says USDA is expected to lower corn and soybean yields in the upcoming supply and demand report. “We don’t get a great picture of that yield until you get all of it harvested and you know what’s in the bin.” Ben Brown says the late season dryness […] The post Yield adjustments are expected in January USDA report appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Ethanol exports continued to hold to their record pace late in 2025. The Renewable Fuels Association says 185 million gallons of ethanol were exported during October, rising 25% from September, reflecting the ongoing solid demand from several key U.S. customers. Canada maintained its top spot, including 83% of the record monthly shipments of denatured ethanol, […] The post October ethanol, DDGS export numbers solid appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A farm management specialist with the University of Illinois says increased machinery costs continue to squeeze farmers’ profits. During a recent Illinois Soybean Association webinar, Gary Schnitkey says research shows it’s taking more acres to make new combine investments profitable. “At 1800 acres, we’re looking at $75 versus something at 3000 in the still high […] The post University of Illinois research says more acres are needed to make combine investments pay appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An associate professor of ag policy at the University of Illinois says more ad-hoc assistance from the Trump administration or Congress isn’t addressing the bigger problems facing agriculture. “It’s merely an attempt to kind of bridge over the problems and I guess hope they don’t continue.” Jonathan Coppess says the U.S. should be finding ways […] The post Ag policy expert: ad-hoc farm aid payments ignore deeper problems in agriculture appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

New legislation in the Indiana General Assembly could change how some rural communities operate. District 16 representative Kendell Culp says House Bill 1315 would dissolve or consolidate certain townships with budgetary restrictions or lack their own emergency services by January 1, 2028. “We’re looking at a few opportunities to have less units of government,” he […] The post Some rural Indiana townships could face consolidation under new proposed legislation appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The USDA says export sales were mixed during the week ending January 1st. Corn notched a marketing year low following a handful of cancelations led by unknown destinations. Soybeans were below the four-week average, even as China topped the list of buyers, and wheat was up on the week, but fell under the average due […] The post Mostly slow holiday week for U.S. export sales as report gets back on schedule appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Resiliency is the theme for the Iowa Pork Producers as the Association prepares for the 2026 Iowa Legislative Session. Director of public policy Harrison Furlow says policy priorities are focused on ensuring producers are capable of being resilient in their operations. “And that sort of comes through two ways that we’re supporting legislation. That would […] The post Resiliency drives Iowa Pork Producers’ legislative goals for 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An ag economist says next/this week’s supply and demand report will likely set the tone for commodity prices in early 2026. Dan O’Brien with Kansas State University says there’s been some uncertainty around total U.S. crop production due to the government shutdown and lack of reports in November. “Whether the numbers are going to be […] The post USDA report expected to shape commodity prices heading into 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story