January 8, 2026

An agronomist says protecting root systems from Soybean Cyst Nematodes can help crops better mitigate drought conditions. George Huckabee is with Vive Crop Protection. “The root size of the plant really affects the uptake of water, uptake of nutrients, everything that has to do with that plant growing,” he says. “The bigger the root system, […] The post New soybean nematicide could help reduce drought stress in 2026 appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The executive director of the Illinois Farm Service Agency says many farmers are turning to the agency’s various loan programs to help weather the down ag economy. William Graff says the winter loan season has been busy. “We have direct farm loans, farm ownership loans, beginning farmers loans, and young farmer loans.”  He says, “We […] The post FSA urges farmers to act early when considering loan programs appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A climatologist says there are some strong chances of precipitation across parts of the Upper Midwest heading into the weekend. Dr. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, tells Brownfield, “We have a system that’s making its way into the Upper Midwest. It looks like a good amount of […] The post Climatologist watching rain and snow potential this week appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The Renewable Fuels Association is monitoring several key issues in 2026. RFA chief economist Scott Richman says a federal solution for year-round E15 is at the top of the list. “We’re hopeful and cautiously optimistic that as soon as the funding bill that has to be passed later this month we might get legislation that […] The post E15, RVO clarity among top issues for Renewable Fuels Association appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says more ad hoc assistance will be necessary if commodity prices don’t improve this year. During a call with ag reporters Thursday, the Iowa Republican told Brownfield even with the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, corn and soybeans remain well below the cost of production. “So if prices don’t go up there’d […] The post Grassley casts doubt on ‘famine to feast’ outlook for farmers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A veterinarian says today’s high-producing milk cows should be managed differently during dry-off than cows from more than a decade ago. Dr. Linda Tikofsky with Boehringer Ingelheim tells Brownfield the dairy industry has increased production greatly through genomics, nutrition, and cow management, and that’s led to cows being dried off at a higher production level […] The post Managing cows at dry-off has changed appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story