March 5, 2026

The rapid pace of this year’s legislative session created new challenges for Indiana Farm Bureau as state lawmakers debated issues tied to local government and farmland protections.  Katie Nelson says the organization was focused on language designed to protect prime ag land, but House Bill 1333 contained provisions that would have eliminated local zoning requirements. “Data […] The post Local control, farmland protections dominated 2026 Indiana legislative session appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The leader of an ag organization expects an uphill battle to pass a new farm bill despite progress in the U.S. House. Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish says while he’s pleased the House Ag Committee advanced a bill. “It’s still going to be a challenge. When the House passed their big budget bill last […] The post Minnesota farm leader doubts easy passage for new farm bill appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The director of market development for the Illinois Soybean Association says ongoing trade uncertainty makes finding new domestic uses for soy even more critical. Todd Main says the organization’s checkoff-funded Springboard Challenge is one way they’re trying to build soy demand. “That’s where we bring together researchers from around the universities in Illinois and give […] The post Illinois Soybean Association eyeing new domestic uses with Springboard Challenge appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

An associate professor of ag policy and law at the University of Illinois says it’s unclear if the Farm Bill 2.0 has a chance at becoming law. The House Ag Committee has passed a bill out of committee, but Jonathan Coppess tells Brownfield the Congressional calendar is shorter this year and the politics are especially […] The post Short Congressional calendar, political strains cloud farm bill future appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Corn export demand continues to be strong. The USDA says corn sales during the week ending February 26th were larger than average, mainly to South Korea, Colombia, and Mexico, all key trading partners and significant corn buyers. Sorghum saw a week-to-week improvement, led by China, and soybean oil sales were also up on the week. […] The post USDA: corn export sales up sharply on week, above average appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

The U.S. House Ag Committee has passed a skinny farm bill. U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson from South Dakota tells Brownfield the markup process had a few “dust ups,” but that’s to be expected. “The amendments made to the base texts, in almost every instance, were strong bipartisan amendments,” he says. In the two-day markup, committee […] The post U.S. House Ag Committee advances skinny farm bill appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

Maximizing the value of U.S. pork. Andy Tauer, vice president of International Market Development with the National Pork Board, says exports to Mexico hit a record in 2025.  “Overall, demand for U.S. pork has been really strong. There’s a lot of pull in the Western Hemisphere. I mentioned Mexico, but also as we think of […] The post Global markets help drive U.S. pork carcass value appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story

A senior market advisor with Total Farm Marketing says the market is closely watching China’s reaction to recent geopolitical events. Naomi Blohm says the country continues to have a strong influence on international trade flows. “With the activities in the Middle East and the activities that happened a few weeks back in Venezuela, we’re really trying to […] The post Market analyst watching China closely as geopolitics could influence commodity prices appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story