Corn surged the most in three months after the US Department of Agriculture surprised traders with a bigger-than-expected cut to yield and production of America’s most widely grown crop. USDA lowered corn yield 1.6 bushels per acre from October to 179.6 bpa, which was below trade estimates.
USDA Data
USDA Provided ‘Little Transparency’ for Reorganization, Watchdog Agency Says
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins lashed out at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for scrutinizing USDA’s reorganization plan, calling the GAO’s report partisan, politicized and incomplete, while the GAO said USDA repeatedly failed to provide information needed to evaluate the reorganization plan’s costs and effects on services.”
USDA Will Use AI Tool To Double Check Data Releases
“The US Department of Agriculture will use an artificial intelligence tool it built to check data in (this) week’s monthly crop production report, agency officials said, after a series of data missteps eroded farmers’ and traders’ trust in its forecasts.”
Screwworm Confirmed in Arizona as Infestations Increase in October
New World screwworm was found in Arizona for the first time, as cases of the deadly parasite threatening the US cattle herd spread west into a third state. The spread of the parasitic fly has increased this month. There have been a total of 74 cases of screwworm in the US since the outbreak began.
USDA Teaming Up With NASA in Latest Effort to Improve Ag Data
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator Jared Isaacman signed an interagency agreement to modernize USDA data, including agricultural statistics, remote sensing science, modeling, geospatial data engineering and super intelligence or machine learning.
USDA September Corn Forecast Error Raises Fresh Data Concerns
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced it found a processing error affecting September 2026 corn plant populations, ear counts, yields and production for Kansas and Nebraska. The error also affected September averages for plant populations and ear counts across 10 states, along with U.S. corn yield and production forecasts. However, NASS didn’t say exactly what the error was or why.
USDA to Provide $573M to Boost Domestic Fertilizer Production
The Trump administration on Thursday announced $573 million in grants to help boost construction of eight new domestic fertilizer facilities under USDA’s Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program. The eight projects selected for funding combine for more than $1.34 billion in domestic investments in fertilizer production across as many as 18 states.
ARC & PLC Payments to Hit Record $13.8 Billion for 2025
USDA’s Farm Service Agency estimates Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) will generate approximately $13.8 billion in gross payments to eligible agricultural producers for the 2025 crop year — the largest annual payout by far since the key safety net programs were established in the 2014 Farm Bill.
USDA Says Soy Crop Biggest Ever, Corn Second Biggest
The harvest for corn would be the second largest ever if a forecast calling for 16 billion bushels is realized, the Agriculture Department said in its October crop production report. Additionally, both soybean output and yield would be the biggest on record if realized.
Farm Sector Debt to Reach Record High $605 Billion in 2026
United States farm sector debt is expected to reach a record high $605.1 billion in 2026, according to the latest USDA forecast. But the rise in non-traditional and vendor credit has created some gaps in the federal government’s current ability to measure and track farm debt, US Department of Agriculture officials told Reuters.
USDA’s 2026 Farm Income Outlook Improves, but Expenses Sharply Higher
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has raised its forecast for U.S. farm income in 2026, but the improved headline number masks a more difficult financial picture for farmers as production expenses climb, debt increases and government payments account for a growing share of sector income.
USDA Turning to Satellites, Tech to Improve Crop Reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a pilot project that will rely more heavily on technology as part of a broader effort to improve its closely watched U.S. crop acreage and yield estimates, Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday, as the agency faces mounting criticism from farmers and traders over the reliability of government agricultural data.
USDA Reports Largest-Ever Combined Corn & Soy Planted Acreage
USDA found an additional 1.4 million planted acres for both the corn and soybean crops to increase the corn crop slightly and boost the soybean crop to the largest in U.S. history. The combined planted acreage of the corn and soybean crops is now 183.5 million acres, more than 3 million acres higher than the previous combined crop record.
US Cropland Tops $6,000 per Acre for First Time in 2026
U.S. farmland values continued to rise this year, with the average value of cropland topping $6,000 for the first time, while pastureland reached $2,000 an acre. Overall, farm real estate in the U.S. — cropland and pasture combined — averaged $4,500 per acre this year, up $150 an acre from last year, or about 3.4%.
USDA to Fund $25 Million Sterile Fly Facility in Arizona
Reuter’s Tom Polansek reported that, “the U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $25 million on a facility in Arizona to disperse sterile flies used to combat the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, the agency said on Wednesday.” “The facility will expand Washington’s efforts to control the spread of screwworms as the USDA plans to […]
Farmers Spent $1.4 Billion More on Diesel During Planting Season
Successful Farming’s Mariah Squire reported that, “a new study by Joint Economic Committee Democrats found that farmers of key crops in the U.S. spent $1.4 billion more on diesel fuel during the 2025–2026 planting season than they did last season.” “The study, released last Thursday, analyzed corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice planted by U.S. […]
Corn Conditions Drop Amid Heatwave
AgWeb’s Tyne Morgan reported that, “triple-digit heat indices swept across the Midwest and Plains late last week and into the weekend, and the damage is already showing up in the numbers. USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report released Monday showed the steepest week-over-week decline in corn good to excellent condition ratings for this point in the […]
USDA Moves Forward with Mandatory Relocation Despite Pushback
Meatingplace’s Peter Voskamp reported that, “the USDA Rural Development Mission Area recently announced that it is moving forward with its declared intention to move nearly 3,000 members of its workforce out of the Washington DC area in order to ‘modernize operations, increase accountability, and ensure federal resources are positioned where they can deliver the greatest […]
Product of USA Label Gains Momentum with Meat and Poultry Companies
Quality Assurance & Food Safety Magazine’s Jacqueline Mitchell reported that, “ten meat and poultry companies have recently adopted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) voluntary Product of USA label, identifying meat, poultry and egg products from animals that are born, raised, harvested and processed in the United States. USDA launched a nationwide awareness campaign about […]
USDA Revises Beef Export Data, Lowers Sales by 90%
Reuter’s Tom Polansek reported that, “the U.S. Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported beef export sales on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency’s data after staffing losses as part of the Trump administration’s reshaping of the federal government.” AgroLatam’s Marco Díaz Collins reported that, “the revised report showed that exporters […]