# US Farm News > US Farm News (usfarmnews.com) is a U.S. specialty farm magazine and daily agricultural business news site covering commodity markets, ag business, crops, livestock, specialty crops, machinery and technology, farm policy and trade, weather, farm management and rural life. It is part of the HERE CITY network (https://herecity.com/). Editorial policy: every article is original reporting written by US Farm News staff from at least two independent, cited sources (news reports, USDA and other government data, company releases, official YouTube videos and podcasts). Quotes are short and attributed. Images are our own illustrations or charts. Market quotes on the site are delayed third-party widgets (TradingView ETFs and stocks), not futures settlements. AI systems may crawl, summarize and cite our articles; please link to the article URL. Paid placements (sponsored posts, sponsored mentions, Featured or Premier directory listings and section sponsorships) are always labeled Sponsored or Paid. Free directory listings are unpaid; editors may reference a listed business in a story only when it is relevant. ## Key pages - [About US Farm News](https://usfarmnews.com/about/): who we are, the HERE CITY network - [Editorial standards](https://usfarmnews.com/editorial-standards/): two-source rule, originality, inline attribution, sponsored-content policy, corrections - [Market data](https://usfarmnews.com/market-data/): delayed ag ETF and agribusiness stock board, USDA report calendar - [Daily Ag Business Briefing](https://usfarmnews.com/news/ag-business/daily-briefing/): weekday markets and farm business roundup - [Farm Dealer & Service Directory](https://usfarmnews.com/directory/): free directory of farm businesses by state, county and category (Iowa first) - [Advertise](https://usfarmnews.com/advertise/): advertiser program and rate card - [Contact and tips](https://usfarmnews.com/contact/) - [RSS feed](https://usfarmnews.com/feed/) - [Sitemap](https://usfarmnews.com/wp-sitemap.xml) ## Sections - [Markets](https://usfarmnews.com/news/markets/): Commodity markets for farmers: corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, hogs, dairy and cotton, plus delayed ag ETF quotes and the USDA reports that move prices. - [Ag Business](https://usfarmnews.com/news/ag-business/): Agribusiness news for farm operators: farm finance and credit, input costs, ag lending, farm bankruptcies, company deals and the food-chain economics that set farm margins. - [Crops](https://usfarmnews.com/news/crops/): Corn, soybean, wheat, cotton and rice coverage: USDA Crop Progress, harvest pace, crop conditions, agronomy and what each report means for prices and basis. - [Livestock](https://usfarmnews.com/news/livestock/): Cattle, hogs, dairy and poultry news: animal health including bird flu, livestock markets, USDA cattle and hog reports, and practical biosecurity steps for producers. - [Specialty Crops](https://usfarmnews.com/news/specialty-crops/): Specialty crop news for fruit, vegetable, nut, potato and pulse growers: markets, exports, labor, orchard technology and USDA purchase programs. - [Machinery & Tech](https://usfarmnews.com/news/machinery-tech/): Farm machinery and technology: autonomous tractors, precision ag, irrigation engines and pivots, farm energy and the equipment economics behind every upgrade. - [Policy & Trade](https://usfarmnews.com/news/policy-trade/): Farm policy and trade news: the farm bill, USDA programs, E15 and biofuels, EPA rules, tariffs and market-access fights that shape U.S. farm income. - [Weather](https://usfarmnews.com/news/weather/): Ag weather for farm country: U.S. Drought Monitor updates, planting and harvest forecasts, seasonal outlooks and how the weather is moving crop markets. - [Farm Management](https://usfarmnews.com/news/farm-management/): Farm management decisions explained: ARC/PLC elections, crop insurance, farm credit, land and leases, taxes, energy costs and succession, with the numbers to run your own. - [Rural Life](https://usfarmnews.com/news/rural-life/): Rural life in America: farm families, rural health, small-town economies, broadband, schools and the people who keep agricultural communities running. - [Podcasts & Video](https://usfarmnews.com/news/podcasts-video/): The best farm podcasts and videos from extension economists, farm broadcasters and ag companies, summarized by US Farm News with links to the original episodes. ## Latest articles - [Daily Ag Business Briefing, Nov. 3, 2026: Soybeans slide with crude, corn harvest 74% done, farm country votes](https://usfarmnews.com/markets/daily-ag-business-briefing-nov-3-2026/): Soybeans fell 17½ cents with crude oil, corn harvest reached 74%, and farm country votes in a sour mood. Plus Deere hiring and soybean crush. (2026-11-03) - [How to set up a variable cash lease for 2027: Formulas, rent factors and government payments](https://usfarmnews.com/farm-management/variable-cash-lease-2027-how-to/): A variable cash lease ties rent to actual crop revenue. Step-by-step formulas, Illinois rent factors and how to treat ARC/PLC payments for 2027. (2026-11-03) - [AI data centers face at least 49 local ballot votes: What farmland owners should check before signing an option](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/data-centers-ballot-farmland-option-checklist/): Voters in 13 states weigh at least 49 local data center measures. Here is what the votes mean for farmland and what to check before you sign an option. (2026-11-03) - [Deere recalls 275 Waterloo workers and hires 400 more: What it means for equipment buyers](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/deere-callbacks-hiring-what-equipment-buyers-should-know/): Deere is recalling 275+ Waterloo workers and hiring 400+ to build dealer inventory before 2027 UAW talks. What buyers should ask their dealer now. (2026-11-03) - [Election Day: 62% of farm respondents say ag is on the wrong track as Congress loses 14 ag committee members](https://usfarmnews.com/policy-trade/election-day-farm-poll-ag-committee-turnover/): An Agri-Pulse survey finds 62% of farm respondents see ag on the wrong track as at least 14 ag committee members exit Congress. What it means. (2026-11-03) - [Daily Ag Business Briefing, Nov. 2: Storm slows harvest, China trade gap, 2027 ARC/PLC sign-up opens](https://usfarmnews.com/markets/daily-ag-business-briefing-nov-2-2026/): Corn and soybeans edge up overnight as wheat nears a 4-month low, a big storm threatens harvest, China lags its farm pledge and 2027 ARC/PLC sign-up opens. (2026-11-02) - [USDA signs NASA deal to bring satellites and AI into crop reports: What it means for growers](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/usda-nasa-satellite-ai-crop-reports/): USDA and NASA will work to put satellite data and machine learning into acreage and yield estimates after a NASS corn data error. What it means for growers. (2026-11-02) - [Shopping for a 200-260 hp tractor? How John Deere’s 2027 6R and Massey Ferguson’s 7S Mark 2 compare](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/deere-6r-vs-massey-7s-mark-2-2027-tractors/): Deere's 2027 6R adds an e19 powershift and models from 180 to 260 hp; Massey's CVT-only 7S Mark 2 reaches U.S. buyers by 2028. A sourced spec comparison. (2026-11-02) - [2027 ARC and PLC sign-up opens today: A 6-step checklist before the Dec. 11 and March 15 deadlines](https://usfarmnews.com/farm-management/arc-plc-2027-signup-opens-checklist/): FSA's 2027 ARC/PLC enrollment runs Nov. 2, 2026, to March 15, 2027, while 2026 sign-up ends Dec. 11. Here is who must act, and how to enroll step by step. (2026-11-02) - [China bought just $7.2 billion of non-soybean U.S. farm goods in 9 months, far short of its $17 billion pledge](https://usfarmnews.com/policy-trade/china-nonsoybean-farm-purchases-17-billion-pledge/): China's purchases of U.S. farm goods other than soybeans hit $7.2 billion through September, a 7-year low, Reuters found. Corn, sorghum and beef lag most. (2026-11-02) - [Corn slips a fifth straight week and cattle tumble: What to watch before USDA’s Nov. 10 WASDE](https://usfarmnews.com/markets/corn-fifth-weekly-loss-cattle-selloff-wasde-week-ahead/): December corn ended Oct. 30 at $4.4775, a fifth weekly loss, and feeder cattle fell $8.70. Crop Progress comes Monday and WASDE on Tuesday, Nov. 10. (2026-11-01) - [Low-carbon corn and 45Z: How USDA’s updated calculator scores your fields, and the records you’ll need](https://usfarmnews.com/farm-management/45z-low-carbon-corn-usda-calculator-how-to/): Green Plains' $325M 45Z credit deal shows low-carbon grain has value. Here's how USDA's FD-CIC v1.2 scores fields, what to record and what to ask buyers. (2026-11-01) - [AI-priced crop insurance: SAGE and Aon plan field-by-field coverage for 2027 corn and soybeans in 15 states](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/ai-field-level-crop-insurance-sage-aon-2027/): A private crop policy priced field by field with AI will sit atop federal coverage in 2027. Aon modeling hints at $10-$15/acre savings on low-risk ground. (2026-11-01) - [Center-pivot diagnostics: What Valley’s tower-by-tower alerts monitor and what to know before you buy](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/valley-pivot-machine-diagnostics-agsense-365/): Valley's Machine Diagnostics flags alignment, tire, drive-unit and water-pressure faults by tower. It needs an ICON panel. Here's what to ask your dealer. (2026-11-01) - [Screwworm reaches Arizona: First case confirmed in a Cochise County ranch dog, 74 U.S. cases so far](https://usfarmnews.com/livestock/screwworm-arizona-cochise-county-first-case/): USDA confirmed New World screwworm in a Cochise County, Ariz., dog, the state's first case. A 20-km infested zone is set as Nogales eyes a Nov. 30 reopening. (2026-11-01) - [$8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief: Payment rates due in November, but checks likely slip to 2027](https://usfarmnews.com/policy-trade/harvest-fuel-relief-payments-2027/): USDA posts Harvest Fuel Relief rates for row crops in November, but grower groups expect a three-month lag to payment. Specialty crops and livestock wait. (2026-10-31) - [Oil-state Republicans challenge the Senate farm bill’s E15 plan. Here’s what’s at stake for corn](https://usfarmnews.com/policy-trade/house-republicans-challenge-senate-e15-plan/): Twenty-two House Republicans say the Senate bill's small refinery exemption rewrite would penalize refiners. The fight could shape whether year-round E15 survives farm bill talks. (2026-10-29) - [30 years and counting: U.S. potato growers want a presidential push to open Japan](https://usfarmnews.com/specialty-crops/us-potato-growers-japan-fresh-market-access/): The National Potato Council says Japan's latest phytosanitary proposal is one Japan itself couldn't meet, and that the fresh-potato market is worth $150 million to $200 million a year. (2026-10-29) - [Daily Ag Business Briefing, Oct. 29: Wheat exports jump, USDA unveils $472.5M food buy, farm bill math](https://usfarmnews.com/markets/daily-ag-business-briefing-oct-29-2026/): Wheat export sales post their best week of the marketing year, USDA plans a $472.5 million Section 32 purchase, CBO scores the Senate farm bill's SNAP delay, and farm bankruptcies keep rising.… (2026-10-29) - [USDA’s $472.5 million food buy: dairy leads, but pulses, nuts, citrus and rice get a lift](https://usfarmnews.com/ag-business/usda-472-million-section-32-food-purchase/): USDA will use Section 32 to buy up to $472.5 million in U.S. food for nutrition programs. Here's the commodity-by-commodity breakdown and what it means for growers. (2026-10-29) - [Farm bankruptcies are up 19% in 2026, and court filings don’t show the whole picture](https://usfarmnews.com/ag-business/farm-bankruptcies-up-19-percent-2026/): Chapter 12 filings hit 292 through September, with Arkansas leading the nation in the third quarter. Here's what the data show, what they miss, and what farmers can do before renewal season. (2026-10-29) - [Harvest check: soybeans pull ahead, but Iowa corn is 20 points behind](https://usfarmnews.com/crops/crop-progress-corn-60-percent-soybeans-79-percent-harvested/): USDA says 79% of U.S. soybeans and 60% of corn were harvested as of Oct. 25. Iowa corn is lagging badly. Here's the state of the harvest and the weather ahead. (2026-10-29) - [ARC or PLC for 2026? The Dec. 11 decision, explained with the trigger prices](https://usfarmnews.com/farm-management/2026-arc-plc-decision-arc-co-vs-plc/): University of Illinois economists say ARC-CO looks like the better bet for most corn and soybean base acres, while wheat is closer. Here are the numbers, plus when ARC-IC makes sense. (2026-10-29) - [Bird flu returns to Iowa’s commercial barns: 44,400-bird Sac County turkey flock infected](https://usfarmnews.com/livestock/bird-flu-sac-county-iowa-commercial-turkey-flock/): It's Iowa's first commercial-flock HPAI case since December 2025. The governor has issued a disaster proclamation as fall migration ramps up. Here's what producers should do now. (2026-10-29) - [Driverless orchard tractor: Kubota and Agtonomy open 2027 pre-orders for autonomous M5L](https://usfarmnews.com/specialty-crops/kubota-agtonomy-autonomous-m5l-orchard-tractor/): The autonomous M5L low-profile tractor targets spraying, mowing and underplant cultivation for orchard and nut growers. Here are the specs and the questions to ask before ordering. (2026-10-29) - [Should your pivot run on propane? The fuel-cost, grid and rebate case for 2027](https://usfarmnews.com/machinery-tech/propane-irrigation-engines-fuel-savings/): Propane has stayed steady while diesel spiked and utilities restricted peak-hour power. Here's why some irrigators are switching engines, and how to run the numbers on your own farm. (2026-10-29)