Today, USDA provided two major reports. First, the U.S. Acreage Report of crops planted for 2026. Corn, soybean, and wheat acres were detailed in that report. Second is the Quarterly Grain Stocks Report as of June 1.

Grain prices after the report had corn up 3 cents, soybeans up 4 cents, and wheat up 8 cents. Just before the reports were released, corn was down 2 cents, soybeans down 9 cents, and wheat down 3 cents.

Many expected both corn and soybean acres to increase in the Prospective Plantings Report on March 31. That report estimated 2026 U.S. corn acres at 95.3 million and soybeans at 84.7 million. That potential increase is the result of favorable planting weather across much of the Corn Belt in April.

Others thought the total corn and soybean acres would be less than 180 million. It was 180.7 million acres. Last year the total reached 180.003 million acres.… Continue reading

Carbon capture allows ethanol plants and other facilities to capture carbon dioxide before it enters the atmosphere and store it safely underground. House Bill 170 gives Ohio clear rules for how those projects can move forward, while also keeping important protections in place for landowners.

The new law marks an important step forward for Ohio farmers and the state’s ethanol industry. Establishing a clear framework enables Ohio ethanol plants to compete more effectively, attract investment, and create more opportunities for corn produced on local farms. 

“House Bill 170 is a win for Ohio farmers and a win for rural Ohio,” said Eric Tipton, Fayette County farmer and president of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association.… Continue reading

If the recent sell-off in crude oil and wheat was driven by investment funds believing supply concerns had eased and demand rationing was no longer necessary, I will be watching closely to see whether the market reassesses that outlook as we move into July.

As discussed in previous columns, soft red winter (SRW) wheat and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil have shown a strong positive price relationship. Since late 2025, the four-week rolling correlation between the two markets has been positive every week except two, and at the time of this writing, the correlation remains around +75%.

In my view, there are fundamental reasons for this correlation. The most recent USDA WASDE report showed another reduction in U.S. wheat yield projections for 2026-27 wheat production, lowering expected ending stocks to 744 million bushels. Similarly, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude oil stocks at their lowest level since 1983, at 349.2 million barrels.… Continue reading

Corn silking has reached 1%, following right along with the 1% average. Ohio corn condition was rated 62% good to excellent, with 54% good and 8% excellent.

Soybean emergence reached 98%, ahead of 94% last week, and the 95% 5-year average. Soybean blooming has reached 3%, just behind the 5% average. Ohio soybean condition was rated 57% good to excellent, with 50% good and 7% excellent.

Winter wheat was 7% harvested, which is behind the 15% five-year average. Ohio wheat condition was rated 67% good to excellent, with 59% good and 8% excellent.

Oats were 66% headed, ahead of the 51% last week, but behind the average of 79%.… Continue reading

Learn more from Beck’s online at www.beckshybrids.com.… Continue reading

Topics will include corn and soybean planting depth, soybean defoliation, soybean seed treatments, managing residual soil nitrogen, fungicide application methods, and the impact of swine manure on soil health and corn yield.

Field Day Agenda:

• Dialing in Corn & Soybean Planting Depth and Corn Defoliation Study, Alex Lindsey
• Selecting the Right Soybean Seed Treatment, Horacio Lopez-Nicora
• Quantifying & Managing Residual Soil Nitrogen, Greg LaBarge
• Drone vs. Sprayer for GER and Vomitoxin Management, Nina Nebesh
• Impact of Swine Manure on Soil Health & Corn Yield, Stephanie Karhoff

Registration will start at 8:30 a.m., with the programming beginning at 9:00 a.m., followed by a free lunch courtesy of the Ohio Soybean Council at 12:00 p.m.… Continue reading

Mike and Maile Plotner are first-generation dairy farmers who are building their Brown Swiss herd while balancing off-farm careers, raising a young family, and steadily improving their operation at Union-Champ Dairy. Mike works at the Nestlé plant in Marysville, while Maile is finishing her pharmacy residency, but mornings and evenings are spent in the barn caring for the cows they hope will help carry on a family tradition.

Ohio Ag Net’s Joel Penhorwood has more about how the couple make it happen, plus a bit about their love for Allis-Chalmers, in this feature.

Read the full feature story here: https://ocj.com/2026/06/the-easy-way-isnt-their-way-at-union-champ-dairy/… Continue reading

Plus, get an idea of what Mother Nature may have in store for farmers in Ohio as the growing season continues with an outlook from State Climatologist Dr. Aaron Wilson.

… Continue reading

The partnership connects Ohio farmers participating in H2Ohio, with Indigo Ag, a leading sustainable agriculture technology company, to provide additional financial support that helps offset the cost of implementing best management practices (BMPs).

“H2Ohio has consistently looked for ways to innovate and use collaboration to address water quality issues,” said Governor DeWine. “This partnership is an example of how we are all working together to improve water quality, protect our natural resources, and support Ohio’s farmers.”

More than 3,200 Ohio farmers are implementing H2Ohio BMPs to reduce nutrient runoff from their fields and protect local waterways. Many of these water-quality-focused conservation practices, often referred to as regenerative agriculture, also remove carbon from the atmosphere by sequestering it in the soil.

Through this partnership, farmers enrolled in H2Ohio can receive additional financial support for the regenerative agriculture practices they’ve already adopted.… Continue reading

Cattle producers are paying close attention to reproductive technologies that can improve herd genetics and efficiency, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) remains a promising, but imperfect, tool. IVF allows producers to collect eggs (oocytes) from donor cows, fertilize them in a lab, and transfer resulting embryos into recipient females. While the approach can rapidly multiply elite genetics, one of the ongoing challenges is inconsistent embryo quality and low conception success rates compared to conventional breeding systems.

A major factor behind these limitations is the subjective nature of oocyte selection. Before fertilization, technicians evaluate cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), immature egg cells surrounded by support cells, and assign a quality grade. This grading process directly influences embryo development, yet it relies heavily on human judgment and can vary between technicians.

Researchers in The Ohio State University’s Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE) are working to improve this step using precision technology and artificial intelligence (AI).… Continue reading

The majority opinion states: “Durnell’s state law failure-to-warn claim would require a cancer warning on Roundup’s label — a requirement ‘in addition to’ and ‘different from’ the label required by EPA under FIFRA. FIFRA therefore expressly preempts Durnell’s claim.”

The ruling is expected to affect both current and future failure-to-warn lawsuits involving glyphosate, which make up the majority of litigation surrounding the herbicide.

“This decision is good for American farmers who help feed the world,” said Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer. “It provides the regulatory clarity necessary for innovators like us to develop the agricultural tools that guarantee an affordable food supply.”

Anderson said the litigation has imposed significant costs on the company and eroded public trust, adding that Bayer will continue to pursue its previously announced litigation containment strategy.… Continue reading

Soybeans and corn require a steady supply of phosphorus (P) for early seedling vigor, root development and stalk growth. The nutrient is a key component of cell membranes, serves as the backbone of DNA and RNA, and plays a critical role in energy transfer through ATP. Although P is required in smaller amounts than some other nutrients, it is considered one of the three primary crop nutrients, along with nitrogen and potassium, because of its significant impact on yield. Recommended soil test levels for corn and soybeans range from 20 to 40 parts per million using the Mehlich test.

Soybeans require only about 1 lb. of P during the first 30 days of growth, compared with roughly 15 lb. for wheat. However, demand increases substantially later in the season as plants support energy transfer, root development and pod set. At harvest, approximately 70% to 80% of the plant’s accumulated P ends up in the grain, leading to high nutrient removal rates.… Continue reading

“Toxic algae affect not only the health of people and Great Lakes ecosystems, but they can negatively impact local and regional economies by preventing people from fishing, swimming, boating and visiting the shoreline,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, assistant administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “NOAA’s Lake Erie harmful algal bloom forecast is designed to provide timely, science-based information to water managers and public health officials as they make decisions to protect their communities and visitors.”

NOAA expects to see a visible bloom by mid-July. The bloom’s timeline will depend on the frequency of high winds in September, which cannot be predicted this far in advance. Most of the bloom will remain in areas of the lake’s western basin.… Continue reading

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases at least 38 official reports each month covering production, prices, stocks, processing, and crop progress. That pace is typical throughout the year. On top of that, the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report pulls everything together into a global outlook. Taken as a whole, the United States offers some of the most complete and transparent agricultural data anywhere in the world.

WASDE is the big picture report. It combines supply and demand information from across the United States and around the globe into one place. Grain markets move every day based on many sources of information, but the WASDE report remains one of the most closely watched benchmarks. Still, at roughly 40 pages, it can be a heavy lift. That’s why many producers find USDA’s monthly “Secretary’s Briefing” video helpful — it walks through the report in about an hour, highlighting what matters most.… Continue reading