Monday October 12 Ag News - USDA Crop Production Estimates Updated - ARC/PLC Informational Webinar Oct 15 - 100 Days of Trade with the EU - Lawmakers Urge EPA to Maintain Integrity of RFS - and more!

 USDA Crop Production Estimates - Oct 9, 2026 

Corn production for grain is forecast at 16.0 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the previous forecast but down 5 percent from 2025. If realized, this would be the second highest grain production on record for the Nation. The average yield is forecast at 181.2 bushels per acre, up 2.7 bushels from the previous forecast and but down 5.3 bushels from 2025.

Corn by State
Nebraska .....:     188.0 bu/acre    1,806,680,000 bu total production
Iowa ............:     219.0 bu/acre    2,803,200,000 bu total production

Soybean production for beans is forecast at a record high 4.56 billion bushels, up 1 percent from the previous forecast and up 7 percent from 2025. Yields are expected to average a record high 53.1 bushels per acre, up 0.3 bushel from the previous forecast and up 0.1 bushel from 2025.

Soybeans by State 
Nebraska .....:      59.0 bu/acre      312,110,000 bu total production
Iowa ............:      63.0 bu/acre      612,990,000 bu total production



Commodity Crop Safety Net Informational Webinar on Oct. 15

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Nebraska is partnering with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability (CAP) on a webinar designed to educate commodity crop producers on the 2026 and 2027 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs election and enrollment process. Producers can make elections and enroll for the 2026 crop year from now through Dec. 11, 2026, and for the 2027 crop year from Nov. 2, 2026, through March 15, 2027. Producers can learn about the ARC and PLC options for 2026 and 2027 during the FSA/CAP webinar scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Cathy Anderson, FSA production and compliance programs chief in Nebraska, and Brad Lubben, Extension policy specialist in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics, will present information relevant for producers, ag professionals and ag stakeholders. Webinar attendance is free. Register on the CAP website at cap.unl.edu/webinars.

ARC and PLC are key USDA safety-net programs that help producers weather fluctuations in either revenue or price for certain crops. These programs were extended to the 2031 production season through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

“With the 2026 ARC and PLC election and enrollment window now open, we’ll review key points producers need to know as they work with their local FSA office,” said Nebraska FSA State Executive Director Hilary Maricle. “All ARC and PLC program participants are encouraged to review their previous program elections and enroll ahead of the deadline. If producers do not make a 2026 ARC or PLC program election by Dec. 11, 2026, they will be ineligible for 2026 program assistance.”

Brad Lubben, Extension policy specialist with CAP, said program changes and a different price outlook could shift how producers approach their ARC and PLC decisions for 2026 and 2027.

"After a year when producers automatically received the higher of the two programs, 2026 brings back an active choice between ARC and PLC," said Lubben. "Higher reference prices and changes to ARC shift the math from what producers have seen in past years. Understanding the program mechanics and analysis will help producers make sound enrollment decisions with FSA."

In-person ARC and PLC education meetings also are being planned for several locations across the state and will be announced soon.



Flood Celebrates 100 Days of Successful Trade Deal with European Union

Friday, Congressman Mike Flood (NE-01) released a statement celebrating the first 100 days since the European Union eliminated its tariffs on American industrial goods and opened new market access for American agricultural products as part of the broader U.S.-EU trade agreement. The agreement took effect July 1, 2026.

U.S. agricultural exports to the EU are up 17% this year, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data, led by Nebraska’s top exports:
    Ethanol exports to the EU have already surpassed all of 2025, with four months still to go.
    Corn exports are up 82% on the year.
    Beef exports are up 42% on the year. 

“For too long, American farmers and ranchers have played by one set of rules while our trading partners played by another,” said Congressman Flood. “Over the last two years, we’ve renegotiated our trade deals to level the playing field, and our agreement with the European Union shows that it’s working. Europe is buying more American corn, ethanol, and beef than it has in years. When Nebraska producers can compete on fair terms, they win, and this deal gives them that opportunity for years to come.”

Earlier this year, Congressman Flood met with U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder about the opportunities the deal creates for Nebraska producers.

Nebraska is the nation’s largest beef exporter and is a top exporter of corn, soybeans, and ethanol. The European Union is one of Nebraska’s top five agricultural export markets.



HUSKER RESEARCHERS EXPLORE HIDDEN NITROGEN, NEW WAYS TO REDUCE GROUNDWATER RISK

A University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team has received a three-year, $496,722 National Science Foundation grant to investigate an understudied reservoir of organic nitrogen that may shape groundwater quality long after nitrogen management strategies are in place. A separate five-year, $357,000-plus award from the Nebraska Corn Board will help the researchers evaluate approaches that may proactively reduce nitrate risk before it reaches groundwater.

Clean groundwater is vital to drinking water supplies, agriculture and rural communities, but nitrogen contamination remains a persistent challenge. About four out of five Nebraskans drink groundwater. Much of it sits beneath some of the most productive agricultural land in the world. Nitrogen fertilizer is a critical crop nutrient; however, when it leaves the root zone, it becomes a loss to the farmer and a concern for drinking water.

The puzzling part is what happens when nitrogen management practices are improved. Nitrate levels in some Nebraska wells continue to rise, even years after modern nutrient strategies to reduce excess nitrogen use have been implemented. A research team based at the Nebraska Water Center thinks the explanation lies in historical nitrogen stores buried in the deep vadose zone between the surface and the water table. The two new awards will support collaborative efforts to better understand these underground processes and evaluate proactive solutions.

Nebraska Water Center researchers have studied the vadose zone for four decades to understand how nutrients, including nitrogen, move from the land surface to the groundwater. The vadose zone is a critical region for the storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can affect groundwater quality.

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient present in many forms and is applied as a fertilizer to crops like corn. While these plants take up the nutrients they need, any remaining nitrogen can convert into mobile nitrate. However, the process of particular interest to the Husker research team is if this mobile nitrate may react with soil carbon through microbes to become bound as organic nitrogen in the deeper soil layers. This reaction could potentially act as a slow-release reservoir that gradually breaks down and generates new nitrate years later in the deep vadose zone, moving toward the groundwater.

Nebraska Water Center researchers have found that organic nitrogen accounts for a large majority of total nitrogen stored in Nebraska’s deep vadose zone. While most studies of that underground nitrogen reservoir measure nitrate, the research team measures everything else, too.

“Most of the nitrogen down there isn’t nitrate at all,” said Arindam Malakar, assistant research professor at the Nebraska Water Center and the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, who leads the new project and is part of the School of Natural Resources. “It’s organic nitrogen, locked in forms nobody has been counting. It can break down slowly and may keep making new nitrate long after the fertilizer is gone.”

In conjunction with the NSF funding, the research team is also investigating a novel nitrate remediation approach currently under development. The goal is reducing the amount of nitrate in the vadose zone that becomes a groundwater contaminant, entering drinking water sources and creating challenges for communities and well owners. The Nebraska Corn Board, through corn checkoff funds, has supported the project “Remediation of Nitrate Plume Within the Vadose Zone, Being Proactive to Protect Groundwater Quality,” with more than $570,000 across five years, subject to the board's annual proposal review and approval.

“The primary reason we want to do it is to reduce the cost of treating water,” Malakar said.

Rather than treating water after it reaches the aquifer, the work focuses on nitrate while it is still held in the vadose zone above the water table, which is expected to be more efficient and economical. Preliminary estimates suggest the approach could be less expensive than current water treatment processes that cities and communities use to treat groundwater to safe levels for drinking water.

Initial controlled laboratory studies have shown promising results. Researchers will next evaluate the approach across soil conditions representative of different landscapes across Nebraska and assess effectiveness, repeatability, environmental safety, feasibility and regulatory considerations before any potential field deployment.

Malakar said the appeal of the approach is timing.

“By the time you see nitrate in a well, the decision that put it there was made a long time ago,” he said. “Once it’s in the aquifer, you’re paying to take it back out.”

Malakar envisions a future where the technology is deployed across Nebraska, reducing the amount of nitrate in the vadose zone that becomes a contaminant in the groundwater. That is several years out and contingent on results at every stage, from laboratory experiments to controlled field testing. But if it works, the project’s success could reduce the treatment burden on communities that rely on groundwater.

To meet the research team and learn more about its vadose zone research, visit https://go.unl.edu/vadosestory.



Jeff Clark Named Keynote Speaker for 2026 Nebraska Wind And Solar Conference

Jeff Clark, President and CEO of the Advanced Power Alliance, will deliver the keynote address at the 19th annual Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference, scheduled for October 20–21, 2026, at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel.

Clark will speak during the Keynote Luncheon on Tuesday, October 20, from noon to 1:30 p.m., sponsored by NextEra Energy Resources. Rich Lombardi, Public Policy Director for the Advanced Power Alliance, will serve as moderator.

As President and CEO of the APA, Clark leads a trade association focused on facilitating the development of utility-scale power generation, infrastructure and energy storage. The organization works across major U.S. power markets, specializing in public policy and regulatory affairs in the Southwest Power Pool, ERCOT, and Southeast regions, and represents a broad range of companies in the advanced energy and technologies industries.

Clark brings extensive experience in energy policy, government affairs and business advocacy. Before joining the APA, he served as Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the American Electronics Association, where his work included state policy involving advanced materials and electric systems. He previously led the largest regional office of the National Federation of Independent Business, representing small businesses before policymakers in 17 state capitals and Washington, D.C. He was also twice appointed during the George W. Bush administration to co-chair the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council.

“We are pleased to welcome Jeff Clark to Nebraska as this year’s keynote speaker,” said John Hansen, conference chairman. “His experience working at the intersection of energy development, infrastructure and public policy will bring an important perspective to the conversations taking place at this year’s conference.”

In addition to his keynote address, Clark will participate Wednesday morning in “Comparative State Policy and Renewable Siting,” a session examining how Nebraska’s permitting framework compares with approaches in Michigan and Colorado, including local control, appeals processes, siting authority and renewable energy development.

The two-day conference brings together public power leaders, policymakers, developers, industry professionals, community leaders and others to discuss the energy issues affecting Nebraska. This year’s agenda includes discussions on unprecedented electric load growth, regional and Nebraska transmission, state energy policy, renewable siting and property rights, the Southwest Power Pool interconnection queue, energy storage and grid innovation, rural Nebraska, data centers and more.

The Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference will be held October 20–21, 2026, at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S. 13th Street in Lincoln. Registration is $250 and remains open through October 12, 2026, or until sold out.

For the complete agenda and registration information, visit www.nebraskawsc.com



Smith, Budzinski Lead Letter Urging the Admin to Support America’s Biofuel Industry

Friday, U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), led a bipartisan letter with 37 of their colleagues to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright urging the administration to maintain its commitments to America’s biofuel industry. 

In the letter, the lawmakers ask the administration to uphold its commitment to American grown energy by proposing a supplemental rule that preserves the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) biofuel volume requirements for 2026 and 2027 by October 16, 2026. They warn that delays would undermine much-needed market certainty for American farmers and biofuel producers while putting savings at the pump for American families at risk.

The lawmakers write: "The stakes for our constituents could not be higher. Biofuel demand keeps commodity prices competitive for farmers, sustains tens of thousands of rural manufacturing jobs, and delivers measurable savings at the pump for working families. E15 saves drivers an average of 30 cents per gallon compared to E10. B20 biodiesel runs approximately 11 cents cheaper than regular diesel. The 2026 and 2027 volumes in Set 2 were built to capture these cost-savings at scale, but SREs alongside a flawed reallocation approach would erase them.”

In addition to Smith and Budzinski, the letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Angie Craig (D-MN), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Jim Baird (R-IN), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Mike Bost (R-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Kristen McDonald Rivert (D-MI), Mary Miller (R-IL), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Mark Alford (R-MO), James Comer (R-KY), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), John Rose (R-TN), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Don Bacon (R-NE), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mike Flood (R-NE), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Max Miller (R-OH), Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), and Donald Davis (D-N.C.).



NCGA Calls for Action on Farm Bill, E15 Legislation Following WASDE Report, Corn Price Drop

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released the October 2026 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which raised anticipated 2026 corn yields by 2.7 bushels per acre. Corn prices immediately dropped after the report was released. In response, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Matt Frostic released the following statement: 
 
“Once again, we are reiterating our call for Congress to act on legislative priorities that will increase corn demand and provide certainty to farm programs to alleviate some of the economic pain our growers are experiencing.  

“We’re paying record prices for diesel fuel at a time of the year when we need it most and persistently high prices for certain inputs, like fertilizer, continue to put pressure on farm budgets. The drop in corn prices we’ve seen today adds stress to an already challenging year and complicates the outlook for next year.
 
“We are working hard to make ends meet, and it is time Congress did its job. It is critical that the House and Senate make final passage of year-round E15 and the farm bill a priority upon their return to Washington in November. 

“Beyond year-round E15, NCGA is actively working on longer-term demand growth priorities, like maritime and sustainable aviation fuel. We stand ready to work with the Trump administration to position U.S. corn and ethanol competitively in global markets, and we welcome partnerships with elected officials and industry stakeholders to advance corn demand goals.  



Oklahoma Auctioneer Awarded Top Honors at World Livestock Auctioneer Championship Qualifier

Ten auctioneers, led by Kellan Bussell, Idabell, Okla., punched their tickets to the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship after battling it out on the block against competitors from across North America Oct. 5 in Saluda, S.C. They will compete next in the semifinals at Cattlemen’s Livestock Market, Galt, Calif., in June.

Bussell may be young, but he’s already made a name for himself as a competitive livestock auctioneer. In only his second year vying for the world championship, the barely 25-year-old has qualified for the second time.

He said this win was a big honor — and another opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s best.

“When I first started, I just wanted to be as good as I could possibly be,” Bussell said. “Being able to go to these competitions and being around all these guys who are more experienced and know a lot more than I do, that’s going to help me reach that goal.”

The bid-caller, who regularly sells at Southeastern Oklahoma Regional Stockyards, Waurika Livestock Commission Co. and Comanche Livestock Auction, says the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship’s value extends well beyond the results. He said the willingness of experienced auctioneers, including past world champions, to share their knowledge has made a difference as he builds his career.

“That’s one thing that’s so neat about our industry is that there’s always somebody there with a helping hand,” he said.

As he prepares for the championship, Bussell looks forward to reconnecting with fellow contestants and seeing how another livestock market operates.

“I just love the camaraderie and being around everybody in that atmosphere,” he said. “I love cattle and being able to go to a new place and get to see how those people run their business. That’s what it’s all about to me.”

Among the other 24 competitors in South Carolina, Tucker Kail, Puryear, Tenn., was named reserve champion and Philip Gilstrap, Pendleton, S.C., was named runner-up. Austin Roberts, Collinsville, Okla., was the high scoring rookie.

Rounding out the top 10, in no order, were:
• Andy Baumeister, Goldthwaite, Texas
• Brandon Frey, Afton, Iowa
• Chris Pinard, Swainsboro, Ga.
• Marcus Kent, Dunnellon, Fla.
• Ross Parks, New Concord, Ohio
• Austin Schaben, Dunlap, Iowa
• Takoda Kiser, Leon, W.Va.

The contest, facilitated by Livestock Marketing Association, was hosted by Saluda Livestock Exchange.

World Livestock Auctioneer Championship Committee Chair Kyle Shobe, Lewistown, Mont., said the second qualifying event highlighted both the talent of the contestants and the strength of the industry behind them.

“Our hosts did an outstanding job creating a setting where these auctioneers could showcase their skills,” he said. “Every qualifier gives us another look at just how deep the talent runs in this profession. It’s shaping up to be an exciting event in Galt.”

The 2010 world champion, Shobe, understands the opportunities that come with competing for the industry’s highest honor.

“Only one auctioneer earns that title each year, but the experience offers something valuable to everyone who competes,” he said. “The people you meet, the things you learn and the doors it can open can make a lasting difference in your career.”

One chance remains to qualify for the semifinals: Oct. 24 at Farmers Livestock Market, Oakdale, Calif.