Tuesday October 06 Ag News - Weekly Crop Progress Report - Farm Bill Expired on Sept 30 - Trump's Executive Order to Lower Diesel Prices - USDA Cheese Output Up 1.5% in August - Pig Livability Project Sees Expanded Funding - and more!

Nebraska Crop Progress - Week Ending October 4

The rain improved topsoil moisture, though deeper soils remained dry in parts of the state. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 07% very short, 16% short, 58% adequate and 19% surplus, while subsoil moisture rated 12% very short, 20% short, 55% adequate and 13% surplus.

Field Crops Report

Corn
Mature: 85% — ahead of 8the five-year average of 84%.
Harvested: 15% — 5behind the five-year average of 24%.

Soybean
Dropping leaves: 90% — 9behind the five-year average of 94%.
Harvested: 9% — behind the five-year average of 34%.

Winter Wheat
Planted: 62% — behind 76% for the five-year average.
Emerged: 38% — behind 40% for the five-year average.

Sorghum
Coloring: 93% — behind the five-year average of 99%.
Mature: 65% — behind the the five-year average of 72%. 
Harvested: 9% — behind the 17% for the five-year average.

Pasture and Range
Condition: 28% very poor, 17% poor, 29% fair, 25% good and 1% excellent.



Iowa Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

There were 1.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Oct. 4, 2026. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent short, 54 percent adequate, and 45 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent short, 61 percent adequate, and 34 percent surplus. 

Eighty-five percent of corn has reached maturity, which is 3 percentage points behind the five-year average. Seven percent of corn has been harvested, which is 13 percentage points behind the five-year average. Corn condition rated 72 percent good to excellent. 

Eighty-one percent of soybeans are dropping leaves, which is 9 percentage points behind the five-year average. Five percent of soybeans have been harvested, which is 33 percentage points behind the five-year average. Soybean condition rated 70 percent good to excellent. 

Pasture condition rated 69 percent good to excellent.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report

The nation's corn and soybean harvests are both running behind the five-year average, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

CORN
-- Crop development: Corn mature was pegged at 83%, consistent with the five-year average.
-- Harvest progress: NASS estimated that 23% of corn had been harvested nationally as of Oct. 4, 4 percentage points behind the five-year average of 27%. 
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 54% of the crop remaining in fields was in good-to-excellent condition, 3 percentage points lower than the previous week's 57%. Eighteen percent of the crop was rated very poor to poor, 1 percentage point above the previous week's 17%. 

SOYBEANS
-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 85%, 2 percentage points behind the five-year average of 87%.
-- Harvest progress: NASS estimated that 25% of soybeans had been harvested as of Sunday, 8 percentage points behind the five-year average of 33%. 
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 57% of soybeans were in good-to-excellent condition, 1 percentage point lower than the previous week's 58%. 

WINTER WHEAT
-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting was estimated at 36% complete nationally, 10 percentage points behind the five-year average of 46%. 
-- Crop development: Winter wheat emerged was estimated at 16%, 4 percentage points behind the five-year average 20%.



Farm Bill Expires at End of Fiscal Year

The latest extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired September 30. Many Farm Bill provisions were addressed during last year’s budget reconciliation bill (OBBBA), so those remain unaffected, including crop insurance and SNAP.

Additionally, programs such as ones included in the Commodity title and dairy won’t expire until December 31. However, uncertainty remains for programs such as conservation and rural development unless an agreement is passed. 

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman said producers should not expect an immediate disruption. He said the U.S. Department of Agriculture can take administrative steps to keep programs operating through the end of the year while Congress continues negotiations. That flexibility gives lawmakers additional time, but it does not eliminate the need for Congress to pass a new bill. Producers, lenders and rural communities still need certainty about the programs that will govern the next growing season.

Boozman is hopeful that (Farm Bill) talks will take place over the break that begins later this week and runs through the first week of November. GOP aides from the Senate and House have already started discussions, and bipartisan negotiations should follow, he says.



Pillen Thanks Trump for Presidential Executive Order to Lower Diesel Prices

Governor Jim Pillen is thanking President Donald Trump for taking action to ensure that heartland farmers receive even more relief at the pumps. The President signed an executive order at his much-anticipated rally in Grand Island tonight to further address rising diesel prices and assist farmers during their busy fall harvest.

The order clears the path for the temporary use of red dye diesel for highway use and defers the applicable federal excise tax.
“This action expands on state efforts I enacted by executive order just a few weeks ago. This will greatly assist farmers who are dealing with extraordinarily high diesel prices, impacting everything they do – from field operations to transportation of their products and livestock.

I appreciate that President Trump signed his order today in Nebraska. Agriculture is the tip of the spear in our great state, and we need to continue to do all that we can to feed the world and save the planet. President Trump knows that and we appreciate his support.”

Late last month Gov. Pillen issued a pair of executive orders – one to increase the load capacity of trucks hauling seasonably produced products and livestock. The second order authorizes the use of red dye diesel and provides a state tax refund for using clear diesel in ag operations and vehicles.



Rollins on Trump's Dyed-Diesel EO Signing

Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a statement on President Trump’s new executive order to provide relief for our farmers and ranchers by lifting taxes on dyed-diesel. Today’s action expected to represent approximately $640 million in combined federal and state savings across about 224.6 million harvested acres.

“President Trump is the most pro ranching and farming president in our lifetime. Energy dominance is at the core of putting farmers and ranchers first. This administration has unleashed American energy dominance, and we are now the largest energy producer in the world as a result. While the Administration has structurally changed the energy sector to secure the long-term future of agriculture, we are now taking steps to deal with short term pressures impacting our American farmers. Thank you, President Trump for signing today’s Executive Order enacting enforcement discretion on on-road use of dyed diesel, which will better enable our farmers to deliver America’s harvest during this critical time. And I want to thank Vice President Vance for his help shepherding it to the end.”



Farmers Grateful for Diesel Tax Relief 

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall tonight applauded the executive order signed by President Trump to ease limits on the use of tax-exempt dyed diesel fuel to give farmers a break.

"We thank President Trump for recognizing that what happens at the fuel pump directly affects what happens on the farm and therefore at dinner tables across America. Allowing dyed diesel fuel to be used over-the-road will bring welcome relief for farmers because every cent per gallon matters when you're running a fleet of grain trucks or hauling cattle hundreds of miles.

“As we detailed in a letter to the president last week, this effort will bring much needed price relief for farmers as they work to complete harvest across the U.S. The federal highway diesel tax is currently more than 24-cents per gallon, so it’s a big deal to farmers to be able to use tax exempt diesel more broadly to get their harvest to market. We appreciate that the president listened to farmers and responded.”



USDA Dairy Products August 2026 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 1.25 billion pounds, 1.4 percent above August 2025 but 1.4 percent below July 2026. Italian type cheese production totaled 541 million pounds, 3.7 percent above August 2025 but 1.7 percent below July 2026. American type cheese production totaled 477 million pounds, 0.9 percent below August 2025 and 0.6 percent below July 2026. Butter production was 187 million pounds, 6.3 percent above August 2025 but 0.9 percent below July 2026.

Dry milk products (comparisons in percentage with August 2025)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 132 million pounds, up 9.6 percent.
Skim milk powder - 28.9 million pounds, down 33.1 percent.

Whey products (comparisons in percentage with August 2025)
Dry whey, total - 75.1 million pounds, up 8.2 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 94.9 million pounds, down 1.3 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 42.8 million pounds, up 4.6 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons in percentage with August 2025)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 64.9 million gallons, down 2.3 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 36.7 million gallons, up 9.8 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 1.52 million gallons, down 11.8 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 2.68 million gallons, down 5.2 percent.



FFAR Invests To Reduce Swine Mortality

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the Pork Checkoff and industry stakeholders are investing $1,643,357 in the Pig Livability Project. The Pork Checkoff and other industry stakeholders are providing an additional $893,357 on top of FFAR’s $750,000 contribution. Led by Iowa State University (ISU) in collaboration with Kansas State University (K-State), the project seeks practical ways to reduce pig deaths in the U.S. pork industry.

Reducing pig mortality is a complex challenge influenced by animal health, management, environment and other factors throughout production. Identifying practical ways to address those factors can improve pig welfare while helping producers protect herd health and productivity.

“FFAR’s continued partnership with the Pork Checkoff, the swine industry and leading swine researchers is generating the science needed to better understand swine mortality and develop practical, cost-effective solutions for U.S. pork producers,” said Dr. Jasmine Bruno, FFAR scientific program director. “With margins under pressure, every pig matters.”

This collaborative project combines research, education and Extension at ISU and K-State. To complement that work and address key questions about pig deaths, the project also issued a competitive call for research. Today, the Improving Pig Livability Project announced $250,000 in funding for seven projects selected through that process: 
    Dr. Alyssa Betlach, Swine Vet Center: Association of periodic whole-herd antimicrobial administration and risk and time to sow mortality, removal, and clinical treatment events
    Dr. Katelyn Gaffield, K-State: Can a simplified, fiber-rich transition diet reduce stillborns and improve pre-weaning livability?
    Dr. Jordan Gebhardt, K-State: Barn Sanitation to Enhance Pig Livability: What do we know and what are we doing?
    Dr. Chris Puls, United Animal Health: Effects of sow and piglet blood hemoglobin and anemia levels on sow and pig performance
    Haley Schwecke and Dr. Alyssa Betlach, Swine Vet Center: Determinants of transport-related mortality in swine production: A multi-system meta-analysis of health, management, and transport-associated risk factors
    Dr. Eric Weaver, South Dakota State University (SDSU): Evaluation of Piglet Skeletal Development in Response to Late-Gestation Maternal Nutrition
    Dr. Eric Weaver, SDSU: Improving Sow and Piglet Resilience Through Multi-Cycle, Biomarker-Guided Optimization of Late-Gestation Nutrition

“The industry aims to improve the lives of our pigs and our people through this practical, collaborative effort to reduce pig mortality," said Dr. Chris Hostetler, Pork Checkoff director of animal science. “A 1% improvement in pig survival rates would add an estimated 1.2 million pigs each year to U.S. pork supply. Marketing these additional pigs could reduce the breeding herd by approximately 46,000 sows, allowing the industry to produce more with fewer environmental resources and less long-term feed and veterinary care.”

The Pig Livability Project initially received $2 million from FFAR and the Pork Checkoff, with each contributing $1 million, to fund swine livability research from 2019 to 2024. The research identified practical strategies to reduce pig mortality, including earlier treatment of sow lameness and improvements in nutrition, feeding and enrichment. It also produced the first free, publicly available tools that use farm-specific data to estimate mortality costs and the financial benefits of prevention strategies. In one trial, early assessment and treatment reduced mortality by 4.9% at a 4,800-sow farm — an improvement the project’s new economic assessment tool estimated could be worth $240,000.

The projects announced today build on these initial findings and focus on solutions producers and veterinarians can use.

“After working as a producer and seeing firsthand the impact of this project, I am now honored to help carry it forward from academia,” said Dr. David Rosero, assistant professor at ISU‘s Department of Animal Science and the Pig Livability Project’s principal investigator. “This project and collaboration are a unique effort that brings multiple organizations together around a shared critical goal of improving pig and sow livability. I believe that this is also a valuable opportunity for experts and producers to work together on research with meaningful impact.”

FFAR is investing in research to reduce swine mortality to improve animal welfare and increase producer profits, which complements the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research and Development Priority of Increasing Profitability of Farmers and Ranchers.



Increased Beef Imports Have Not Lowered Consumer Beef Prices
Bernt Nelson, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation

In late August, President Trump issued a proclamation to temporarily expand the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for lean beef trimmings by 300,000 metric tons for a period of three months. Beef began entering the U.S. under the lower tariff rate on Sept. 1, 2026. The proclamation “encourages” grocery stores to sell the beef at a 25% discount, without any retailer commitments or enforcement mechanism.

The Aug. 31, 2026, edition of In the Cattle Markets (ITCM) estimated some potential price impacts from the proclamation. These early estimates indicated a drop in prices for fed cattle between 1.5 and 3%, and a drop in cull cow prices from 5 to 10%.

Building on these estimates, data indicate losses for feeder cattle ranging from 300-900 pounds, averaged about 15%, or $300-$400 per head, across the country from June through September. Prices for fed cattle also fell during that period, with the five-area weekly direct slaughter price for all steers and heifers falling about $576 per head or about 14.5%.  

As indicated by Dr. Andrew Anderson’s Aug. 31 ITCM article, there is no clear way to measure how much of the imported beef will enter the supply chain during the 90-day window included in the proclamation. There is also no mechanism requiring retailers to sell beef discounted at 25%.

Imported beef moves through a lengthy supply chain that includes foreign processing and booking, transportation to the U.S., customs clearance, USDA inspections, and distribution to processors for blending. In addition, grocery stores and restaurants typically lock in pricing and promotions months before the product physically arrives. There is no mechanism enforcing who receives the tariff savings from this imported product. This means there is no guarantee the savings will be passed on to the consumer.

American Farm Bureau Federation tracked daily prices of 80% lean ground beef at 41 grocery stores in 22 states starting Sept. 2, the day after the proclamation went into effect. We selected a variety of chain grocery stores and independent grocers across America, in major cities to rural areas, to see how ground beef prices reacted to the additional supply of beef.

Across our sample, the average price of ground beef barely moved, going from $7.29 a pound on Sept. 2 to $7.16 a pound on Oct. 5 – a reduction of 13 cents or 1.8%. The chart above tracks the lowest, highest, and average price across all stores each day. The average line stayed nearly flat for three weeks, never rising above $7.38 or falling below $7.13, even as lower-tariff beef entered the country. Prices ranged from $3.99 to $11.99 per pound with the typical store charging $7.16 per pound.

Conclusion
The data suggests that increased beef imports have not delivered meaningful savings to consumers. While cattle producers experienced significant price declines, retail ground beef prices remained largely unchanged, highlighting that lower import costs do not necessarily translate into lower prices at the grocery store.