Other Ag News:
(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2026) — Today, 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.
A new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule geared towards increasing healthy food options for families that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits has generated confusion for farmers, farmers markets, and other local food stores that accept SNAP or plan to. The rule is currently set to take effect on November 4, 2026. This blog post provides an overview of the updated stocking requirements and provides examples of how farmers and other local food vendors can continue to accept SNAP under this updated rule.
SNAP Spending Benefits FarmersSNAP benefits are a monthly cash benefit that supports families in purchasing staple food items. The program has evolved significantly over time from its paper food stamp origins to today, when families spend their benefits via electronic debit cards at a variety of in-person and online locations (grocery stores, farm stands, corner stores, online, etc.). For nearly three decades, USDA has implemented initiatives that encourage SNAP spending directly with farmers. While this spending is small relative to the total annual SNAP spending, these are nevertheless meaningful purchases for farmers and their communities.
2025 Highlights
Vendor Type Average Purchase Amount Total Value of Redemptions Direct Marketing Farmer $52.18$28 million Farmers Markets $34.13 $50 million All stores (including above) –$101.7 billionSource: USDA SNAP Retailer Management Survey; SNAP Key StatisticsAny farmer, retailer, or farmers market must apply to accept SNAP benefits with USDA. There are two ways, called Criteria A and B, that entities can qualify as SNAP retailers. Staple grocery foods1 comprise the majority of most farms’ or farmers markets’ sales, and these farms can qualify by Criterion B, which considers the overall value of sales. Criterion B is unaffected by the new rules. Farms, markets, or other local food stores that sell a significant amount of prepared foods, value-added items, nursery items, non-food items, or foods that are not considered staple foods1 must qualify by Criterion A. The new rules have stricter requirements to qualify by Criterion A.
Last year, the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA; formerly the Food and Nutrition Service or FNS) posted a proposed rule to the Federal Register to update the staple food stocking requirements for SNAP authorized vendors. In May, FNA posted the final rule that is poised to go into effect November 4, 2026. These new stocking requirements apply to retailers authorized under Criterion A only, and do not affect entities that use Criterion B. In order to be an authorized vendor, retailers’ inventory must include:
- Seven varieties in each of four staple food categories—dairy, grains, protein, and vegetables or fruits,
- Three units for each of the varieties, and
- One perishable item in three of the four categories.
For example, a store could stock the following dairy product options to comply:
- Gallon liquid dairy milk
- Half-gallon liquid oat milk
- Quart-size plain yogurt
- 16 oz block of cheddar cheese
- 2 cup bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cup bag of plant-based cheese
- 16 oz sour cream
The store would have to stock at least 3 units for each of these foods (for a total of 21 dairy units). This offering would fulfill one of the three perishable food category requirements. USDA offers an interactive calculator to visualize this further.
Minimal Impact on Farmers MarketsThis new stocking requirement does not apply to any vendor that utilizes Criterion B. Most farmers markets, farmers, and specialty local food stores, such as a butcher, qualify as an authorized vendor based on Criterion B. In order to meet this requirement, more than 50% of all sales must come from the sale of staple food items.
Below are a few examples of farmers and local food businesses and whether they would qualify as a SNAP vendor using Criterion B.
Local Business TypeProducts Sold Proportion of SalesMeets Criterion B Farmer ASeasonal vegetables (squash, tomatoes, corn) and pork (ground, shoulder, and other cuts) 20% vegetables 80% pork Yes 100% of sales are from staple foods Farmer BSeasonal fruits (raspberries and blueberries) and honey products (raw and whipped) 45% fruits 55% honey No Honey is not a stable food, and the majority of sales come from the honeyFarmers Market 5 vendors sell seasonal vegetables or fruits only 2 vendors sell cheese 1 vendor sells bakery items 1 vendor sells meat and soap 1 vendor sells coffee50% vegetables and fruits 15% meat 12% cheese 10% bakery5% soap 8% coffeeYes Even if the bakery items were categorized as accessory foods, the sales of vegetables, fruits, cheese, and meat are more than 50% of total salesFarm Stand (with ice cream shop) Seasonal vegetables (tomatoes, corn, peas, okra), assorted dairy products (butter), and ice cream 35% vegetables 8% butter 57% ice cream No Ice cream is considered an accessory food, not a staple food. There are insufficient sales of staple foodsMobile Farm Stand Seasonal vegetables (kale, lettuce, peas), Dried beans (pinto), Dried peas (field peas), honey 45% vegetables 15% dried beans 5% dried peas 35% honeyYes 65% of sales come from staple foods This information cannot be used for any final determinations. This is solely for information purposes.At this time, stakeholders do not anticipate significant impact on direct marketing farm operations or farmers market settings. However, these updated standards may impact the ability of corner stores and small, non-traditional grocery outlets to maintain their authorization.
To learn more, reference either the final rule or the latest guidance from FNA. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to: SM.FN.RPMDHQ-WEB@usda.gov.
The post Unpacking the New SNAP Stocking Requirements appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Air prune raised beds (APRBs) are built nursery containers elevated above the ground, consisting of one or more stacked wooden frames with a mesh bottom filled with growing media. By naturally pruning roots through air exposure, this system produces seedlings with stronger root architecture, higher transplant success, and the ability to grow large volumes of bare-root stock in a small footprint—no land ownership required. APRBs are adaptable to both urban and rural contexts and support high-density seedling production for a wide range of species.
Our Agroforestry project team worked with collaborators around the state to build APRBs and plant seedlings this spring. Now, they are ready to harvest! Join us for a workshop near you to learn techniques for overwintering beds with or without seedlings and how to plant/heel in seedlings into a nursery area or your garden.
- October 8 in Ithaca, NY — Join us at CCE Tompkins from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- October 9 in Franklinville, NY — Join us at CCE Allegany from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- October 13 in Kingston, NY — While the APRB workshop is closed, you can join an evening talk on “Solutions Inspired by Nature” at CCE Ulster from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- October 14 in Arca, NY — Join us at CCE Columbia and Greene from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- October 15 in Brooklyn, NY — Join us at the Opportunity Hub from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- October 16 in Manhattan, NY — Join us at the New York Restoraton Project from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- October 17 in Bronx, NY — Join us at Starlight Park from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- October 22 in Staten Island, NY — Join us at the Snug Harbor Botanical Garden from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- October 24 in Queens, NY — Join us at Smiling Hogshead Ranch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- October 25 in Irvington, NY — Join us at the O’Hare Nature Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for a combination mushroom cultivation and APRB workshop.
Additional topics will include strategies for seed collection and storage for planting next spring. Requirements for selling nursery stock in NYS will also be addressed along with marketing ideas. This workshop is ideal for producers seeking to diversify into a new, efficient tree seedling production system.
The sessions are led by Connor Youngerman, our Agroforestry lead. There is no charge for the workshop, however pre-registration is required.
If you are unable to join us for a workshop, but want to learn more about APRBs, we have a comprehensive fact sheet on our website. It covers the principles of air pruning, appropriate species to plant, siting, design, and more.
We also made a video on buildng your own bed, you can watch it below.
The post Join Us for Air Pruned Raised Beds Events Series Across the State this October appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.
Before changing any settings on your combine, however, Marion Calmer recommends first determining what is causing those kernels to hit the ground.
Calmer, an Illinois farmer and CEO of Calmer Corn Heads, has spent six decades harvesting corn and has worked with both Case IH and John Deere engineering teams. Based on that experience, he says there are three primary causes of butt shelling: genetics, moisture and corn head speed.
Three Possible Causes, One Likely Culprit
“It could be genetics, for one; some corn shells off the cob easier than other corn,” Calmer says. “Second, it could be moisture.”
Moisture can influence how easily the ear separates from the shank, he explains. Early in the day, when corn is wetter, more energy is required to separate the ear, potentially increasing kernel loss from the butt.
The third factor — and the one Calmer says he would investigate first — is corn head speed.
“I think 95% of the time, the problem is going to be the speed at which this ear corn hits the steel,” he says.
Physics at Harvest Speed
Think about what happens to a corn ear as it moves through the corn head, Calmer advises. At slower speeds, the ear moves through the head more gently. As speed increases, so does the force with which the ear contacts the metal components.
“If we run the head real slow, and that ear comes down gently, we don’t see any butt shelling at all because it’s not going to knock those kernels off the bottom of the ear,” Calmer says.
But increase the speed significantly and the result changes.
“If we were to exaggerate this, take an ear of corn and slam it down at 12 miles an hour, then you can see these kernels are going to start to get damaged and they’re going to start to come off the bottom of that ear of corn,” he demonstrates in a recent video.
That makes Calmer’s first adjustment a simple one: “If you’re trying to reduce butt shelling, the first thing I would do is slow the header down so that ear of corn doesn’t smack the stripper plate too hard,” he says.
Don’t Reach for the Wrench
That’s important because Calmer says farmers sometimes respond to butt shelling by immediately tightening the stripper plates. Instead, he recommends diagnosing the source of the loss before making an adjustment.
Penn State Extension’s guidance on minimizing corn harvest losses also emphasizes diagnosing the source of kernel loss before changing combine settings.
It says to start your evaluation process by stopping the combine and inspecting the ground behind the combine. If loose kernels are concentrated in the row, pick up several ears and examine the butt end. Missing kernels there are a telltale sign of butt shelling.
A Methodical Approach to Adjustments
If kernels are being removed at the corn head, check deck-plate spacing and corn head speed. Penn State notes that deck plates that are too wide can allow the ear butt to contact the stalk rolls and knock kernels loose. Dry, brittle or small stalks can make the problem worse.
Then make one adjustment at a time. Start with the corn head, adjust deck-plate spacing for stalk size and field conditions.
Harvest a short distance and inspect the ground again to determine whether kernel loss has improved. That approach helps identify the source of the loss before multiple settings are changed at once.
Lost Kernels can Become Next Year’s Problem
The concern with corn butt shelling goes beyond what is left behind in the field at harvest.
Every kernel lost at the corn head is grain that never reaches the bin. In a corn-soybean rotation, those kernels often become volunteer plants the following year.
A 2016 University of Nebraska study by agronomic researchers Chahal and Jhala found that one volunteer corn plant per square meter reduced soybean yield by 22% under the study conditions.
Volunteer corn can be particularly challenging to control because most modern corn hybrids contain multiple herbicide-resistance traits, adds Penn State. Controlling volunteer corn in soybeans can require additional herbicide applications, adding another layer of expense.
Lessons from Six Decades in the Cab
Calmer recalls that when he was young, corn was picked by ear, with ear separation occurring on the picker rolls. While modern corn heads use stripper plates, the goal remains the same: move the ear through the head without knocking kernels off.
“I’ve been harvesting for 60 years,” Calmer says. “My grandpa told me that if we don’t butt shell the ear, then we don’t have to worry about cleaning it up.”
The bottom line, he says: When kernels show up behind the corn head, resist the urge to immediately tighten stripper plates. Stop the combine, inspect the ears and loose kernels to confirm butt shelling, then consider corn head speed. Those few minutes of diagnosis could save bushels this fall and prevent a volunteer-corn headache in next year’s beans.
Watch Calmer’s video and hear all his recommendations at the link below:
(Washington, D.C., October 2, 2026) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking steps to advance the Trump Administration’s commitment to unleashing American energy and economic prosperity and is streamlining program delivery for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).
Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie first spotted the disease in central Illinois about a month ago and says it “has exploded” in some fields. He believes the timing of its appearance will likely limit yield losses in many fields, particularly where corn is far enough along in grain fill. However, later-planted or later-maturing corn could still be vulnerable.
“In many cases, it’s late enough not to cause big swings in yield,” Ferrie says. “But it needs to be identified if you’re doing corn-on-corn or no-till or strip-till practices that leave a lot of corn residue at the surface.”
The most common visual symptoms of Goss’s wilt include:
- Tan to gray-brown, elongated leaf lesions
- Small dark green to black “freckles” within lesions
- Water-soaked or gray-green appearance around advancing lesions
- Lesions expanding and merging into larger areas of dead tissue
- Rapid leaf blighting or scorching, especially in severe cases
- Shiny, varnish-like bacterial residue on leaf surfaces after dew or rain
- Lower leaves may show symptoms first, with disease progressing upward
- Severe infections can cause substantial loss of green leaf area during grain fill
Look beyond this year’s yield
Goss’s wilt is more than a harvest-time scouting issue; it’s one that farmers need to tune into as they look ahead to next season or two. The bacterial disease can survive in infected corn residue, making field history and residue management important when planning the 2027-28 corn cropc.
Ferrie says growers should document fields where Goss’s wilt is confirmed or suspected this season. That information can help guide hybrid selection and management decisions.
Ferrie is telling farmers who suspect they’re seeing Goss’s wilt to take close-up photos of affected leaves and share them with their agronomist for confirmation. Looking ahead to next season, Ferrie says farmers impacted by the disease should also consider using:
- Resistant Hybrids: Planting tolerant or highly resistant corn hybrids remains the single most effective defense.
- Crop Rotation: Rotating out of corn for two or more years into non-host crops like soybeans, alfalfa, or dry beans reduces active inoculum.
- Residue Burial: Using tillage practices post-harvest to bury infected debris helps accelerate breakdown and lowers future disease pressure.
Ferrie says Goss’s wilt is just one of several issues growers should continue watching as harvest progresses. Fields should be evaluated for problems that can influence harvest order, standability and yield potential.
Watch for:
- Premature plant death. Determine whether plants are dying from disease, stalk or root problems, drought stress or another cause. The reason for premature death can help explain yield differences and influence next year’s hybrid selection.
- Stalk and root strength. Walk fields and check plants for lodging and stalk deterioration. Fields with weak stalks or significant disease pressure may need to move up in your harvest schedule.
- Ear and kernel development. Later-planted corn may have more immature grain and could be more vulnerable to additional weather delays. Document differences between planting dates, hybrids and field areas.
- Tar spot and other foliar diseases. Disease pressure late in the season can help explain why some hybrids or portions of fields are finishing differently than others.
- Residue distribution. Harvest provides an opportunity to evaluate how much residue is left on the soil surface and whether your residue management may need to change ahead of the next crop.
- Standability. Don’t wait until lodging becomes severe. Identifying weak plants before they go down can help prioritize harvest and reduce field losses.
Urban farming is often portrayed as raised wooden beds or community garden plots on overgrown vacant lots in cities around the country. The more prominent, but untold story is how urban farming provides access to land for beginning farmers or those without the means to purchase it, or how these farmers creatively manage limited resources, rebuild soil health, and develop productive businesses with minimal federal support.
With stakeholder support, urban agriculture’s progress generated greater recognition of the need for formal and coordinated support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) – established in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill, P.L. 115-334) – has quickly grown in name recognition among urban and indoor producers, community gardens, and NSAC member networks. Funding for the Office and its programs has remained a top priority for NSAC Members since its creation. Earlier this year, NSAC touted the efforts of the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Urban Agriculture Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance cooperative agreements, a public-private partnership that utilizes community-based technical assistance providers to generate a farm to FSA pipeline.
Since 2020, USDA has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in promoting the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. OUAIP has awarded nearly 200 grants and 146 cooperative agreements in local communities across 43 states and Puerto Rico. It has dutifully implemented the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, delivering recommendations to previous Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and updating recommendations for current Secretary Brooke Rollins. It established 27 County Committees that focused on the unique needs of urban agriculture.
Yet as the federal government’s fiscal year comes to an end, there are an increasing number of reasons to believe that USDA is slowly undoing the progress it has made.Big River Farms, Marine on St. Croix, MN | land-based farmer training program Real Results for Farmers
OUAIP implements a number of initiatives, and one of the most visible is the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants. Since 2020, OUAIP has awarded roughly 200 grants of more than $50 million to community-based organizations, schools, local governments, and other stakeholders to design or implement projects that:
- Train farmers in production techniques suited for their unique environments and scale,
- Establish incubator farms or tool sharing programs that ease barriers for land and capital access for newer or beginning farmers,
- Develop youth or workforce development programs for aspiring farmers using indoor and hydroponic production technologies,
- And expanding access to nutritious foods through garden networks or improved aggregation systems,
- Or other activities that promote and increase the capacity of urban agriculture and innovative production practices.
One NSAC member, Sprout, received a 2024 grant to expand The New Orleans Growers Tool Lending Library. This partnership between Sprout and the New Orleans ToolBank provides affordable access to heavy-duty professional-grade tools to reduce cost barriers, encourage cooperativism, and support the viability of urban farms and community gardens. The partnership provides new and small-scale producers with access to a wide variety of agricultural and non-agricultural tools- from two-wheel tractors and no-till drills to ladders and chainsaws. Beginning, small-scale, and urban producers often have limited capital, storage, or experience with specialized tools. This program allows farmers to try out new production techniques and tools at low cost and reduce risks associated with storing costly equipment on-farm.
One Tool Lending Library member said,
“So far I have used the gas-powered t-post driver and a battery-operated chainsaw this year. I run a 3,000 sq ft operation. It would make no sense for me to buy, maintain, and store those tools just to use them a couple times a year. But those two tools turned full days of work into less than an hour and that is the type of efficiency I desperately need. Not to mention that they show you how to use stuff too!”
Two Years of Radio SilenceFunding for OUAIP is limited to what can be secured through the federal annual appropriations process, meaning that stakeholders must annually advocate to Congress in order for the program to receive any funding at all. As a result, funding can fluctuate over time, even to the point where it almost went unfunded in FY2024. Thankfully, with tremendous work from stakeholders in the field and in Congress, the program has maintained relatively steady annual funding since its first appropriation, including $7 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and $5 million in FY2026.
Unfortunately, the last time OUAIP made awards was in FY24. Congressionally mandated funding totaling $12 million has been withheld with no explanation from USDA. Investments for beginning or emerging farmers and community food systems are especially needed as farmers face limited access to USDA Service Center resources and families face higher costs of food and fewer federal benefits to offset those costs.
Recently, two dozen Congressional members delivered a letter to USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation Undersecretary Richard Fordyce and Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Colton Buckley requesting the release of the program funds along with an explanation for the delays.
Farmers Lose Their Seat at the TableThis year has been particularly challenging for farmers. In addition to higher input costs and loss of local markets, there has been a significant loss of USDA employees leaving county USDA offices short-staffed. This can lead to longer wait times for program applications or less capacity for staff to provide more hands-on assistance.
The good news: Local USDA Service Centers are equipped to be responsive to unique local conditions with regular input from farmers. Since 1935, Centers have offered opportunities for farmer leadership and oversight of local resources and program implementation, and since 2020, this includes dedicated opportunities to gather input from urban farmers.
The bad news: farmers and technical assistance providers affiliated with the 27 Urban County Committees have been notified that FSA will not be conducting elections for open seats this year due to an expiration of the pilot program. The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to establish urban and suburban committees to operate for no fewer than five years, but no language indicates that it must be limited to only five years.
The lapse of elections risks further underserving farmers in the local area and seeding distrust of the agency.
California’s two urban county committees have helped to inform our urban agriculture program outreach and implementation, and have identified how FSA programs can be integrated in the LA and Bay Area urban and peri-urban farming communities. These committee voices are invaluable, and the investment in these seats shows a commitment to the growth of our agriculture economy and communities, and to American growers, shared Keely Cervantes, Policy & Organizing Manager for Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
Solutions are in ReachBefore the end of 2026, Congress has an opportunity to address these burgeoning issues affecting urban producers.
The Senate Agriculture Committee and the House have indicated their ongoing bipartisan support for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and associated Urban and Suburban County Committees. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act (H.R. 7567) and the Agricultural Act of 2026 (Senate proposal) include nearly identical policy changes for OUAIP.
Both bills take steps to expand and improve the existing programs and initiatives, including:
- Directing OUAIP to develop resources for the unique conservation, resource management, and business needs of urban and indoor agriculture.
- Creating a new subgrant category within the existing urban and innovative production grants that funnels more funding directly to farmers.
- Permanently authorizing cooperative agreements with technical assistance providers.
- Removing the pilot status of the urban and suburban county committees.
- Expanding the scale of food waste and composting initiatives.
As a potential farm bill advances this year, these provisions are essential to the ongoing success of OUAIP. Additional changes, such as protecting the existing 27 named urban and suburban county committees and providing mandatory funding of $15 million annually, should be considered to safeguard previous efforts and allow sufficient funding to meet program demand.
The post The Uncertain Future of Urban Agriculture at USDA appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
(Washington, D.C., October 1, 2026) — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins today issued a USDA proclamation (PDF, 575 KB) to recognize October 2026 as the Department’s 62nd anniversary of National Cooperative Month.
If you want to enhance your business and technical skills to progress toward your farming goals, consider joining one of the Small Farms Program’s online courses during the live instruction season this fall and winter.
You will learn from experts and experienced farmers and gain practical knowledge on a variety of farm production topics, including berries, cut flowers, maple syrup, mushrooms, and more.
“The CSFP courses were key to us taking our small sheep farm from a dream to a now-profitable livestock operation. We couldn’t have done it without the help and knowledge of the CSFP course materials and instructors,” past student Henry O’Connor shared.
More than 32,000 students have taken at least one of our courses over the last seven years. Nearly 70% of those students who are actively farming decide to further invest in growing their farm operations after taking a course with us.
Don’t miss our next block of live instruction; enroll now and join us for webinars beginning the first week of November! See below for upcoming offerings:
Farm Woodlot Management: Assessing the Economic Potential of a Managed Forest
- Mondays at 6:30 p.m. November 2 – December 7
- Farmers and woodland owners need to recognize the potential values of their woodland. This course will teach you methods to assess forest resources and discuss common activities such as cutting firewood, harvesting logs for mushroom cultivation, and support for wildlife and long-term forest health
Poultry Production: Profiting from Layers, Broilers, Turkeys, and Ducks
- Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. November 3 – December 8
- Many new farmers get started with poultry, but the margins can be slim and farmers need to develop the necessary skill set to produce a product that is both safe and profitable. This course will help you get started with all the basic information to build a successful poultry enterprise
Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation: Growing Mushrooms on Logs, Stumps, and Woodchips
- Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. November 3 – December 8
- Mushrooms are an emerging crop with many benefits, including improving farmer stewardship of forested lands and the ability to offer a unique and highly desired product. This course trains new and experienced farmers in the background, techniques, and economics of outdoor mushroom production
Vegetable Production II: From Season-Long Care to Market
- Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. November 4 – December 16 (no class on Nov. 25)
- Continue where Vegetable Production I leaves off – expand upon production from transplanting to harvest, including information on in-season fertility, integrated pest management, weed control options, harvesting strategies, and tips for marketing your products
Berry Production: Getting Started with Growing and Marketing Berries
- Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. November 4 – December 9
- Explore the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, from growing to marketing the fruits, with our berry production course. This course will help you consider all the aspects of this decision, from varieties and site selection through profit potential and marketing
Cut Flower Production: Introduction to the Business of Flower Farming
- Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. November 5 – December 17 (no class Nov. 26)
- Flowers can be costly unless you have background knowledge on production techniques and a solid plan for selling them. This course will introduce you to the topics, resources and questions you’ll need to answer if you intend to operate a flower farm or add flower production to your farm
Intro to Maple Syrup Production: Sugaring for Profit
- Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. November 5 – December 17 (no class Nov. 26)
- Maple syrup production is rapidly growing around the Northeast and offers a sound financial opportunity to utilize woodlots. This course explores the range of possibilities of maple sugaring on your land, including “alternative” trees for production
Our growing team of online course instructors includes experienced farmers, extension educators, and agriculture service providers. The online courses are offered on a user-friendly platform, which grants registrants permanent access to their course content.
“It’s hard to explain how valuable the courses I took have become!” past student Arthur Shertzer shared. “The instructors couldn’t have been more knowledgeable, helpful and friendly! I couldn’t recommend the program more enthusiastically and I look forward to taking more classes in the future.”
You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.
The post Grow Your Production Skills With Farm Courses Starting in November appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.
“This is the earliest we’ve ever started,” Sheldon says.
That jump-start to the harvest season came despite the farm planting nine days later than its federal crop insurance date.
“We started the 19th [of April], and our federal crop day is the 10th of April,” Sheldon says. “So we were surprised.”
The combination of accumulated growing degree units and a hot, sunny August helped push the crop toward maturity faster than expected.
“So the GDU is piled up and it was 110-day corn. And it got ready faster than anybody thought,” Sheldon says, as he sits in his shed on a rain delay. “So I’m glad we were ready.”
Early Harvest Reveals Wide Yield Variability
While the crop dried down quickly, yields across southwest Iowa have been far less consistent.
“There’s some really good corn, there’s some average corn, and then there’s really tough stuff,” farmer Luke Sheldon says. “Just pretty variable at this point for the farms we’ve been over.”
Pat Sheldon has already harvested a couple of his earlier corn fields, giving him an initial look at yield potential.
“We picked probably our two poorest farms and some early season stuff and we were pleasantly surprised,” he says. “For most of it, about 225 [bu. per acre].”
Those fields are on very sandy soils near the Missouri River, which can make them more vulnerable to weather extremes. In a typical year with more rainfall and less heat, those yields would be nearly 15 bu. per acre higher.
“In a normal year where we got a lot of rain, we’d probably have hit 240 out there, so we’re not too far off,” he says.
Still, Sheldon isn’t expecting 2026 corn yields to surpass last year’s crop.
“I doubt it. They might be as good, but I would doubt they would be better,” he says.
Heat and GDUs Speeds Maturity
Southwest Iowa experienced high heat through much of August, along with relatively few cloudy days.
Sheldon believes the combination helped accelerate crop maturity, but he also points to improvements in modern hybrids as a reason the crop was able to withstand the heat.
“I told my son, you know, 25, 30 years ago, we did just get under at the end of August with the heat,” Sheldon says. “The hybrids have so much more vigor now than they used to, and they’re just better built.”
The season wasn’t without challenges, however. Cool temperatures after planting slowed emergence, resulting in lower plant populations.
“So stand counts are just down from years past,” Sheldon says. “Not a tremendous amount, but, a couple thousand maybe, which makes a difference.”
The area also avoided some of the heavier summer rainfall seen elsewhere across Iowa this summer. Sheldon says timely rain around pollination helped maintain yield potential, particularly in fields that were planted later.
Rain Puts Harvest on Pause
The early harvest pace didn’t last uninterrupted. Recent rainfall moved into the area, keeping farmers out of the field for several days and forcing Sheldon to put the combine on hold.
“We’ve seen it about five days, five or six days in a row,” he says.
And now they’re seeing more rain from the remnants of Hurricane Polo. Sheldon says the rain is putting harvest on pause, and setting them back, but he’s not overly worried. Despite the wet conditions, disease pressure hasn’t been a major concern.
“No, the disease pressure’s been really light,” Sheldon says. “We’ve had scouts working all summer, and the whole area’s been real low disease this year. Both corn and soybeans. Corn and soybeans both.”
Later-planted Corn Could Surprise
Planting date may end up being one of the biggest variables in southwest Iowa cor yields this year. His later planted corn acres are what are producing the biggest yield estimates.
“Some of that corn that the estimates were high on was later planted, probably the first week or 10 days in May, so we’ll see how that turns out,” Sheldon says.
That later planting could ultimately prove beneficial by spreading out harvest maturity and helping farmers avoid taking too much corn out of the field at once.
“We kind of liked how it split things up, you know, planting it that way, as far as getting things out of the right moisture without getting it too dry,” Sheldon says. “So we’ll see what happens. We may do it again if it works out well.”
Soybean Yields Face Heat Test
While rainfall timing benefited corn around pollination, Sheldon believes August heat likely trimmed some soybean yield potential. When asked ow hot it was in August and if he thinks the soybeans took a hit, he says it definitely will have an impact. He just doesn’t know how much.
“Yeah, I think it took some of the gravy off the top of the yields,” Sheldon says. “I think we’re still going to have really good beans, but you can’t look at a field and tell until you get there at the combine.”
Soybean yields on the farm typically average in the upper 60-bushel-per-acre range, with the best years reaching about 70 bu. per acre. Sheldon believes 70 bu. per acre soybeans could still be possible in pockets this year, but he isn’t expecting that level across the entire farm.
“Probably not across the board,” he says. “We’ve got some sandy ground that’s bean ground and they won’t be that good.”
For now, harvest is providing the first real answers after a growing season marked by late planting, heat, uneven stands and highly variable field conditions. And while the first fields have offered some encouraging numbers, Sheldon says the rest of the crop will tell the bigger story as the combines move across southwest Iowa.
You can follow along and discover other yield updates across the Corn Belt with AgDay and U.S. Farm Report’s Harvest Your Independence Tour.
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