U.S. Department of Agriculture
NASS says incorrect acreage weights for irrigated and nonirrigated fields affected September corn yield estimates for Kansas, Nebraska and the U.S. The agency’s October forecast remains unchanged.
NASS identified a processing error affecting September corn data for Kansas, Nebraska and national figures. The agency says its October forecast of 181.2 bu. per acre remains unchanged, leaving questions about the yield jump.
Corn futures fell about 5% as USDA raised the national yield. Former USDA chief economist Seth Meyer says the data raises fair questions, but he doesn’t think sampling alone explains the jump.
USDA set new ARC/PLC enrollment deadlines this week and added 30 million base acres for 2026 and 2027. Economists say this gives farmers a clearer read on the programs, but warn against chasing whichever pays the most.
Tapped by Secretary Rollins, Kip Tom is building a faster, satellite-driven replacement for NASS’s aging survey system, one he says could turn monthly reports into biweekly ones by year’s end for multiple crops.
USDA says Trump’s executive order suspending phosphate duties could cut fertilizer prices by about 22%, saving U.S. farmers an estimated $1.82 billion annually across 97 million planted acres.
Corn acres hold at 95.3 million — exceeding trade guesses — while USDA reports surprising June 1 corn stocks at 5.29 billion bushels. Get the full breakdown of USDA’s June Acreage and Stocks reports and expert analysis here.
The Executive Order signed by President Trump Monday comes after years of farmer lobbying against phosphate duties, with Texas A&M estimating $6.9B in added costs since 2021 tied to sharply higher DAP fertilizer prices.
The change implements provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and updates long-standing Farm Service Agency rules that had capped many entity-based operations at a single payment limit.
USDA’s Great American Cotton Plan aims to boost demand for U.S. cotton through domestic manufacturing incentives, traceable supply chains and the Buying American Cotton Act.