April 17, 2026: Planting or Waiting? Factors Driving Decisions and Tools This Season

Today on Agnew Staley. August and September have been very dry. So early planting probably showed a bigger premium. But also last year if you plan a diet, it's right now. If you plan the 16th or 17th in North Central Iowa, that's when the re-planager, because then it turned off cold. Well what's it going to do next week? It's going to turn off cold. Welcome back to the weekly edition of the Agnew Staley Show. What a painful week and an exciting week all at the same time. So you had to pay your taxes. Yeah, did you get yours done? They're done. Yes. I did not get a refund. We always had to file an extension. Wow, you're one of those people. I don't feel sorry for you at all. Some of our listeners though I do feel sorry for you. We have had waves of thunderstorms that have moved across the Midwest this week. Some of the heaviest rain hit the Great Lakes region that brought severe weather which slowed fieldwork in some areas, while others are finally seeing soil temperatures warm enough to start their planting. A strong cold front though will move in today into Saturday, which will follow a sharp drop of temperatures and widespread potential frost for Sunday through Monday. Conditions warm up again next week, but a slow moving system could bring rain and more potential planting delays. Farmers should stay alert as cold air may return late next week into early parts of May. Not heavy rainfall that we talked about across the Midwest is increasing flood risk which concerns also rise due to snow melt, repeated storms, now saturated soils. We're looking ahead now at long range models that are pointing towards an El Niño pattern developing by summer for 2026. Most models suggest it could be strong even a super strength with a couple indicating the potential for one of the strongest on record. We'll be back with more news after this week's tip with Cortiva Agro science. Hey folks, as you think about 2026, be thinking about residuals and why we utilize them in any of our crops. We need that free emergence activity up front to give us more flexibility in season, but it doesn't stop there. We also need to think about in season residual to really guess all the way to Campy Closure. Make 2026 successful with pre-emerge herbicides. Those tips are great Delaney and around here we have a plant to to seed and I'm getting snapchats from folks in Indiana and Northwest Iowa saying they've almost finished planting. Certainly. Certainly a lot of ponding especially here in central Iowa. The USDA, however, said some progress continued to happen even though we're seeing a lot of rain in the Midwest and the plains. This week's crop progress report released on Monday says 5% of the corn crop is planted, which is slightly ahead of the five-year average of 4%. soybean planting is off to a fast start with 6% complete compared to the 2% average this time of year. Most of that progress of course is happening in the southern and southeastern US, not here in the central corn belt. Not here over 5 inches of rain where the studio sits this week and hopefully not but probably more coming this evening. Well the agricultural economists say that more farmers are turning borrowed money, turning to borrowed money to keep operations running. Jackie Fatka said with Cobank said in a report last week that many producers built up working capital in 2022, but most of that cushion is now gone, which is leading to increased reliance on operating loans and lines of credit. Fatka says that 2025 operating notes have been rolled into 2026 for some due to low commodity prices though most farmers have and do remain confident in repayment. She adds that high fertilizer costs are pressuring finances with some producers cutting back on inputs. In response, she told Brownfield that more cooperatives, ag retailers and equipment companies are stepping in and offering financing options. Always interesting to get those articles reported on Delaney to see where the state of the ag economy sits. We've got some new soybean management guidelines. Soybean system nematode or SCN is not only a threat to soybean yields, but the collision has expanded their outreach to new soybean nematode management guides. They're here to help farmers identify and manage multiple yield robbing pests including root knot, root lesion and reniform nematodes. Each species impact on crops will be different, making the management more complex rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. This has been backed by the United soybean board and university researchers. These guides offer practical science-based tools like soil testing, crop rotation, resistant varieties, and seed treatments, experts say, by taking a proactive and integrated approach, they're able to help farmers reduce nematode pressure, protect yields and better manage long-term crop predictivity. You can always get more information and that can be found at the scncoelition.com. I do remember having a conversation with them last year on a podcast interview and it does seem like that multi-pronged approach to your best answer. Well, taking a look at some trade news this week, a US wheat industry leader recently joined a USDA trade mission to Vietnam highlighting strong export demand during a record yield for American wheat sales. The US wheat associates president and CEO Mike Spear was one of the delegations that met with government and industry leaders to strengthen trade relationships and expand market access this past late March. Vietnam, as we know, is a growing market for the US and a fast-growing market at that, with purchases reaching about 586,000 metric tons this marketing year, up 3% from last year. Industry leaders say rising demand for baked goods and processed foods is creating long-term opportunities making continued trade partnerships key to staying competitive in Southeast Asia. We'll be back with more news right after this short break. Farming comes with trade-offs. An extra pass means dinner in the cab, an early morning becomes late night. Unnecessary restrictions turn into headaches. But when you make and list herbicides the foundation of your herbicide program, the trade-offs will be in your favor. Effective weed control is ready to work when you are. Flexible tank makes options and neighbor-friendly applications, all without the need to jump through hooves. See what yield gain with America's most trusted herbicide system protecting your enlist E3 soybean fields at list.com. USDA is investing in specialty crop programs. They're boosting support for specialty crop producers and announced more than $275 million in funding for this fiscal year, 2026, through programs like specialty crop research initiative and specialty crop block grant program. This week, officials say that this increase made possible by the working family's tax cuts, more than doubled research funding, and expand support for multi-state and block grant efforts. Secretary Brooke Rollins says the investment will strengthen research and innovation, including $20 million that is focused on mechanization and automation. Automation Delaney. USDA has also extended their sign-up period for specifically crop assistance, specialty crop assistance, emphasizing the importance of continued support for producers as demand for specialty crops grow. Almost butchered that entire story. You certainly did. But I think we got the message across. Well, keeping on with the USDA headlines, lawmakers at the House Appropriations Committee Race Concerns this week about the proposed USDA staffing cuts in the president's upcoming budget, warning they could disrupt services that farmers rely on. Critics say these reductions, including potential cuts to the FSA offices, the NRCS offices, could lead to longer wait times, fewer resources, and delays in accessing key programs. Again, Secretary Rollins out on the front says efforts like the one farmer, one file initiative, which he talked a lot about at commodity classic this year, are improving efficiency, but more than 500 producers are urging Congress to maintain staffing at current funding levels. They warned that deeper cuts could weaken conservation programs and limit support time. At a time when farmers are already facing high costs, volatile markets, and weather challenges. So certainly a lot to account for there. And the USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service this week launched a new national feeder and stocker cattle dashboard, giving farmers and ranchers a more interactive way to view market data. This new tool provides visualized information on prices, volumes, and market comparisons, and a more what they say user-friendly format. Producers can customize filters by date, region, sale type, class, and wait to focus on the data that's most relevant to their operations. This dashboard is part of a broader effort to modernize USDA market news tools and will eventually replace traditional text and even PDF reports, Tanner. So maybe things like cattle on feed report will be replaced eventually by tools like this. It's nice to see there being some improvements made to USDA systems, but they're also busy on the seafood front. The U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have announced the creation of a new office of seafood. This week it is designed to improve access to programs for fishermen, seafood producers, and processors. Leaders say that the office will focus on simplifying the navigation of federal resources and strengthening the coordination across agencies to support the U.S. seafood industry or U.S. seafood vandal. I love seafood. Me too. So I'm glad to see the Secretary Brook Rollins stated that the effort recognizes fishermen as a key part of the nation's food supply and on a broader rural investment priority. Officials add office say that the support of implementation of President Trump's executive order on restoring seafood competitiveness and expanding domestic and export opportunities. Not very often do we report on seafood? No certainly. Maybe we should bring samples in next time. Well, U.S. Trade Court last week on Friday reviewed the legality of President Trump's proposed 10% global tariff, which is already facing multiple legal challenges from states and businesses alike. The issue is whether the administration can impose the broad tariff under section 122 of the Trade Act, a rarely used authority for temporary import duties that has never been tested at this scale. Opponents argue the measure exceeds presidential authority and could disrupt global trade, while administration attorneys say it is lawful and needed to address trade imbalances. The case follows, of course, a February Supreme Court ruling that struck down earlier tariffs imposed under emergency powers, reinforcing that Congress holds authority over taxes and duties and raising broader questions about the future of U.S. Trade policy. It's always fun for me to find out what policy numbers exist from a long time ago that you didn't even know where they're in place. One thing that we do know is in place is Congress. They're back in session following a two week recess, so the Renewable Fuels Association is ruining its push for legislation to allow year round E-15 sales. The group says expanding access is important as fuel prices remain elevated and farmers continue to face economic pressures. RFA President and CEO Jeff Cooper says that Congress should act quickly on long promised legislation, noting that the rising demand for E-15 in recent gains in sales. The Association has also released updated resources and market data, including an analysis showing that E-15 sales rose 23 percent in 2025. You got more fuel updates, Delaney? I certainly do as a major airline is reportedly scaling back its 2030 sustainable sustainability targets tied to the use of sustainable aviation fuel. Bloomberg and Reuters reported this week that Delta Airlines has removed its goal of sourcing 10 percent of jet fuel from staff by 2030 and has removed its net zero commitment for 2050 as an aspiration rather than a goal. Delta says it still views staff as a key tool to reduce aviation emissions, but notes slow development is limiting progress. Staff remains significantly more expensive than conventional jet fuel, and industry groups say supply constraints and limited policy incentives continue to challenge broader adaptions. So a little bit of a blow there to folks that were waiting on that big piece of headline to grow the renewable fuel space as well. Yes, and we've got some updates coming from the Texas Agricultural Commissioners, Commissioner Sid Miller. He's warning that livestock producers after confirmation of the Northern most detection of the new world screw worm in Nueva, Leon, Mexico, about 90 miles from the U.S. border this week. He says the finding possesses an immediate risk to Texas livestock and the broader food supply chain. Miller has and is urging producers to closely monitor animals and report any unusual symptoms very quickly, stressing that early detection is critical to preventing a large outbreak. He adds that while federal and state coordination is underway, additional action may be needed to contain this pest at its source. The U.S. does have sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburgh, Texas, but it does not yet have a full production facility online and continue to rely heavily on operations in Panama and Mexico, including one expected to come online this summer. A larger sterile fly production facility is also under construction in South Texas, but is not expected to be fully operational until next year. Hopefully we get that contained in under control Delaney. We don't want to report on that one again next week. No, but he's certainly up to applaud him. He's staying very vigilant on that update. We see a lot of updates coming from Sid Miller. Taking still a look at some beef headlines and Greeley Colorado this week, we saw JBS has a two year agreement with the world's largest meat packer covering nearly 3,800 employees. Both companies and the unions say that the deal mirrors JBS's offer before we went into a month-long strike. The agreement includes wage increases of nearly 33% over two years and protects workers from paying their own personal protective equipment. It also helps shields employees from rising healthcare costs. As part of the settlement united food and commercial workers local seven will withdraw seven unfair labor practices against JBS following the recent contract negotiations. Well, leaders in Oklahoma for the cattle industry are expressing strong disappointment after the federal court there rejected a proposed settlement last week with long running state of Oklahoma versus Tyson Foods Inc. case that involve poultry litter use in the Illinois River watershed. Quite interesting to see the combination of topics in this headline, but the Oklahoma Cattle's Association and National Cattle and Beef Association say the decision could have implications beyond poultry producers. Warning that it's impact on livestock operations that rely on winter management practices. The groups say that that are criticized the case as relying on outdated data not reflected modern conservation tools such as nutrient management plans and improved efficiencies. The groups also added that the ruling increases uncertainty now for farmers and ranchers that could undermine confidence in nutrient management plans as a compliance tool going forward. So we'll continue to get updates on that if anything changes. Well, we got an update this week on March tractor and combine sales according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, US sales of agricultural tractors and combines declined in March of 2026 compared to the year earlier. Reflecting, of course, continued pressure in the ag economy. Tractor sales fell 9.1 percent year over year while combine sales dropped 25 percent with the steepest decline in 100 plus horsepower tractors, which were down nearly 25 percent. The downturn also extended into Canada where tractor sales fell about 16 percent and combine sales dropped 61 percent. AEM's Kurt Blades says the numbers reflect ongoing softness in the ag sector, though he notes continued investment in equipment modernization and technology points to the long-term strength in the industry. We've got an interview to share with you this week on the podcast and we're talking all about seeds with founder and CEO of Miller hybrids Bob Miller. Let's get into that conversation with him right now. Well folks, we are excited today to be chatting with the founder of Miller hybrids Bob Miller. Bob, thank you for joining us on the podcast today. We're excited to learn more about your story and some of the things you're watching this year in the seed industry. Thank you for having me. So Bob, I would love to dig in before we talk more about what you're seeing in seed selection and trait selection this year. Give us a little bit of the background of how Miller hybrids came to be a business that we recognize today. Well, I've always been interested in farming and I've had three different farms. Twenty-one years ago, I decided I'd worked for Decalben's Ingentin. I was ready to leave the corporate culture and I said I'm going to read corn for myself, which is an average farm rather than just pristine the top 10 percent and then hopefully work on the rest of the acres and so we started Miller hybrids and we started a collaborative research agreement where we developed hybrids in a very unique way. Basically, choose a lot of different variable soils, say in the gumbo, even a regenerative egg location and breed all the corn in eight row plots harvesting middle four. So it's the hybrid only competes with itself and that's leading us to more of the some of the smaller upright style plants that have really stood the test of time. They stand better in the wind, they've got better root system, easier to spray, coat the whole plant with pungicide and they breathe in the heat and so we've got a unique lineup of material we develop plus relicings from foundation seed companies as well but we test all their products the same way we develop ours and the big difference in research is most people do all their breeding with the competition genes and in other words the neighbor effect is still key during their selection and then at the end maybe they'll make sure corn was dwarfing genes or something. Well, I want God to do it. I'm too stupid to figure it out in trying to figure out, you know, the taller hybrid, shorter hybrid thing isn't really that important. It's more the leaf angle, it's more the disease, the roots, the pollen, all these things interact and the more you can be in pure stand, the more accurate you are predicting good hybrids for the farmer. Yeah, you're talking a lot about resiliency, but before we dive deeper into the hybrids, where were you at? Where's Miller hybrids located? We're just south of Iowa City, Iowa, and we test in Illinois, in Iowa, selling little Michigan, but mostly Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and adjacent states. Well, we know that ag producers, especially row crop farmers, and those of all types are extremely resilient because they need to, and ultimately right now facing tough commodity prices with tough rising input prices, there's probably a lot to be said about partnering with seed company that develops resilient hybrids. What are you hearing from producers in your area? Well, I think that's what we're hearing. I mean, we're out the second year in row, about 20% each year in sales and corn, and I know some people are struggling. One thing we've done is said, okay, what can we do the best to be other people? And one is conventional. We're over 50% conventional. We're putting traits in things we developed in their agriculture traits, and that's a bit of a challenge because agriculture hasn't had that good footprint in the past, but it's all about the genetics, and then you can put traits in with it. So we're able to go to market a little more price-competitively than some other companies, because we've developed our products and we can even sub-licens them through other companies. So it's kind of exciting time for us. It's a little different, I think they're in a seed industry as a whole. Small companies are struggling a bit because of the royalty structure. Now, Bob, you mentioned conventional crops. So I'm glad to you brought that up as well. I'm curious to understand when you look at the seed sales that were done here for the 26th growing season. Did you see a lot of farmers shifting the trait packages that they were purchasing, looking for lower cost items to help with, just the margins that they're facing. What was the shift that you saw this year, if any? Well, one of my biggest sales territory, the salesman's based in Sioux Falls, and he's 80% conventional. And we could not compete with D.K. Albin Pioneer in that market for his own mostly trades. A good example, he talked to me this morning. He got a guy wanting to buy 600 more bags of conventional corn. He can't find it anywhere. And we have some. So the opportunity is there. The other thing is that if you can control the weeds and control the insects with herbicides and insecticides, conventional corn is the most competitive for our ROI. And you need our ROI right now. So it's really, I don't think most people have shifted a lot because they don't have that seed, you know. They were locked into the idea that the only way you can make money is. The GMOs have made the yield. Well, we have a lot of data to say that in some cases you need the GMO. In some cases, it's crashing a lot of money in that developing a better ROI for you. It is important to pay attention to that. I just reported on the weather early on in this show. And we've got a significant amount of rain in Central Iowa. There's obviously been a band that pushed and kept a lot of producers out of the field. How important is it to be timely with getting our corn in the ground this year or water producers in your customers doing with managing this weather? What's interesting is South Dakota's really dry in Northwest Iowa and there's some farmers done already. Southern Illinois, Central Illinois, we have a guy in, they call Cassie. I would call Casey, but Illinois. And there's a bunch of farmers done down there. But if you look at the rest of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, it's going to be a later spring. But I have tested a lot of things all the way through the 20th even Memorial Day and seen potential for 300 bushel yields. I think we overreact to the year effect. And the last few years, August and September have been very dry. But also last year, if you planted, I think it's right now. If you planted the 16th or 17th in North Central Iowa, that's when the re-plant occur. Because then it turned off cold. Well, what's it going to do next week? You know, it's 36 low on Monday in our area. Well, corn just doesn't like sleeping at 36 degrees. It's just soybeans can tolerate it. And we sell soybeans as well. But that's, I think you can rent all the statistics you want. But tell me what the weather will be, and I'll tell you when you got a plant. And so I don't mind spreading it out. I don't like it all pollinating in three or four, ten or even five days where maybe it'd be 95 degrees. To make a long story short, I think anytime between now and middle of May, you've got potential for a very good core. Certainly, the neighbor effect maybe has a little bit to play into that as well. If you see your neighbor's rolling, you get it, you go as well. Bob, I want to switch tracks a little bit here and talk a bit about the Miller hybrid philosophy. Because I think it's something unique you bring to the market. It's something you're very passionate about. Tell us what that is. Well, it's just the idea that we want to make the farmer the most money on his farm. And so I have a hybrid one time that I gave to a competitive dealer and he planted across ground that was very variable. And he took his most stable hybrid, supposedly, that would work best on that in ours. And ours stay green going across the tougher soils and theirs turned red. And so we ended up averaging 293 on that field with what I'd call a workhorse hybrid. And that was a CSR, if you know CSR2 in Iowa, it was about 66 on CSR. And it was harvest nearly September. It was planted in April. But that's my goal is hybrids that give you stability across a lot of conditions. And one of the challenges that the breeders have been doing is they want precision. And the only way you get that is to test in a very, very stable, you know, team of musketeen, the best soil you can find, and test in one maturity band. Well, we test in three maturity bands. So the down south they call it 700. That'd be 115 day type here 110 day type in north 105 day type. Those environments were testing that every year. And that way, if we have a short season year, the year effect doesn't hurt us so much because we've already tested it to far north. Or if we have a long season year, we've tested to far south. And so we've had some hybrids I launched in 2006. Actually, one I had on my farm last year at average, two 62 in Timber soil. And I, I launched it in 2006. So they say, and it was conventional. So they say it's all about GMOs. Well, that's a good sales pitch. But that's my difference. I think what we want to do is work with farmers to allow them to have the highest yield on a farm basis and forget about plot yields. And a lot of them get distracted by looking at plots in perfect conditions and assuming that will work on their farm. Oftentimes, that's really not a very smart idea, you know, or the real hot hybrid from last year because last year is different. You know, it's kind of cool not to have one fail. And that's why hybrids die early as they fail. You know, they, they know what they'll do in good conditions, but what happens when it's right. You know, well, go, do well. That's our philosophy is let's work with farmers to make more money and we'll make more money. That is a, a very unique philosophy. And I'm glad that you're, you're sticking to that and able to carry it out, Bob. If our listeners want to get in touch with you or learn more about the hybrids that you have to offer, how best do they do that? Well, they can call our telephone number or go on the website at MillerHybrids.com. Telephone number here is 319-656-2532, or they can call my number, is 319-3256158. And we're wholly on my wife and I, and I'm trying to figure out transition plan with some key employees that will go forward with this, but we do things differently in terms of breathing. We also feel we're closer to the farm than a lot of seed companies, and we're less responsive to winning clots and more responsive to the better farmers have way wagons with green, I mean, not way wagons, but green cards with the scales. Tell me how it yields you farm. That's what I care about. And that's absolutely. It's very good to meet with you today. Thank you so much. Yeah, Bob, it's been a pleasure, and we'll talk to you again pretty soon. Thank you. In this week's fertilizer update, the United Nations say diplomatic efforts are increasing for a UN-led plan to ensure safe passage of fertilizer through the straight of her moose. Global supply chains remain disrupted by six weeks of conflict in Iran. Reuters reports that tanker traffic through the straight is down more than 90% raising concerns about fertilizer shortages. Also, an American Farm Bureau Federation survey released this week found that 70% of farmers say that they cannot afford all of the fertilizer that they need for this year. That survey shows a sharp regional difference with higher strain in the south and northeast while the Midwest shows more pre-purchasing. Well, that's an idea of what's going on in fertilizer. Delaney, what are we seeing in the rest of the commodity markets? Well, this week we saw soybean imports up 14.9% in March year over year, but below expectations do to delayed Brazilian shipments. Prices are volatile, lower exports and trade uncertainty are offset by some optimism around U.S.-China relations, their ongoing meetings, and some global tensions potentially easing. When we look to the larger grain market, wheat leading early gains this week corn and soybeans mixed to higher after volatility early in the week. And certainly all of the attention is going to be focused on planting progress, especially as I think folks here in Iowa and the central corn belt probably aren't going to start until early May I want to say at this point, depending on how much more rain we get. So that's going to be a big focus of the market moving forward. But like the episode started, we've got to get out of this weather pattern for something to change, otherwise it feels like every couple of days we get precipitation. So good for those folks that are out and about making progress, but I have heard concerns about that lingering drought in some areas. So we'll be neat to get updated headlines for you, so make sure you come back next week, check us out on our social media channels for daily clips of what we reported on. But for today, what do you say? Should we let them go? Let's let them go.