May 15, 2026: Farmers Push Through Planting Season as Fertilizer Markets Tighten

Today on Agnews Daily, I was born and raised in Nevada, Iowa, so born and raised a cyclone and always been really connected to agriculture. So, grew up in 4-H and then I later went on to serve as a state officer in the Iowa FACE Association. So, it really stayed plugged in for the past couple of years. Back in my freshman summer internship, I worked with the Iowa Turkey Federation during key of even influenza, bird flu. So, luckily I was able to participate in quite a few of the policy discussions around even influenza. Welcome back to the weekly edition of the Agnews Daily Show, Delini Hall here in studio. Now, with Tiana Winterhoff today, we've got a new face joining us, Josie Kelly, our summer intern Josie. Thanks for being here in studio and filling in. Yeah, thank you for having me. We are excited to get to a little bit more about who you are later on in the episode when we do a bit of an interview and a deep dive, but before we get to that, let's get to some news. Warmer temperatures and scattered rainfall are expected across much of the Midwest this week, supporting continued planting progress following some recent frost concerns in northern areas. Frost was reported earlier this week across portions of the Northern Midwest and Michigan, but forecasters say the threat should largely come to an end after this week. Multiple systems are expected to move through the region over the next several days, bringing with it some periods of scattered showers, while maintaining generally favorable soil moisture conditions for field work, as we continue to see planting rolling around. Warcasters say that most Midwest producers should continue to see solid planting conditions despite occasional rain delays in some areas. In the northern plains, we should see some warmer temperatures and periodic showers are expected to provide some favorable relief as the balance of field work conditions and moisture conditions continue to weigh for producers, especially in that area as we do see some ongoing drought concerns. Meanwhile, hotter and drier conditions are expected to continue across portions of the central and southern plains, increasing stress on winter wheat and maintaining concerns over long-term soil moisture deficits that we've seen in areas, missing some significant rainfall. That's a look at some weather for this week, Josie, what about planting progress? Yeah, Delaney, so corn and soybean planting continues to move ahead of normal pace across much of the Midwest, according to the latest crop progress report. The USDA says 57% of the nation's crop is planted ahead of the five-year average of 52%. While soybean planting reached 49%, well above the average of 36%. Corn emergence also remains ahead of the schedule with 23% of the crop emerging compared to the five-year average of 19%. Soybean emergence sits at 20%, significantly ahead of the average of 12%. While Delaney, most major producing states are reporting strong planting progress as favorable field conditions continue across much of the corn belt. However, cooler temperatures have slowed emergence in parts of the upper Midwest and northern plains. This includes Michigan and North Dakota. Overall, producers are making rapid progress and staying ahead of the typical planting pace as the 2026 growing season continues forward. Well, that was a great look at weather. We'll be right back after these quick tips with Korteva Acro science. Hey, we're getting the critical growth stages here. We're corn growing from, you know, V6 to Tassel. Let's take up the majority of its nitrogen applications. Make sure you're considering using insert of an instinct to keep that nitrogen in the ammonium form as long as we can so that our corn plants get to use it. Nitrogen is a really expensive investment this year, so let's make sure that we get to keep it in our corn crop. Well, Josie, as we take a look at some policy news this week, President Trump has delayed planned executive orders aimed at increasing beef imports and supporting expansion of the US beef cattle herd. As beef prices continue to climb, the proposed measures would temporarily suspend tariff rate quotas on beef imports, allowing additional imported beef into the US at lower tariff rates. The administration has also planned to direct the small business association to expand lending opportunities for ranchers and reduce environmental protection for predators that threaten cattle herd. Certainly an interesting move this week, as we also saw the proposed actions come as US cattle producers continue operating with the smallest national herd in more than 75 years, of course, following years of drought, high-feed costs, and continued herd liquidation. The USDA is now projecting the US will import a record 5.8 billion pounds of beef in 2026, with most of those imports consisting of lean beef trimmings used and ground beef production. I saw this week as well. Many countries are limiting Brazilian beef imports as well due to some nutrition and health concerns, and I think the US was also on that list. So imports more coming, not from Brazil. In continuing our policy discussions, a federal trade court ruled last week that President Donald Trump unlawfully used section 1-2 of the trade act of 1974 to impose a 10 percent global tariff earlier this year. The US court of international trade determined that administration did not have legal authority under the statute to implement the tariffs, which have been introduced after the Supreme Court struck down a broader tariff plan. This ruling will block the administration from collecting the tariffs from Washington State and two companies involved in the lawsuit. So the court did not issue nationwide relief for other importers currently paying the tariffs, but this ruling could be referenced in future legal challenges. The Trump administration is currently expected to appeal the decision in the US court of appeals for the federal circuit. Section 1-2-2 allows temporary import surcharges of up to 15 percent for no more than 150 days during major balance of payment issues. Though challenges argued the law was not intended for broad modern tariff policy. Well certainly just one more story there as we continue to watch how that develops. And I know you mentioned you like policy, so we're glad to have your policy eye on the podcast this summer. Continuing on with some USDA related headlines, USDA employee union leaders say more than three quarters of researchers affected by the agency's planned relocations do not intend to move. According to a survey released earlier this week, raising concerns about staffing shortages and what those disruptions could do for agricultural research programs. According to the American Federation of Government employees, local 3403, 76% of surveyed employees at the Economic Research Service, or ERS, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture said they would not relocate from Washington DC to the Kansas City area. Union officials warned the move could lead to a 2019 USDA relocation. When many employees reportedly resigned or retired instead of moving, they say staffing losses could slow research, delay, university grant funding, and impact economic analysis used by farmers and policymakers. USDA officials say the relocation plan could improve efficiency in place agencies closer to agricultural communities, which really is what they've touted this whole time as why the move is happening to put the staff closer to those that they are supporting. So it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Yes moving on to some more policy news. The US House passed this week legislation allowing year-round sales of E15 fuel by 2018-203 vote. Supporters say the bill would expand domestic fuel options, support corn farmers, and help lower gas prices. While opponents argue it could raise costs for refiners and create environmental concerns. The legislation now faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Our report released earlier this week from the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute outlined the potential agricultural impacts of nationwide year-round E15 sales. FAPRI, director Seth Meier says expanded E15 availability would likely increase demand for corn and support corn prices, but could reduce demand for soybean-based biodiesel as more fuel markets share shifts towards ethanol. The study found farmers would likely plant more corn acres and fewer soybeans if nationwide E15 becomes available year-round while livestock feed cost could also increase as corn demand rises. FAPRI projects the nation's average ethanol blend rate could rise to about 13% by the year 2035. Yeah and I also saw that the American soybean association was someone against the year-round E15 that passed through Congress earlier this week so that will be interesting. A lot of folks are already responding to that online. A new partnership this week between Bayer Crop Science and BP could create new opportunities for midwestern farmers in the growing biofuels market. The collaboration will focus on commercializing Camelina, an oil seed crop used to produce biofuel, and a topic we've talked about here recently on the podcast so be sure to check out. I think it was two weeks ago our episode on Camelina. Bayer says Camelina's high oil content and lower input could provide it to be an attractive option for producers looking to diversify their operations and tap into renewable fuel demand. Come Many leaders say the partnership is aimed at expanding markets for biofuel crops while continuing to improve seed technology yields and on farm efficiency. We'll be back with more crop news right after this short break. Introducing this year's instinct next gen in NSERV Nitrogen Stabilizers, featuring the same leading active as always, and now announcing nothing new because our performance still leads every competitor. Our Nitrogen Stabilizers aren't new. They're proven with thousands of field trials and decades of experience leading the competition. No gimmicks, no empty promises, now that deserves some hype. Go to Quaritiba.us/hype to learn more. Fertilizer markets continue to tighten as rising global supply concerns increase costs for key crop nutrient and fertilizer ingredients. Prices for sulfur, ammonia, and urea have continued climbing as demand outpaces available supply. Starting additional pressure across the fertilizer industry. Shortages of sulfur, a key ingredient in phosphate fertilizer production, have become a growing concern as supply disruptions continue in the Persian Gulf region. Looking forward, the tightening supply environment has led to partial production, slowdowns, at fertilizer facilities, specifically in Louisiana and Florida, along with reduced fertilizer output in Brazil. Industry leaders say the moves are intended to reduce the need to purchase sulfur at current market prices, as volatility continues across global fertilizer markets. Analysts say tightening phosphate supplies could create additional challenges for fertilizer availability moving forward. Certainly that's the topic. We know Josh Lindville is continuing to watch so we will bring more updates as we have more developments in the fertilizer space as well. Looking at some news here this week around a grant program, the EPA Gulf of America division announced up to $50 million in new grant funding through its Farmer to Farmer program aimed at supporting conservation and regenerative agriculture projects across working lands specifically in the Gulf watershed region. The EPA says the program will fund farmer-led and farmer-focused organizations working to improve water quality, soil health, and habitat, along with long-term agricultural resilience through innovative conservation practices and producer engagement. EPA officials say the program is designed to help producers test and expand regenerative agricultural practices, while increasing farmer-to-farmer collaboration and data collection on conservation outcomes. The agency says improving soil health and water management through regenerative practices can strengthen long-term productivity and support the future of American agriculture. So certainly an interesting project there as we look forward to the future, Josie. Yeah, for sure. Taking a look at Smithfield Foods, they just recently released their 2025 Sustainability Report. Following progress in food safety, renewable energy, animal welfare, and community support efforts during 2025, company leaders say the report reflects Smithfield's continued focus on producing food responsibly while improving operational efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Among the report's highlights, Smithfield says it maintains zero product recalls across the United States operations for the third consecutive year and exceeded its 2030 food waste reduction goal five years ahead of schedule, with a 57 percent reduction in food loss and food waste. And company also reported continued investment in renewable energy production through methane capture projects, expanded sustainable packaging efforts, and impermanence in the overall transportation efficiency, thus eliminated more than one million fee delivery miles along the East Coast. Smithfield says it's helping Hungary Homes Program donated more than 16 million servings of protein in the year 2025 to support hunger relief efforts nationwide. Company officials say sustainability efforts remain centered in animal care, environmental stewardship, employee engagement, and strengthening local communities, Delaney. I'm glad you got that alliteration because that was a tight one helping Hungary have rid the last age already, homes, homes, I think you're right, yes. Well looking at some new data released last week from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, you know, we've got some news here from Kurt Blades, as he shows that US Combine Sales increased about three and a half percent in April compared to the same month last year, while Canadian Combine Sales jumped 42.7 percent year over year. Despite gains in Combine's agricultural tractor sales continued to decline. Both US and Canadian tractor sales fell 11.3 percent in April 2026 compared to a year ago. AEM Senior Vice President Kurt Blades says the number reflects the ongoing softness and uncertainty in the ag economy, but he added that progress on a new US Farm Bill is creating more optimism for longer term growth. Thank you Delaney, looking more in today's farming economy, Farm Banks remained a major source of financing for United States agriculture in the year 2025, according to the American Banker's Association, 2025 Farm Bank Performance Report released this week. Looking forward, Banks held nearly $212 billion in farm loans at the end of the year, representing more than one-third of all agricultural credit nationwide. The report found that 1,372 farm banks accounted for 122 billion in lending and continued to play a key role in supporting small and micro farms across rural America. The report also showed strong financial performance among farm banks in 2025, more than 98 percent were profitable, while Tier 1 capital increased nearly 8 percent to $59.7 billion. The report noted modest weakening and credit quality compared to historically low delinquency rates in recent years, but non-current agricultural loans remained low by historical standards. Well, Josie, are you ready now to turn it over to your interview for this week's podcast interview? Yes. And you edited your own interview this week, how was that? It was pretty good, definitely a learning curve. Well folks, we're excited to have Josie on the team this summer, and we're excited for you to learn more about her background and experiences and what she'll be bringing to the table this summer, so let's turn over to that interview with Josie now. Well folks, we're excited to introduce a very special guest this week on the podcast for our interview today. We're interviewing Josie Kelly, who will be our Agnews Daily Summer intern. Josie, thanks for being on the podcast and welcome to the team. Yeah, thank you, Delaney. So Josie, we're going to use the next 10 to 15 minutes to really get to know who you are, and then hopefully our listeners feel like they know you a bit more this summer as they see your face out and about and around on the podcast. But give us a little bit of the elevator speech, elevator speech on who Josie Kelly is. Yeah. So like you said, my name's Josie. I'm currently a junior double majoring in agricultural and rural policy studies in public relations. Here I was state. So heat of finals week at the moment, but I'm excited to get to know the Agnews Daily team and really get on boarded over this summer. Just like a couple of things about me, I guess is I was born and raised in the Veda, Iowa. So born and raised a cyclone and always been really connected to agriculture. So grew up in 4H and then I later went on to serve as a state officer in the Iowa FF Association. And so I've really stayed plugged in over the past couple of years. That's fantastic. And we like to see that you're getting outside. So you're enjoying some fresh air during the final season. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. A little stressful, but we're excited to have you join us and on the team, especially given your interest in policy. Yes. I know you have spent some time doing some different internships over your past few years and engaging on the policy space as well. Tell us a little bit more about what areas interest you and why did that area interest you altogether? Yeah. Starting back in my freshman summer internship, I worked with the Iowa Turkey Federation. And that was really during heat of even influenza bird flu. So luckily Grotto was able to really get me on board it and I was able to participate in quite a few of the policy discussions around even influenza. And then I had an internship with Senator Joni Erts last January until May. So I was out in DC for just under five months. Best experience ever. I really got to get hands on. I felt out of the ad policy that was going through Senator Erts's office, but then also experience what DCs like made me a lot more grateful for the Midwest, but also gave me a big travel bug. I tried to travel as much as possible when I was out there. Is there something in your past that sparked your love of policy and interest in that space? Yeah. So my dad growing up was on City Council just for about 12 years and then he was mayor of Nevada. for a couple of months. It was a short term, but just a couple of months. And when I was little, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. My dad was going to City Council meetings and he read his packet every other Monday night and I saw how important local politics was. So it really did spark something for me growing up. And then I participated in the Girl State program. If you're familiar with that at all, through the Women's Auxiliary and American Legion. And then from there, I took a, I guess you could call it an internship, but I participated in the Senate Page program. So I graduated essentially early for my senior year of high school, worked down at the Iowa State Capitol and then went to Iowa State to pursue policy and started doing all the things I just discussed. So it started when I was really little. There were some photos of me sitting at my dad's seat from when I was really, really young and then year we are today. So I guess my dad played a pretty big role in it. Yeah, it sounds like it. And what an opportunity to have some of those different experiences. And they know that the outcome probably wasn't what you were hoping for, but I also know that you ran for student body president and vice president with your running mate, Henry Rose, who is pretty well known in the Iowa Corn Growers circuit as well. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about what that experience was like running for student body government at Iowa State because that is a large student body. You have a lot of different, yeah, all the constituents or students that you have to represent and get to know very diverse population. Yeah, so I guess to preface last year, I served the senior director of communications for student government. So that was a cabinet position I had about a committee of about 10 students under me and then we had some senators on the committee as well. And I did all of the PR facing initiatives for student government. So I got to run a bus naming contest and I got to do quite a few different pop-up events in the marketing and stuff for that. And every single Wednesday, we sit and participate in in session in Senate. So student body president was something that I was kind of thinking about. Higher leadership has always been something that I'm passionate about. And so I ran with my running mate Henry. With that, we were at clubs and organizations every single night. But we had about two to three to in the heat of everything, seven to eight different meetings every single night that we were going to. So it was a really intensive one month, but it was a great experience that taught me a lot. Obviously the outcome wasn't what we wanted, but I've really been able to get involved in other ways here on campus and send. Does that mean Josie that you see a potential future career in some sort of political role, whether that's at the local level like your dad did or maybe at a state level like Senator Ernst? I don't know, we'll see. It's really what I'm thinking about it is where do I best fit it and how can I help? And if that's in a role like that, sure, I'd love to help as many people as possible, but if it's on a staff somewhere or doing something like that's why like communication so much is being able to inform the public of what's happening and why is what's happening in DC important and what's happening even in your local city hall of 410? Well, we're certainly excited for you to bring that perspective to the ag news daily podcast as well as you know, we cover a myriad of different topics and your expertise I think will be especially helpful when we cover so many of the different political topics that we do. Josie, how do you look to stay informed on all of the different news and policy headlines that are going on? What do college kids today turn to for their news and information? Yeah, obviously a lot of college kids turn to social media, but I think it's important that you dive a little bit deeper than just what you see on TikTok and Instagram. Obviously those are really good channels, but on taking advantage of informed reporting is really important in my mind. So podcasts like ag news daily, I listen to a lot of other podcasts as well that really break down what's happening. Reading the reading physical media, so like I will news dispatch is one that I'm always reading. Our capital dispatch or like what's actually happening in the capital and staying informed through those different channels? Yeah, I'd say a lot of people my age just turn to social media, so that's another channel that I utilize as well. Absolutely, certainly TikTok and Instagram, we find a lot of younger folks tuning in with us there, which we certainly appreciate and I think hopefully they're finding good and valid sources on those channels as well. Josie, as you look to your future, you're a junior, right? So do you have another full year or just a semester left after this? I have another full year. Okay, what are you thinking beyond graduation? I'm sure you're starting to get this question a lot and hopefully we can help you rule some things out or maybe find your path a little bit more this summer as well, but what do you think the future holds for you? Definitely staying involved in communications and PR work. My major is in public relations and I really do love the strategy that comes with communications and how do we reach and most amount of people as possible and really spread our message, so I'll be in the communications realm for a long time. Not a super straightforward answer, but doing something where I'm talking or riding or anything like that. Absolutely, what outside of policy and some of the other areas we've touched on, what are your hobbies outside of those pieces? Where can people find you out and about this summer? Yeah, I really love going on walks. You'll find me on the water. I get my kayak out, fight frequently in the summertime, reading a book, really. I just love to be outside, so anything that you can do while being outside, for sure. Fantastic. Well, hopefully we can find some opportunities to get you outside on the road this week with us this summer. Yeah. Josie, before we let you go, do you have any social platforms or channels that our listeners can connect with you on after they heard you on the podcast? Yeah, I'm on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Everything is at Josie Kiley, so all of that. Fantastic. Well, we hope that you folks will tune in with us this summer as Josie joins the team. Josie, thanks so much for the interview today and here's to the next few months together. For sure, thank you so much, Delaney. Delaney, what's happening in markets this week? Well, certainly this week a lot of attention was focused on the May-Wise airport, which was released on Tuesday. Now, the May-Wise airport is one of the biggest every year because it's the first official look at the 2026/2027 crop year. Here are where some of the numbers from that report finished up. Wheat finished limit up on Tuesday after the report, leading the charge for grains with a bullish-wise airport really across the board for all three. The report showed the smallest winter wheat crop in more than half a century, with the winter wheat crop coming in at 154 million bushels below the average trade guess that dropped the projected 2627 wheat ending stock estimates to 762 million bushels down from the 935 million bushels released this year. On the corn side of things, world ending stocks came in much lower than the trade expected at 277 and a half million metric tons, which would be the lowest on record since the 2013/2014 year. Ending stocks also came in below trade expectations as well, as the global carryout lowered due to US and Argentine bushels being lowered there on the WASD. It was also a friendly WASD report for soybeans, as ending stocks came in below trade expectations at 310 million bushels. Crush and demand were raised and exports were also raised. Global carryout was right in line with what the trade expected, so overall a very bullish report. We also saw the Wheat Quality Council's annual three-day tour this week taking place in Kansas, projecting sharply lower yields than last year for hard red winter wheat, so certainly that will add in some fuel to the headlines as well. And of course, across many channels we're seeing this week, President Trump and President G meeting in Beijing. There is a deal expected to finalize by the end of the week, but as we recorded on Thursday afternoon, nothing has been finalized yet. And lastly, as we look at energy, the WTI crude oil trade is trading near $102 per barrel, Brent crude oil at about $106 per barrel, so seeing some excitement in the energy markets as well as we continue to watch what's going on. In Iran, I saw some headlines this week. The ceasefire is not in sight. President Trump rejected a deal put forward by Iran earlier this week, so still going to see some continued excitement in the energy markets as well, at least for the foreseeable future. But that was ear for a show, Josie. How do you feel like it went? Went pretty good, in my opinion. Well, we are excited to have you on the team. We're excited to have our listeners see more of you. Hear more of you this summer. You can find us on social media. Josie will be on social media with us, helping to run it in the background, but also on camera in front of the camera as well. So find us across all major social media platforms and follow along with us. But Josie, here on the podcast. Yes, what do you say we let the people go today? Let's let them go.