Agriculture

The proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern rail merger is shaping up as one of the most consequential transportation deals in decades. And US agriculture is emerging as one the most worried – stakeholder groups. While the railroads pitch a coast‑to‑coast network that boosts efficiency and reliability, farm organizations warn it could tighten an already constrained rail …

Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger on Collision Course With Ag Groups Read More »

John Deere’s new E98 8R prototype looks, at first glance, like any other big green row‑crop tractor. Under the hood, though, it’s running on something very different from diesel: fuel‑grade ethanol, about 98 percent pure. For row‑crop farmers who already grow the feedstock for that fuel, Deere’s prototype paints a possible future where your tractor …

John Deere’s E98 Tractor Tests a Farm‑Fueled Future Read More »

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down to discuss the current corn, soybean, and wheat markets and also provide their updated sales targets. There is some debate about the latest USDA data regarding new-crop planted acres. There are also discussions about the conflict in the Middle East, along with Kevin’s current …

Farmcon Conversations 04–01-2026 Read More »

Our good friend and ag entrepreneur, Matt Crisp, recently shared his thoughts about the state of crop protection and everything tied to it, meaning innovation, regulation, resistance, and the growing pressure on farmers. His thoughts are not about any one company or decision, but rather the structural issues and how agriculture might learn a lesson …

Why Farmers Are Still Waiting 40 Years for a New Herbicide Read More »

The USDA’s latest Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey shows that U.S. farmland is increasingly owned by older, non-farming landlords, with only a modest amount expected to change hands over the next five years. The findings highlight growing structural pressure around land access, rental markets, and succession as billions of dollars in …

Aging Landlords, Shifting Acres: Inside USDA’s Farmland Tenure and Transition Survey Read More »

Syngenta and Vivent Biosignals are working on a new way to help farmers catch crop problems earlier—by listening directly to the plants themselves. While the concept may sound hokey, it is grounded in well-established plant physiology.Plants don’t have nerves like animals, but they do use electrical signals to move information internally. Every plant cell maintains …

NEW Technology Could Allow Farmers to “Hear” Soybeans Crying Read More »

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down with special guests Gary Lezak, Founder and CEO of Weather 20/20, to discuss the upcoming planting and growing season weather forecasts and how Gary and his team is bringing unparalleled weather data and predictive analytics to the world of agriculture. Kevin and Todd also …

FARMCON Conversations 03–25-2026 Read More »

A “snow drought” in the upper Colorado River Basin is breaking records. Ski and winter recreation businesses have already been feeling the impact. However, the real pain may come later this spring to farmers and communities that rely on the critical waterway. The Colorado River basin spans parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, …

“Snow Drought” Imperils Already Dwindling Colorado River… Could Impact Agriculture in a Big Way Read More »

Regenerative agriculture is shifting from simply a marketing slogan to a hard requirement in many supply chains, and that change is slowly starting to reshape American agriculture. Coming out of Natural Products Expo West 2026, an event that drew roughly 60,000 attendees and +3,200 exhibitors, it’s clear that regenerative and regenerative organic (ROC) are no …

How Regenerative Supply‑Chain Battles are Reshaping Our Conventional Row-Crop Fields Read More »

Economists are worried about fossil fuel supplies as the military conflict in Iran continues to engulf the Middle East. But some are raising alarms about what they see as underappreciated risks to the world’s food supply stemming from the region’s dominance over global fertilizer flows. The conflict has already pushed fertilizer benchmarks higher, with nitrogen …

How Fertilizer Trapped in the Middle East Could Threaten Global Food Supplies Read More »