Early indications point to strong payout year for Agriculture Risk Coverage County (ARC-CO), according to a new analysis from University of Illinois farmdoc daily researchers Nick Paulson, Carl Zulauf, Henrique Monaco and Gary Schnitkey. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has now finalized 2025 county yields for approximately 70% of corn counties and 71% of soybean counties.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a settlement with John Deere this past week, resolving a lawsuit filed in January 2025 by the FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The lawsuit alleged that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops from repairing equipment, like tractors.

The tight margins so many row crop producers have been navigating for the past few years aren't expected to ease quickly. Half of the economists surveyed in Farm Journal's June Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor believe it could take another three to five years before crop farmers return to broadly profitable margins.

There’s been no shortage of news that impacts the agriculture industry this week. Here’s a mid-week look around what's happening, from Capitol Hill shakeups to trade friction abroad.

The USDA July WASDE report came with surprises on Friday, with a larger-than-expected cut to corn stocks. New corn crop ending stocks were pulled down 170 million bushels (to 1.8 billion bushels) and old crop were down 125 million bushels (to 2 billion bushels), sending corn, soybean and wheat futures sharply higher on the day.

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the expansion of crop insurance coverage for forage producers with options that guard against both yield losses and price declines. Starting with the 2027 crop year, this new policy expansion will replace existing Actual Production History (APH) coverage in select counties across 12 states.

China has renewed import licenses for hundreds of U.S. meat processing plants, reopening the door for more U.S. beef exports. While shipments haven't increased yet due to record-high U.S. cattle prices and softer demand in China, analysts expect exports to strengthen later this year.

The USDA weekly Crop Progress report, released Monday, showed corn condition holding steady while soybean ratings slipped. Milder temperatures with widespread rain across much of the Corn Belt were key factors in the updated ratings, per DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

Midseason is one of the most critical windows of the growing year and CHS agronomist Mark Herz says the best thing you can do right now is get out in your fields and know what you are looking at.

Washington is stepping up to strengthen independent beef processing in the United States. Announced on June 30, the SPUR Program (Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers) commits up to $500 million to help eligible small and midsize processors stay competitive during a period of historically tight cattle supply.