How has the 2022 drought affected your forage production in the Southern Plains? That’s the question the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub and the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) are asking agriculture producers in the region to help answer.

Loans can be used to cover the cost of replacement equipment or livestock, the reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of some debts. The declarations cover large sections of Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as counties in other states like Maine, New Hampshire and New York.

The conditions in Oklahoma and Kansas especially continue to deteriorate. Wish I could say something positive. I guess we don’t have to worry about flooding at the moment.

These grant programs are for farmers, ranchers, scientists, educators, institutions, organizations, and others exploring sustainable agriculture in 12 states.

The verdict is notable for two reasons: it's the fifth consecutive such jury trial the chemical manufacturer has one involving Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, and the first such trial involving multiple defendants.

Researchers found that a 1% increase in no-tillage adoption within a county can increase agricultural land value by $7.86 per acre across 12 Midwestern states covered by the OpTIS database: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Using data specific to Iowa they concluded 1% adoption of no-till at the county level increases farmland values $14.75 (and possibly more) per acre inside Iowa.

Experts from Missouri and Iowa academic institutions weigh in on the benefits of no-till in this piece from Missouri Farmer Today. While almost all praise (and use) no-tillage systems, they admit the positive benefits (soil absorption, for one) are hard to quantify monetarily.