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Markets were lower except for hogs on Friday. Corn Closes Below $5 Dec corn futures ended 4 1/2 cents lower on Friday at $4.97 3/4 and was down 30 1/2 cents for the week. Dave Chatterton of Strategic Farm Marketing says Dec corn closing below $5 was bearish and a function of the market’s disappointment regarding the lack of details on China’s $17 billion of other ag purchases and USDA’s larger than expected quarterly stocks.

Loose kernels behind the corn head represent more than harvest loss. They can also create a volunteer-corn problem in next year’s soybean crop. Before changing any settings on your combine, however, Marion Calmer recommends first determining what is causing those kernels to hit the ground. Calmer, an Illinois farmer and CEO of Calmer Corn Heads, has spent six decades harvesting corn and has worked with both Case IH and John Deere engineering teams.

Torrential rain has parked combines across the country this week, and a record-setting El Niño is a big part of the story, says Eric Snodgrass, senior science fellow at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Lincoln, Nebraska, set a new daily precipitation record this week, measuring 10.4 inches of rain. That’s as much states like Iowa saw their wettest September on record. And crop conditions are paying the price, with reports of grain quality issues from too much rain.

For farmers finding sprouted corn or deteriorating soybeans in fields, their next harvest decision may start with a phone call — not the combine. Wet conditions across Iowa and parts of the Corn Belt are raising grain-quality concerns, reports Eric Weuve, Iowa State University Extension farm management specialist. “We have gotten several inquiries from farmers about the issue, and it’s a hot topic of concern,” he says. Weuve’s advice: Contact your crop insurance agent now.

The farm bill has expired, and lawmakers say a new agreement won’t come for at least a month as Congress navigates a complex legislative landscape. Congress had previously extended the 2018 farm bill three times before the Sept. 30, 2026, expiration date. While several important titles of the farm bill were addressed in recent omnibus legislation, key provisions have lapsed and require renewal.

As you plan for the 2027 season, one of the best places to start is by looking at what happened in 2026. Decisions about when to plant soybeans, which varieties to plant in each field and how to manage fertility and pests can all benefit from lessons learned during the previous season. Rather than treating those decisions as separate parts of a soybean production guide, use field observations from 2026 to build a more flexible plan for 2027. The best time to do that? From the combine.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, while on the road to discuss the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, or SAWA, joined AgriTalk with an update on the overhaul of the H-2A program. If passed, SAWA would mark the first major statutory reform to the H-2A guest worker visa program since its inception in 1986. Thompson says SAWA has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, but so far has had no movement.

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Predictably, many Midwest growers in 2026 faced corn production challenges from weather, pests, diseases and weeds. Yet some of the patterns that emerged surprised even seasoned experts, meaning a solid plan is critical as you pencil in 2027 planting dates for corn. Here’s a quick corn production guide identifying practical lessons learned this year. Use these insights as you evaluate 2027 corn planting dates and other management decisions.

As harvest teams race across the country this fall, high prices for inputs like diesel and fertilizer continue to eat at the margins. Now the leader of the Senate Ag Committee indicates it might warrant additional aid payments to farmers. “This is high-stakes stuff.