Farm Progress

This week’s Kansas Farmer Field Check takes us to Max Tjaden’s south-central Kansas sorghum field, where the sorghum is just starting to emerge from the boot, with some at flowering. If late July seems late for that, well, blame it on the weather at planting and a new pre-plant herbicide that Tjaden wanted to try this year.

By Nectar Gan, Lucille Liu and Andy Lin The US and China detailed a plan to cut tariffs on about $30 billion of imports from each country, taking a step toward fulfilling a key outcome of last week’s summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The proposed relief spans Chinese toys, kitchenware and other household goods, as well as US agricultural products, coal and medical equipment.

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Expect to hear lots about food prices and inflation as battle lines harden for November midterm elections. But is all the angst real? Or is it perhaps, as Macbeth says in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?” USDA’s latest Food Price Outlook provides support for both interpretations. Officially, the agency’s projections issued Sept. 25 call for food inflation to cool a bit in the coming year.

By Ben Westcott and Hallie Gu Soybean futures fell to their lowest since late August after the oilseed was left off the list as the US and China detailed plans to cut tariffs on a slew of other agricultural products. Both governments said they intend to cut rates on about $30 billion of imports as they take further steps to steady ties following last week’s summit between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

A spray drone is only part of the equation. Explore why support, field experience and greater control over product development matter, and how Agri Spray Drones is using years of operator experience to help shape what comes next. Tune into the full conversation Subscribe to receive top agriculture news Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters The nation’s largest outdoor farm event that annually hosts over 600 exhibitors from around the world. Learn More

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the White House late last week, extending their trade truce but failing to deliver the concrete agricultural purchase agreements farmers had hoped for. The trade truce, originally set to expire Nov. 10, will now run through Jan. 10 to allow more time for negotiations, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

During harvest, every minute matters. Combines need to keep moving, trucks must return to the field quickly and grain must reach storage without creating unnecessary delays. An efficient on-farm material handling system can connect each part of that process while reducing pressure on equipment and labor. One of the most common harvest bottlenecks occurs when a combine must wait for an available grain cart or truck.

A reader dropped a note after reading Can your on-farm heir afford to buy you out? Her family’s farm has passed through three generations — bought in the early 1900s, held on to through multiple family and sibling buyouts. Her father was the second generation to buy the farm. Her father did have a will. But in his final version, he left a portion of the estate — including farmland — to someone outside the family.

“I want the farm to stay in the family” is something many kids have heard their parents say, but what does that statement really mean? Is it simply uttering a wishful thought? Is it a targeted instruction to one child that it’s their responsibility to make it happen? Or is it something else entirely? And if we all agree that is the goal, then what steps have parents taken to make that wish feasible?