Farm Progress

Heifer management strategies begin even before conception. Effective herd managers understand how many heifers are needed to maintain or grow herd size, and they adjust their approach based on the farm’s long-term goals. While most managers are familiar with their herd’s replacement rate, they may not fully understand how many calves successfully develop into productive members of the milking herd.

From southern Ohio's frost-damaged wheat fields to western New York's waterlogged corn ground, the 2026 growing season has tested farmers' resilience at every turn. Six weeks into summer, agronomists and Extension experts report a patchwork of conditions across major production states — some promising, many concerning, such as tar spot in Western Illinois — and all running behind normal as July approaches. Here’s what Farm Progress editors have to report on 2026 crop progress as of June 25.

This is Part 1 of a series on H-2A and H-2B guest worker regulations and processes, and the legal obligations of U.S. farm employers. The U.S. agricultural sector faces critical labor challenges, relying on approximately 2 million foreign-born ag workers each year that make up 80% of the nation’s ag workforce. It is also estimated that 92% of these workers are from Mexico.

Riverview LLP has cleared one hurdle on its way to realizing the expansion of its West River Dairy facility near Morris, Minn. The proposed expansion would take West River Dairy’s capacity from 7,855 Jersey-Holstein crossbred cows to 18,855 cows. After thoroughly reviewing comments received during the public comment period and in accordance with Minnesota state law, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency determined that an environmental impact study is not required.

Curt Arens,senior editor of Nebraska Farmer,Nebraska Farmer On-farm marriage proposals, like staff writer Elizabeth Hodges and her fiancé, Isaac, had in the garden, are simple and memorable, laying the groundwork for a lifetime together. LaylaBird/Getty Images If you are an avid reader of our articles written by staff writer Elizabeth Hodges, and especially her popular Gen Z Aggie column every month, you know that she recently had a unique experience in the garden.

Remember getting your report card in high school? Were you eager to review your grades and find your class rank? Or did you stuff the card into the bottom of your backpack and pray your parents wouldn’t ask to see it? Hopefully, the latter isn’t how you react to your corn tissue test results, which Purdue University Extension corn specialist Dan Quinn explained are the report cards of your cornfields and give you something to pay attention to for next year.

If you step into a café or coffee shop in rural America, you’ll likely hear farmers and ranchers discussing two main topics: weather and water. Whether too much or not enough rain, soil moisture levels play a vital role across agriculture. In 2026, some are struggling with too much rainfall that is keeping them out of fields and causing damage to their crops. Others are still working with too little rainfall, wondering how the weather will shape up.

Vana, a German shepherd, won the 2025 Prairie Farmer Favorite Farm Dog Contest. Vana lives on the Boehl farm near Oblong, Ill., with Bruce and Jeana Boehl and their sons, Carson, Eli, Noah and Riley. “Vana is just a package deal,” Carson said. “You get a farmhand, a fierce security guard and a loving companion, all in one.” Carissa Weaver Prairie Farmer staff meets all sorts of animals when visiting farms, including dogs.

Across Texas, alternative or nontraditional crops continue to find a significant role in many operations because they offer crop diversification or an additional opportunity for late-season planting after failed crops.

Agricultural spray drones’ effectiveness is well established. But what about their economic payback? “As any good economist would do, my answer is, ‘It depends,’” said Drew Kientzy, an agriculture business specialist at the University of Missouri Extension. “Drones are a very useful and unique tool.” But while useful, operating costs vary widely based on intensity of use, acreage covered, repair and maintenance, and fuel and lubrication, making it difficult sometimes to quantify payback.