Farm Progress

Every year in mid-July, I find myself impatiently waiting for my tomatoes to change color so I can pair them with my family’s home-raised pork and preserve some for winter. Talking to other gardeners, I’ve found there are two types of tomato growers: those who wait patiently for tomatoes to turn their vibrant hue on the vine and those who pick at the first sign of color. While some feel strongly one way or another, I’m not here to tell you when to pick your tomatoes.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Glen Smith of Atlantic, Iowa, as the USDA's undersecretary for rural development last week, filling a position vacant since January 2025. Smith, who has farmed for more than 50 years, brings extensive agricultural finance experience to the role. Smith operates a diversified farming operation growing corn, soybeans and hay while maintaining a small cattle herd.

Tyson Foods announced Thursday afternoon, Aug. 13, that it would immediately close its beef facility in Joslin, Ill., close its case-ready beef facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah, and sell its beef plant in Pasco, Wa. Unlike other recent plant closures nationwide, the closure came without warning and left cattle feeders scrambling to find a place for cattle that were ready for market, in a part of the country where the next closest beef facility is more than 150 miles away.

Earlier this year, I wrote about what doesn’t show up on your farm’s balance sheet. Many have heard of phantom yield loss, but not phantom growth drag, a term I thought of one day while meeting with a fifth-generation farm family. Three of five generations of this farm had to borrow money to buy out family members. Think about that: the same land bought and paid for, generation after generation. The farm survives but it doesn’t grow.

Gov. Laura Kelly signed Kansas House Bill 2299 into law earlier this year, requiring public and private schools across the state to enforce a “bell-to-bell” ban on personal electronic devices during the school day. The law covers cellphones, smartwatches, tablets, personal laptops, wireless earbuds and gaming systems. It includes class hours, passing periods and lunch.

As we approach another harvest season in Iowa, we can look back on a very stable 2026 land market thus far. The two most recent quarterly land value reports from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank were 2% stronger and 1% weaker, respectively. Net pricing changes this minor define a flat, sideways trading market. Will this pricing stability continue this fall? And will there be more land sale volume offered to the market compared with recent years?

Hermann’s Maifest, an old-fashioned Germanic celebration of spring, caught Mary Dierberg’s eye in 1971. She convinced her husband, Jim, a St. Louis banker with German ancestry, to visit the charming town in rural Gasconade County, Mo. When he saw so many historic stone and brick buildings in disrepair, he felt obligated to help. Determined to repair the deteriorating buildings, Jim hoped to preserve the town’s history, which, in 1972, earned a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Imagine the anxiety associated with having a very good crop of corn and soybeans to harvest but little or no field working days to combine due to persistently wet weather. That was the situation faced by many Minnesota farmers in the fall of 1986.

Editor’s note: For a Spanish version of this story, click “Download now” at the top or bottom of this page. On farms and ranches, workers are routinely exposed to powerful machinery, livestock, grain-handling systems, chemicals, extreme weather and road hazards. Research shows that young and newly hired workers experience more injuries and fatalities because they often lack experience, familiarity with equipment and the ability to recognize risks before an incident occurs.

Giving farmers the tools they need to succeed with conservation is Barry Fisher’s mission. The retired Central Region leader for the Soil Health Division of the Natural Resources Conservation Service spent his career cultivating new paths for farmers to better care for their land and resources. Fisher’s dedication to serving farmers in Indiana and across the Midwest earned him the title of 2026 Honorary Indiana Master Farmer.