Red River Farm Network

Heavy June Rains Before Spigot Turned Off in July A swing from too wet to too dry has tested crops in the northern Red River Valley. The Hensel, North Dakota area started dry before nearly 20 inches of rain fell in three weeks in June. The field RRFN visited Tuesday had been underwater four times earlier in the season. It’s been mostly dry since July 4. “It’s been a challenging year from being way too wet early to too dry late,” said Jordan Sagert, On Target Ag Services.

Constructive Negotiations, But No Deal to End the War There was no breakthrough in the U.S.-led negotiations over the weekend between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner brought new proposals to end the war. While there was no resolution, Witkoff said these were very meaningful and important discussions with both countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said it appears the war will drag out into the winter months.

The Douglas, Arizona port of entry is scheduled to reopen to Mexican cattle Tuesday. The border originally opened August 24, but movement was shutdown last week due to some damaged equipment. That has been addressed and Mexican cattle shipments are expected to resume. At this point, 2,600 head of cattle have crossed the border.

Agriculture was the focus of the first debate between South Dakota Governor Larry Roden and Democratic Challenger Dan Ahlers. Ahlers, who is a former state lawmaker from Dell Rapids, outlined ways to support the state’s cattle industry. “One of the things that we can do is is make sure that we have competition here in South Dakota for meatpackers and dairy producers,” said Ahlers. “We just saw it in the news where they’re advocating bringing in foreign beef in order to lower prices for consumers.

President Trump was joined in the Oval Office Friday by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, ranchers, podcasters and American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. Duvall said the executive orders address several issues impacting ranchers, including the regulations surrounding the gray wolf. “It’s a really great move because if we put them back in a state where they can maintain themselves, we shouldn’t have them threatening our cattle herd,” said Duvall.

To appease cattle ranchers upset with his recent decision to import foreign ground beef, President Donald Trump issued new executive orders to support the cattle sector. The executive orders include plans to address packer consolidation and other issues important to the cattle industry.

The Fosston, Minnesota, area has received more moisture than many locations. Larson Seed and Agronomy’s Matt Larson says the area started wet and cool before drying out after July 4th. “Compared to other areas further west, we’re in pretty good shape. Things look good up here,” Larson said. Corn in the field surveyed by the Crop Tour was at or near black layer, with an estimated yield of 176 bushels per acre.

The Halstad, Minnesota, area has been hit particularly hard by drought. Airborne Seed and Agronomy’s David Staples says conditions deteriorated quickly after a promising start. “There’s not much you can do without rainfall,” Staples said.

Better Performance Expected From Early Hybrids and Varieties Pioneer Field Agronomist Kevin Sinner says maturity will play an important role in determining what makes it into the bin this fall. “It does seem like, especially in these areas that are really, really drought-stricken and have not got any of the rain this summer, the earlier the maturity, the better.” Sinner says 85-day corn appears to be at the upper end of what could successfully mature in the driest areas.

USDA has raised its 2026 net farm income forecast by $5 billion from its February estimate. Direct government payments, including traditional farm program payments and ad hoc assistance, are expected to increase 70 percent from 2025. “On the farm sector balance sheet, assets, debt, and equity are all forecast to increase nominally in 2026, with equity forecast to rise two point seven percent,” said USDA economist Carrie Litkowski.