Agricultural Policy and Market Situation Newsletter: July 2026
USDA’s much-anticipated Acreage Report was released on June 30th. Corn acreage stayed large, but lower-than-expected corn and wheat stocks gave traders enough demand support to trigger relief buying and short-covering after a sharp June selloff.
Grain markets treated the Acreage and Grain Stocks reports as less bearish than the headline corn acreage number first suggested. USDA pegged corn planted area at 95.343 million acres, above the average pre-report trade estimate near 94.99 million acres, with harvested area for grain forecast at 87.434 million acres.
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USDA Reminds Louisiana Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports
After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers in Louisiana should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) parish office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline.
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Louisiana Crops Newsletter--Volume 16, Issue 4 - June 2026
One of the most common observations during the early growing season is uneven crop growth within the same field. While some areas emerge quickly and develop vigorous canopies, others appear delayed or less uniform. These differences can be frustrating for producers, especially when planting conditions seemed favorable and management practices were applied uniformly across the field.
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Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice, and Cotton: June 2026
The 2026/27 U.S. corn outlook remains virtually unchanged relative to last month. June’s WASDE report calls for fractionally higher beginning and ending stocks for 2026/27, reflective of mostly offsetting trade and domestic use changes for 2025/26 with adjustments to imports, corn used for ethanol, and exports based on data to date. The 2026/27 season-average farm price received by producers is unchanged at $4.40 per bushel.
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Farmers in This State Are Done Planting Soybeans, USDA Says
As of June 14, 95% of the soybean crop in the nation’s top 18 soybean-growing states was in the ground. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 93%.
Farmers in Louisiana are done planting soybeans.
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Southern Corn Leaf Blight
I am beginning to see some southern corn leaf blight in the central region. Please find attached some pictures. The lesions are much smaller than northern corn leaf blight, The decision to apply a fungicide should be made on a field-by-field basis (disease resistant hybrid?, growth stage (beyond tasseling?), environmental conditions (disease favored by 68-90 F and high moisture).
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Farmers in 3 States Are Done Planting Corn, USDA Says
On Monday, the USDA published the tenth Crop Progress report of the 2026 growing season. Here’s a look at the latest progress and condition numbers.
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Weekly Export Sales of Corn and Beans Lower
Export sales for U.S. corn and soybeans declined during the week ending May 28, while wheat demand remained strong, according to the latest USDA trade data. Corn sales totaled 883,300 metric tons, down 13 percent from the previous week.
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Argentina Export Tax Cuts Could Pressure US Grain Markets
A grains and oil seeds analyst says Argentina’s plan to reduce export taxes could put U.S. ag commodities at a competitive disadvantage.
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Corn Earworm Moth Activity Update
Recent pheromone trap data indicates increasing corn earworm (aka bollworm) moth activity across several monitoring locations in Louisiana with notable “spikes” that can signal increased egg-laying risk in susceptible crops. While early-season captures were variable through March and early April, multiple sites are now showing elevated moth flights from late April into mid-May.
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National Corn Growers Analysis Confirms Positive Benefits Of E15 For Soybean Farmers
As legislation to authorize year-round E15 now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration, the National Corn Growers Association today released an analysis demonstrating a net positive benefit of year-round E15 for corn and soybean farmers.
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Midsouth Farmers Shift To Soybeans As A Survival Strategy
Many farmers across the Midsouth are shifting acres toward soybean production in 2026 and choosing to plant less corn and rice, which are more expensive to grow. Although the war in Iran has largely contributed to this move, some farmers made the decision well in advance in the face of already high input costs.
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Red Meat Exports Add Billions In Value To Corn And Soybean Farmers
An annual study from the U.S. Meat Export Federation shows red meat exports added more than $3 billion in value to corn and soybean producers in 2025.
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What Could a 3-Bushel Swing in Corn Yield Mean for Farmers' Bottom Lines?
Farmers challenge me with great questions every time I talk at a growers’ meeting. Most recently, it was at an annual meeting in southwest Minnesota: “How can you project higher prices by 2027 or 2028?”
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Oil Corporations Attempt To Derail Legislation That Lowers Fuel Prices
The president of the National Corn Growers Association is criticizing several major energy companies for opposing legislation that would allow year-round sales of E15 fuel, a gasoline blend containing 15 percent ethanol.
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