Tight margins, rising input costs, shifts in global trading and changing biofuels are all impacting U.S. corn growers.

Long-awaited actions by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of Energy to clarify the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credits in support of domestic biofuel production were welcomed by commodity groups.

The general reaction to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s small refinery exemptions was both concern about the number granted, while also endorsing a plan to reallocate renewable fuel volumes.

Farmer leaders of the Illinois Corn Growers Association recently advocated for their peers on Capitol Hill.

It has not been verified, but Dave Kestel’s blood may run red, white and blue.

Farmers for Soil Health, the farmer-led initiative launched in 2022 to double cover crop acres on U.S. farmland by 2030, has reopened enrollment for 2026 with increased per-acre payments and a simplified one-year contract designed to remove barriers for growers.

Spraying for weeds in corn and soybean fields has been completed on Cliff Lane’s farm and the next task will be spraying the crops with fungicide.

The National Corn Growers Association released a study highlighting the economic contribution of corn farming in the United States.

The National Corn Growers Association elected Bill Leigh as the organization’s next first vice president, putting him on track to become board president in 2027.

With a mandatory July 1 deadline for the trilateral joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement approaching, an economic study detailed the trade pact’s overall impact on U.S. agriculture.

The U.S. House passed legislation allowing for year-round, nationwide sale of E15 fuel May 13 and the bill advances to the Senate.

The U.S. House passed a new farm bill after the agriculture industry has operated for the past eight years under the previous legislation that included three extensions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued its fifth consecutive temporary emergency waiver to allow nationwide summer sale of E15.

Tennessee farmer Todd Littleton expects to pay $100,000 more for fertilizer this season, a 40% spike from his bill last year thanks to the war in Iran — and he is scrambling to cover that extra cost.

Consolidations from the farm gate through the entire supply chain, combined with inconsistent federal policies, have pushed agriculture toward a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.

U.S. farmers continue to face market uncertainty and rising input costs which are being worsened by phosphate duties incurred through antidumping and countervailing investigations.

The farm bill moved through the House Agriculture Committee with a 34-17 bipartisan vote, encouraging ag organizations that have been worried about the bill’s uncertain future.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is up for a joint review July 1 — a critical moment that will determine whether the free trade agreement continues or terminates.

To any farmer who feels these frustrations, I want to begin my term as Indiana Corn Growers Association president by offering a hand of help and hope. You are not alone.

U.S. House leadership omitted a piece of the appropriations package that would permanently allow year-round sale of E15, choosing to create a rural energy council to explore this legislation.

The surprising 1.3 million harvested corn acre jump from the November to the Jan. 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture crop production reports, combined with record quarterly stocks inventories, drew more questions than answers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Illinois FSA state committee.

Per-acre payment specifics for the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program were released on New Year’s Eve.

From testifying to Congress to working on his fifth-generation farm in southern Illinois, Kenneth Hartman Jr. has dedicated the last three decades to advocating for corn growers.

A $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program to help farmers offset trade disruptions and increased production costs was announced by the Trump administration.

Expanding demand to bring profitability back to corn farmers while being “at the table” working with legislators remains top priorities for the National Corn Growers Association.

A new information hub was launched this fall to highlight the importance of women in agriculture.

The amount of corn used for ethanol has flattened since the boom of the mid-1990s through 2010, but a new economic study shows the opportunities an E15 blend would provide.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs.

Even though the White House remains up while farmers are decidedly down, some farm groups are starting to recognize that down isn’t up anymore.

Corn Grower Association presidents from 19 states along with the national organization’s leader expressed concerns about policy recommendations in the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” Strategy in a letter to President Donald Trump.

Agriculture leaders voiced support for the massive spending and tax package bill that includes significant new farm program funding.

A proposed rule to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard volumes and percentage standards for 2026 and 2027 was announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The recently implemented U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new Final Insecticide Strategy drew support from various agriculture groups for its “commonsense” approach and efforts to work with stakeholders.

A report questioning farmers’ use of crop protection tools drew concerns the federal government could take a position to restrict access to agricultural inputs.

Uncertainty in both commodity prices and input prices is making farmers’ already tough job even more difficult.

Farmers must advocate for themselves. That is a matter of fact.

From issues impacting the farm economy, including record costs for labor, interest and taxes, to trade and biofuels, there a lot of challenges facing farmers today. But there also are opportunities, said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association.

A service that provides unbiased, research-based crop disease and pest management information to farmers and agricultural personnel is now in its 10th year.

President Donald Trump temporarily suspended across-the-board 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada until April 2.

As the trade deficit and farm production costs continue to rise, the state of the agricultural economy is “dire,” lamented new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

It is a new day for agriculture, said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The Mexican government repealed its ban on biotech corn imports from the United States.

Agriculture groups are grateful that Congress extended the 2018 farm bill for another year, but urge lawmakers to stay focused on new, modernized legislation that recognizes the many changes and challenges of the past six years.

A trade dispute panel ruled that Mexico’s decree to ban genetically modified corn imports violate the conditions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Greensburg farmer Tim Gauck was reelected as president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, the state’s corn checkoff program.

The Indiana Corn Growers Association reelected Chris Cherry, a farmer from New Palestine, as president.

Garrett Hawkins, a Waterloo farmer, was elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association for 2024-2025 at its recent reorganizational meeting.

Any change in political party leadership from the top down draws questions of how it will impact agriculture.

Voters chose to send Donald Trump, who served his first term as U.S. president from 2016 to 2020, back to the White House in the Nov. 5 national election.