farmdoc daily

Peanuts are a privately traded commodity with limited published yield-forecasting research, despite being the seventh most valuable U.S. field crop (USDA NASS 1999). For peanut stakeholders, a critical question is how early these weekly USDA snapshots can reliably predict what will eventually arrive at the buy points and shellers. This work extends to peanuts the methodological ...

Based on crop insurance, the spring planting window in Illinois for corn is 61 days for corn and soybeans, longer in the southern region and shorter in the northern third of the State. It is arguably the most critical window in the entire crop year, with the likelihood that delayed planting will result in lower yields. To address questions of risk and conservation, we began by e...

Revisions to 2026 Illinois crop budgets are provided along with updates to return estimates for the 2025 crop year. Return projections for 2026 are higher because of increases in expected…

Brazil’s expansion in corn production over the last decade has made the country a more important competitor in global corn markets, increasing competitive pressure for U.S. producers. Although the United…

Total economic returns in 2025 for Illinois beef feeding enterprises exceeded total costs by $35.98 per 100 pounds of beef produced in preliminary findings for farms enrolled in Illinois Farm Business Farm Management. The 2025 returns were higher than the 2024 total returns above feed costs of $17.30 per 100 pounds produced. Total returns have exceeded total economic costs in fi...