January 15, 2026

Farmland Values Enter a New Phase

The U.S. agricultural land market is shifting after years of steady growth. Although land values are still historically high, current signs indicate a more complex situation driven by local and regional factors rather than nationwide trends. “After years of steady growth, we’re seeing the farmland market stabilize,” said Colton Lacina (lah-SEE-nah), senior vice president of real estate options at Farmers National Company. “This isn’t a sign of collapse but a recalibration that reflects current commodity prices, input costs, and regional production conditions.” Farmland demand now varies widely by location. Areas with high crop yields, diversified farms, and dependable groundwater continue to attract buyers and maintain steady values. “Farmland values are increasingly determined locally, sometimes down to the township,” Lacina added. “Buyers are carefully assessing soil quality, the percentage of tillable acres, water access, and how a parcel fits into their operations.” Despite mixed signals, market conditions still remain favorable for most sellers. 

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Rollins Makes Important Announcements at the AFBF Annual Convention

During the Farm Bureau’s annual convention, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced expanded enrollment for the 2026 Dairy Margin Coverage Program. Producers can now enroll in the DMC, with the signup ending on February 26, 2026. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reauthorized the DMC for calendar years 2026 through 2031 and provided substantial program improvements, including establishing production history and increasing Tier 1 coverage from five million to six million pounds. All dairy operations enrolling in DMC for 2026 will establish a new production history. Rollins also announced the intent to purchase up to $80 million in specialty crops from American farmers and producers to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country. The Agricultural Marketing Service will purchase commodities like raisins, almonds, grape juice, and pistachios. The goal of the purchases is to support American agriculture, rural communities, and those in need of nutrition assistance. 

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RFA: More Urgency About Approving Year-Round E15

The USDA confirmed that farmers harvested a record-large crop in 2025, estimated at over 17 billion bushels. Corn stockpiles are also expected to climb to their highest level in eight years, driving corn prices lower. The Renewable Fuels Association said this underscores the pressing need to eliminate the obstacles that are suppressing demand and limiting market opportunities for corn and ethanol alike. “This is a sobering wakeup call about the farm economy and underscores the need for lawmakers to take immediate action to expand markets for American corn growers,” said Geoff Cooper, RFA President and CEO. “The fastest and easiest way to shore up the growing supply-demand imbalance in the corn market is to permanently remove the summertime barrier on E15 sales and eliminate obsolete fuel retail infrastructure rules.” He also said these decades-old regulatory barriers are literally choking off demand and shortchanging America’s farmers. 

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Lawmakers Want Expedited Processing of Farmer Assistance

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee, led 11 of her colleagues in pushing Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to expedite and increase payouts in disaster and economic assistance programs. They’re pressing for a faster payout because of the numerous headwinds challenging them. “As farmers face continued trade uncertainty, rising input costs, and natural disasters, we encourage you to speed up the economic disaster assistance that will benefit all farmers, including specialty crop growers,” the Senators wrote in a letter to the Secretary. “While significant assistance flowed quickly to farmers in the summer and fall, payments were limited to 35 percent of approved applications.” They also said, as a result, less than $6 billion out of the $16 billion available has been paid out to farmers more than a year after Congress provided the funds and nearly three years after some farmers faced losses. 

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Farm Bureau Establishes 2026 Policy Priorities

Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 107th annual convention adopted several policies to guide the organization’s work in the new year. Delegates adopted policy to improve labor programs to meet the needs of America’s farmers and ranchers, including formalizing support for the new Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology, and further revisions to avoid unpredictable rate swings in the future. They voted to support federal funding for research and biosecurity facilities to better identify and combat illnesses and pests threatening crops and animals. The new policy also includes committing more resources to combat the advance of the New World Screwworm in Mexico and keeping the U.S.-Mexican border closed until the pest is controlled. Delegates also revised the national farm policy to provide more protection for dairy farmers who may suffer losses due to market challenges. President Zippy Duvall and Vice-President Scott VanderWal  were also unanimously re-elected to two-year terms.

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Nominations Open for Caregiver Awards

Those in the pork industry recognize animal care is central to everything, and it’s the people who make the difference. This year, Zoetis (Zoh-EH-Tiss) is recognizing individuals who exemplify everything that’s good about the pork industry through their passion and dedication. Nominations are open for the 2026 Caregiver Awards and close on March 14, 2026. “In an industry that balances animal well-being, people, and production every day, there are countless champions quietly showing up to do what’s right,” said Wes Lack, national sales director for Zoetis U.S. Pork. “Through the Caregiver Awards, we’re proud to celebrate the individuals who make the industry better one animal at a time.” The Caregiver Awards will honor exceptional caregivers across three categories, including “Caring is Job One,” “The Power of Teamwork,” and “Inspiring the Future.” To nominate a caregiver, visit zoetisus.com. 

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