The winners of the National Wheat Yield Contest, hosted by the National Wheat Foundation, represent some of the best wheat growers in the country. And today, we're ducking behind the curtain to learn the secrets of growing bin-busting crops.

DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins takes the reins to lead us through a conversation with Greg Anthis, a wheat grower and agronomist from Wheatland, Indiana, and Alec Horton, a grower and seed supplier in Leoti, Kansas.

These long-time contest participants discuss how participating in the annual contest has become common in their areas, and along the way, they dig into what they’ve learned about management, technology, seed selection, quality, and wheat rotations while being part of the community of state-of-the-art wheat growers.

With challenging conditions across much of the ag economy, cattle markets are a bright spot in the first few months of 2026.

Despite high prices, consumers are continuing to buy beef, even in advance of what is usually the peak demand period for the year. Add that to the fact that the Southern border has been closed for nearly twelve months with no signs of reopening anytime soon, and you'll find cattlemen across the country are still motivated to take advantage of top dollar prices — keeping the herd firmly out of the rebuilding cycle.

But all that doesn’t mean that there aren’t potential risks on the horizon.

To help us make sense of all the news that’s affecting cattle markets today, we’re joined by DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart. She'll walk us through the market-moving meaning behind the latest cattle-on-feed report, bring us up-to-date on the most recent confirmed case of New World Screwworm in Mexico, and help us understand what we might expect from the worsening drought situation across the American West.

We’ll also hear her advice on how to make sense of the firehose of news coming out of the Middle East and Washington at the moment, and finally, give us a boots-on-the-ground update from her own cattle operation in Wyoming.

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The April WASDE dropped Thursday, April 9th, representing the third big update from USDA in two weeks following the Prospective Planting and U.S. Grain Stocks reports.

Though expectations from analysts were relatively low, wider uncertainty in the markets related to the ongoing US-Iran conflict and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz have left farmers hungry for any clarity on what might be in store for markets in the coming months.

To help us dig into all three of these reports, we’re joined today by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. He’ll offer insight on the latest news, and then take us beat-by-beat through USDA updates to the balance sheets for the major grains, highlighting the biggest changes along the way.

Then, we’ll hear updates on the Latin American crop, the current corn trade picture, and hear Rhett’s thoughts on the world wheat market and what that might mean for U.S. growers as 2026 continues.

Finally, we’ll talk about the Prospective Planting report, understanding how last year’s crop is influencing this year’s acres, and thinking about how planting plans might still adjust as concerns about war-disrupted fertilizer continue to crystallize.

Plus, we’ll hear what Rhett will be watching most closely in the common weeks, from Trump’s trip to Beijing to energy markets.

Lamenting the “hollowing of rural America” has become standard fare across certain types of media and policy leaders, but for those who live, work, and raise their crops and family in and around small towns, rural America feels far from hollow.

While these communities still face their fair share of challenges, these places are chock full of resilient, vibrant businesses, organizations, and families thriving all across the rural map.

That’s what the DTN Progressive Farmer team found when they took to the countryside to tell a whole series of stories about a rural America that’s not only surviving, but thriving, and today, Content Manager Anthony Greder joins us to discuss these stories.

We’ll start by taking a closer look at the rural economy today, how towns are being affected by the difficulties in the farm economy, and how they’re using past experiences and new tools to weather the storm. Then we’ll tackle some of the key challenges in rural places, from healthcare availability to school funding to rural broadband. Anthony will help us understand how those challenges are evolving, what’s holding small towns back, and the innovative ways communities are finding to attract doctors, support students, and bring cutting edge technology to every corner of the country.

Finally, we’ll hear about young entrepreneurs who are choosing to build businesses (including farms) in rural communities, and the vision they have for their futures.

Three different dicamba herbicide products are making a comeback in 2026 with new labels and new rules for use from EPA.

Whether farmers are aiming to use BASF’s Engenia, Syngenta’s Tavium, or Bayer's newly-renamed Stryax products, there are some changes that farmers and their applicators need to be aware of.

That’s why today, DTN Crops Editor Jason Jenkins is here to walk us through the very latest updates on the legal use of dicamba products. He’ll talk us through what’s changed on the labels — from temperature restrictions to acid equivalence per acre limitations — and what’s stayed the same, especially in terms of safety precautions.

Then, he’ll clarify some of the recent confusion around the annual maximum usage amounts, and talk us through some state-specific regulations that sit on top of the federal label in specific geographies.

Finally, we’ll learn more about the new Endangered Species Act points system that’s rolling out this year, and talk about where farmers can get more information about staying in compliance and using these products safely.

We’ve been keeping up with weather and crop conditions in Latin America from afar this winter, but any farmer will tell you that the national data doesn’t tell you as much as seeing a crop with your own eyes.

That’s one of the key reasons that DTN Progressive Farmer Editor in Chief Greg Horstmeier journeyed down to Brazil earlier this month, eager to put boots on the ground and bring us the latest updates on the Brazilian crop as it’s being harvested.

Today, we’ll hear about Greg’s trip down South, including what he saw of a large soybean crop and an equally promising corn harvest. He’ll offer insight on the infrastructure situation as the crop goes from field to bin to port, and give us an update on what he heard from farmers there as far as critical issues they’re facing, both this year and into the future.

On his way back home, Greg also stopped in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 2026 National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 24th. He’ll tell us about the announcements he heard from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and about the bigger conversations happening around the event about livestock, food, and the challenging state of affairs in the ag economy.

Finally, we’ll hear what Greg is working on next, flag stories he thinks are currently flying under the radar, and pay tribute to the ag communications great Orion Samuelson.

The March WASDE dropped Tuesday, March 10th, though its arrival was in part overshadowed by market concerns about an evolving conflict in the Middle East which has snarled energy and fertilizer supply chains that pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

As farmers, market analysts, and the USDA itself struggle to parse what the latest outbreak of fighting might mean for planting decisions and global supplies, the crop in Latin America is already being brought in.

As we work to parse this torrent of information, we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Markets Analyst Rhett Montgomery, who takes us beat-by-beat through the latest numbers and helps us keep market fundamentals in perspective even as many traders seem to ignore them. He guides us through the pressures that are weighing on prices today, including the basis for all three major grains, and what news he’s on the lookout for right now.

Then, he walks us down the balance sheets, noting USDA updates, especially on the world balance sheets, that might point to shifting conditions that could weigh on farmer decisions later this season.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett thinks will be driving the news in the days to come, from a planned trip for President Trump to China to weather conditions south of the border.

As compared to the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine years ago, the earliest days of the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran did not seem likely to affect U.S. ag markets.

Then the Iranian regime announced its intent to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in global fertilizer supply chains through which as much as 80% of the world’s nitrogen fertilizer travels. Concerns set in immediately about fertilizer availability, and already high input prices began to rise just as farmers are finalizing their plans for the 2026 season. And this is just one of nearly a dozen key agricultural news stories that are being driven right now not by weather or conditions in the field, but by decisions coming from the White House and Capitol Hill.

To help us stay on top of all the latest updates, we’re joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton. Our conversation starts with fertilizer news, and what ag groups and Trump Administration officials are doing to calm concerns. Then, we’ll hear news about the Farm Bill, which has passed out of the House Ag Committee though, despite needs throughout the countryside, looks like it will have a long road to the President’s desk.

We’ll also talk about the year-round E15 debate, which farmers and their advocates increasingly see as a way to relieve some of the worst economic pressure in farm country in the short term, and hear insight on President Trump’s executive order on glyphosate.

Finally, we’ll learn the latest on the trade front as the USMCA continues to be reviewed by its North American signatories, and hear about growing action in the antitrust space, where meatpackers, chemical manufacturers, and even railroads may be in the crosshairs.