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👉 NEWS UPDATE: On Dec. 8, the White House announced a $12 billion aid package for farmers, with over $11 billion designated for row-crop producers.
USDA confirmed that payments will be disbursed no later than February 28, giving growers a timely cash infusion before seed, fertilizer, and spring-prep bills. The announcement comes amid tight margins, soft soybean exports, and lingering pressure on input prices.
✅ Why It Matters (to You): This is more than emergency relief — it’s a chance to make agronomic decisions based on ROI, not panic. For growers who rely on poultry litter, cover crops, and biological fertility, it’s a chance to double down on systems that reduce synthetic costs and build soil health.
🚜 Your Move: Start planning now. Price seed and fertility inputs before spring demand kicks in. Consider allocating part of this aid toward regenerative fertility, like litter or residue-building amendments, that pays you back in yield and crop resilience.
OTHER STORIES
Minnesota Expands 2026 Soil & Water Program Funding
👉 NEWS UPDATE: On December 2, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) announced a new round of “Soil Health Delivery Funds” totaling $3 million for Soil & Water Conservation Districts statewide.
These funds support farmer adoption of soil-health practices — including cover crops, no-till and strip-till, rotational grazing, and improved nutrient systems that work with manure or poultry litter.
✅ Why It Matters (to You): Minnesota continues to shift real dollars toward soil resilience and regenerative practices. For growers using poultry litter, strip-till, or cover crops, this funding can help offset equipment, seed, or technical-assistance costs — reducing risk while strengthening long-term ROI.
🚜 Your Move: Contact your local SWCD as early as possible. Funding is limited, and districts allocate dollars before spring. If you plan to expand covers, trial strip-till, or integrate litter in 2026, this is some of the most accessible financial support.
Minnesota Farmers Eye 2026 Input Savings as Strip-Till Adoption Rises
👉 NEWS UPDATE: New winter meeting data shows strip-till adoption continuing to rise across Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas, as farmers look for new ways to cut fertilizer costs and improve nutrient efficiency.
When paired with manure or poultry litter, growers cite more precise nutrient placement, warmer spring soils, reduced passes, and stronger performance.
✅ Why It Matters (to You): Strip-till is proving to be a practical middle ground between full-width tillage and no-till. For farmers using poultry litter, it amplifies the value of every ton by placing nutrients exactly where roots will need them in spring. The result? Lower synthetic fertilizer needs, more consistent emergence, and better ROI.
🚜 Your Move: If you’ve been evaluating strip-till for 2026, winter is the time to price equipment, look at local demos, and explore cost-share programs. Pairing strip-till with litter or cover crops can create one of the most efficient fertility systems in the Upper Midwest.
Cover Crop Momentum Continues Across the Upper Midwest
👉 NEWS UPDATE: Cover crop demand remains strong heading into 2026, according to recent Farm Progress reporting.
Seed suppliers across Minnesota and surrounding states report continued interest in cereal rye, triticale, and multi-species blends — even in a tight-budget year. Growers cite erosion control, nutrient capture, soil structure, and spring weed suppression as top motivations.
📖 Farm Progress cover crop reporting
✅ Why It Matters (to You): Strong demand confirms what growers are seeing in the field: covers pay. They protect soil, hold nutrients in place, feed microbes, and help stabilize manure or poultry litter through the winter.
🚜 Your Move: If covers are part of your spring plan, order seed early. Consider pairing cereal rye or triticale with litter to maximize nutrient capture during freeze-thaw cycles.
DECEMBER: Winter is setting in across the Upper Midwest — and the freeze–thaw pattern is beginning its seasonal swing.
🌽 Harvest Done, But Stalk Concerns Remain: Weakened stalks mean downed corn is still showing up in late-harvest fields. Freeze–thaw cycles will accelerate lodging.
🧊 Deep Freeze Incoming: Soil temps are dropping below 30–32°F in most regions, slowing nutrient movement, stalling microbial activity, and shifting litter into long-release mode for spring.
💧 Moisture Lock-Up: Topsoil is sealing. Fields without residue or covers are already losing moisture faster and seeing surface compaction.
🌱 Cover Crop Check: Early-seeded rye, triticale, and hardy blends are lying low; snow cover is your friend — it insulates roots and protects emergence potential.
🐓 Litter Outlook: With soil biology slowing, Dec. litter applications become spring investments, not immediate fertility. Expect strong mineralization in April–May.
🌾 Weed Seedbank Strategy: Dormant-season planning is key. Use winter to evaluate where covers, litter, or spring burndown can lower your herbicide load.
CBOT NUMBERS
CORN
DEC ’25: 4.40 ⅜ | MAR ’26: 4.48 0
Summary: Corn futures strengthened this week—Dec. and March contracts posting solid gains. Improved export demand and tightening global supply helped support the market.
Outlook: Basis remains the key profit driver. If your local bids are holding firm, this is a smart window to lock in margins on a portion of 2025 production. Charts look steady, but don’t assume a post-holiday rally.
SOYBEANS
JAN ’26: 10.87 ⅛ | MAR ’26: 10.98 ⅛
Summary: Soybeans slipped across contracts, reflecting ongoing weakness in export demand and no major shifts in USDA projections. Brazil’s planting delays haven’t created enough concern to lift prices yet.
Outlook: With limited upside and global demand still soft, now’s the time to manage risk rather than hope for a rally. If your basis is strong, consider scaling in sales.
WHEAT
DEC ’25: 5.36 ⅛ | MAR ’26: 5.34 ¼
Summary: Wheat stayed essentially flat, with heavy global stocks continuing to cap any upward momentum. Weather concerns abroad haven’t been strong enough to move the market.
Outlook: If storage costs are rising and your basis is reasonable, this may be your cleanest exit before January pressure sets in.
Source: AgWeb Futures (as of Dec 9, 2025)
EVENTS
Minnesota Organic Conference
Jan 9–10, 2026 | 📍River’s Edge Convention Center, St. Cloud, MN
A cornerstone winter event for organic, regenerative, and transitioning growers. Sessions include fertility strategies with compost and litter, soil biology, market outlooks, and systems for reducing synthetic inputs.
More Info
Ag Expo 2026 (MN Corn & Soybean Growers)
Jan 28–29, 2026 | 📍Mayo Clinic Event Center, Mankato, MN
One of Minnesota’s premier winter agriculture events, featuring market outlooks, policy discussions, agronomy sessions, and a full exhibitor floor covering fertility, equipment, and soil-health technologies.
More Info
Small Grains Winter Workshop Series (UMN Extension)
Jan–Feb 2026 | 📍Multiple Locations Across Minnesota (Rochester Feb 18)
A winter workshop series focused on wheat, oats, barley, and integrated rotations. Expect updates on disease management, fertility planning, winter survival, and the economics of adding small grains to corn/soy rotations.
More Info
Ground Work—A Soil Health Event Series
Feb 12, 2026 | 📍Stewartville, MN
Join Return for our inaugural soil health gathering. We'll be hosting Mitchell Hora, and other local producers to explore the bottom line on soil health. Learn more about the role of poultry litters as part of an ongoing soil-building, margin-growing system.
Strip Till Makes Dollars and Sense
Feb 18–19, 2026 | 📍Lamberton & Lake Benton, MN
A two-day, two-location workshop series focused on the economics and management of strip-till systems. Sessions cover soil-health impacts, input savings, nutrient placement, and yield/ROI comparisons — with farmer case studies and technical guidance. Hosted by the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition.
More Info
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