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👉 NEWS UPDATE: A new financial analysis from 124 farms across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota shows cover crops aren’t just a soil win…they’re paying off. Median costs landed around $42/acre, with some as low as $14. More importantly, corn acres that followed cover crops were more profitable than regional averages. That’s real-world, side-by-side data showing regenerative practices can move your bottom line, not just your organic matter score.
✅ Why It Matters (to You): This kind of local, boots-on-the-ground data is the missing link for a lot of farmers who’ve heard the hype but haven’t seen the math. It proves that, when done right, building soil biology and protecting topsoil can create real margins. And for growers using poultry litter, there’s even more synergy; litter feeds the biology that makes cover crops pay off faster.
🚜 Your Move: Use this study as a benchmark. How do your per-acre costs compare? What did your corn-on-cover acres yield versus the average? And if you’re not already pairing litter with covers, this is your cue to start testing that combo.
OTHER STORIES
Tariff Powers Under Scrutiny—Could Reshape Input Cost Landscape
👉 NEWS UPDATE: The Supreme Court is hearing a case on the limits of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the law that’s been used to impose broad trade tariffs in recent years. If the Court narrows that authority, it could reshape how future presidents respond to global trade tensions—affecting everything from ag exports to the price of imported equipment, fertilizers, and key crop inputs. 📖 Read more on RFD-TV
✅ Why It Matters (to You): Tariffs have played a major role in ag markets over the past five years, often swinging input costs and grain prices with little warning. This case could cool down some of that volatility, or, if authority shifts to Congress, create new unpredictability. Either way, the pressure is on for growers to build more stability into their systems. Soil health practices like cycling nutrients internally and reducing dependency on synthetic imports are now more than just agronomic preferences—they’re financial insurance.
🚜 Your Move: Map out which parts of your input stack are most exposed to global supply chains and tariff-sensitive imports. Look for places where domestic inputs, like poultry litter, can close those loops. The more self-reliant your fertility system is, the less trade policy can punch your margins.
👉 NEWS UPDATE: New winter meeting data shows strip-till adoption continuing to rise across Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas as farmers look to cut fertilizer costs and improve nutrient efficiency heading into 2026. Growers cite more precise nutrient placement, warmer spring soils, reduced passes, and strong performance when paired with manure or poultry litter as the primary drivers behind the trend.
Minnesota Pulls Back on Treated Seed Rule After Legal Pushback
👉 NEWS UPDATE: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has officially withdrawn a proposed rule on the disposal of pesticide-treated seed after an administrative law judge found it too vague and potentially unworkable. The decision ends a year of debate that had growers wondering what new compliance costs and restrictions might be coming down the pipe.
📖 Full story on DTN
✅ Why It Matters (to You): For now, this means business as usual, but it’s a signal that treated seed, like other chemically-dependent tools, is entering a new era of scrutiny. What starts as a paperwork issue can quickly become a logistics or liability headache. Whether or not you're directly affected today, the move reminds us that reliance on synthetics, especially ones with unclear end-of-life pathways, can carry hidden costs.
🚜 Your Move: Take this as a moment to re-evaluate how you manage treated seed on-farm. Inventory, storage, disposal. Track it and if you’re leaning more on biological or regenerative inputs like poultry litter, make sure your system is aligned with where regulators, and markets, are headed. This might be one rule walked back, but the trend line is clear: transparency and stewardship are becoming non-negotiable.
NOVEMBER: ❄️ The freeze is on. Fieldwork windows are tightening fast as soil temps drop and daylight shrinks.
🌽 Harvest Wrap: Most corn is off, but straggler acres need attention. Stalk integrity is a concern—get it done before freeze-thaw cycles snap what's left standing.
💧 Soil Moisture Watch: Topsoil is locking up. Uncovered fields are seeing rapid moisture loss and compaction risk. Without residue or cover, winter erosion is a real threat.
🌱 Cover Crop Survival: It’s past prime seeding, but if you got them in early, monitor stand success. Snow cover will help root survival—especially rye, triticale, and hardy blends.
🐓 Litter Timing Shift: Nutrient uptake slows as soil temps fall below 50°F. If you're still applying poultry litter, treat it like a long-term investment. Nutrients will mineralize slowly and feed early spring growth.
🌾 Fall Weed Strategy: Burndown windows are just about closed. Post-frost applications are less effective; evaluate weed pressure now and plan spring residuals accordingly.
🧊 Frozen Ground Ahead: Expect full freeze across the Upper Midwest by mid-to-late November. Tile flow will shut down, and compaction risk spikes with cold, wet passes. Park heavy equipment unless absolutely necessary.
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
Let’s Talk Soil, Live.
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