The December WASDE dropped Tuesday, December 9th, bringing home what’s been a tumultuous year of grain market news in the U.S. and beyond.

Though the Department of Agriculture is still catching up on some reporting that was disrupted during the government shutdown, the coming of this relatively quiet report — which anticipates a more active January WASDE — marks a much-anticipated return to normalcy.

To help us understand the latest we’re joined once again by DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery. This week he’ll give us important insights on his expectations going into the report, and offer analysis on why the market has reacted, and failed to react, to the new information as might be expected.

Then we’ll dive into the global and domestic balance sheets for the major grains, illuminating key hopeful nuggets you might have missed in the corn and soybean data, and highlighting why the world wheat picture continues to look challenging.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett will be watching over the holiday season and into the New Year, from weather to interest rates.

The 2025 DTN’s Ag Summit has just wrapped up, with farmers from across the country convening virtually to discuss the year that was, the year ahead, and the key issues affecting their operations.

Forecasts for weather and market in the year to come were, as always, a top issue, and today on the podcast we’re dropping in to hear the latest.

Today, we’ll listen in on DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick’s 2026 seasonal forecast, where he’ll take a closer look at the winter conditions so far, and give us insight on what might be around the corner.

We’ll hear the latest on how the ongoing La Nina is shaping current systems, when we should keep an eye out for the impacts of polar vortexes, and how the combination of the two might shape drought conditions throughout the winter and planting timing come spring.

We’ll get a region-by-region outlook on winter and spring conditions, and then John will offer insight on what the models predict about the summer of 2026.

Finally, we’ll dig into the weather patterns in Latin America, how Brazil and Argentina in particular are fairing, and what still might change in the coming months for our chief competitors.

Another harvest season is just about wrapped, which means that the annual DTN Ag Summit event is upon us once again — coming up on December 3rd and 4th.

This year’s program aims to help farmers prepare for success as they navigate lukewarm markets, and plenty of open questions around everything from farm policy to the global trade landscape.

Today, DTN Farm Business Editor Katie Dehlinger joins us for a preview of the Summit agenda, which will take place from 9:30am central to 11:30 a.m. CT over the two days, kicking off with a rich discussion between two of the winners of this year’s America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers contest.

Plus, these info-packed mornings will give producers a chance to hear the very latest on cattle markets, grain markets, and the 2026 weather outlook from DTN’s top analysts — and attendees will also be able to ask questions and engage with experts and hosts.

Register for the 2025 DTN Ag Summit at https://www.dtn.com/ag-summit-series-2025/

The November WASDE dropped Friday, November 14th, marking a return to normalcy as the longest government shutdown in history came to an end and USDA began to process and release more than a month of unpublished data.

Surprises abounded, and markets oscillated between responding to new and confirmed information and reacting to the latest comments and updates from the Trump Administration in the hours after the report.

This week, DTN Lead Analyst Rhett Montgomery joins us to not only tackle the first WASDE in nearly two months, but also to bring us up-to-date on all the market news we might have missed since the September WASDE release.

In addition to taking a deep look at the balance sheets for the major grains, we’ll also talk about tariff news that’s been driving price fluctuations, and explore the space between trade commitments and actual sales on the books.

We’ll also plug into the global picture, and learn how finding the signal in the noise around stocks and usage offers some optimism for even the most bearish soybean traders.

Finally, we’ll hear what Rhett is on the lookout for as combines are officially put up for the year.

The U.S. federal government began a partial shutdown starting Wednesday October 1st, and after 43 long days it finally came to end on November 12th.

A resumption of funding means that many furloughed USDA employees will be getting back to work, and farmers and ranchers across the country can finally expect some forward movement on issues from biofuels to possible trade aid.

To help guide us through what to expect in the coming days, we’re joined by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, who not only followed every beat of the shutdown, but brings us up-to-date on all the news from Capitol Hill that’s happened in the meantime. We’ll start with an analysis about how the longest government shutdown in history came to a close, and what it could mean for key agricultural issues going forward.

Then, we’ll dive into the latest from the Trump administration, including controversies around trade with China, the soybean market, and prices in the beef markets. We'll also get an update on the tariff picture overall, and look ahead to what we might expect from Congress and the Administration between now and the end of the year.

Finally, we’ll explore the potential for a farm aid package in the coming weeks, the likelihood of reopening the Southern border, and talk about why ag trade groups are focusing on demands around biofuels right now.

Though cattlemen are still in a good marketing position compared to years past, the last two weeks have seen enough price instability to make any rancher feel sick to their stomach.

With competing headlines around whether or not the Southern border will remain closed due to the threat of New World Screwworm, and unwelcome moves by the Trump administration to potentially increase beef imports from Argentina, those in the cattle industry have been glued to the news as every additional quote and social media post threatens to upend prices even further.

Luckily, we have the steady hand of DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart to guide us through the latest news on all things cattle markets. Today, she’ll take us beat-by-beat through the questions around demand and trade, feed and weather, and even help us check in on the herd build-back.

She’ll help us look ahead to what we might expect this winter as far as producer decision-making, and what bearish and bullish factors remain as we turn towards 2026.

Finally, she brings us an update from her Wyoming operation, and offers some advice for sitting still in this season of crisis and uncertainty.

Since 2005, DTN Progressive Farmer has been selecting two farmers from across the country to participate in the annual View from the Cab project.

These farmers spend a full year getting to know DTN’s Pamela Smith through weekly calls and check-ins, sharing their stories and their seasons with the broader farm community.

Today, we’re sitting down with one of the 2025 View from the Cab farmers, Stuart Sanderson, a fourth generation farmer from North Alabama, who’s been keeping busy this year growing a mix of corn, soybeans, wheat and canola. He’s just about wrapped up harvest and is in the process of putting the '25 season to bed as the operation simultaneously prepares for 2026.

We kick off the conversation talking about the season so far, how he’s thinking about inputs and technology during uncertain times, and how he built the farms’ marketing and finance capabilities from the ground up. We also get into the family side of the business, exploring how he and his business partners — his cousin and uncle — split up tasks and responsibilities, and how his peer group helps him stay sane as he helps manage a big operation that turns on pennies of margin.

Finally, we get into Stuart’s vision for the coming years, and what role he sees for community advocacy in the future of his farm and of American agriculture.

The New World Screwworm has been uncommon in the U.S. since the 1960s, but plenty of ranchers, especially those in the Southwest, still remember how devastating a problem it can be.

The larval maggots of the screwworm feed exclusively on living flesh, and an infested animal can succumb in a matter of days. So evidence that the pest is moving Northward from Southern Mexico is a key concern for American ranchers.

DTN Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico has been following the unfolding story of the New World Screwworm for months now, and joins us this week to bring us up-to-date on the very latest news from both sides of the border. She’ll walk us through a timeline of detections from the last several months, including insight she’s learned from Texan and Mexican cattlemen as they deal with the fallout of lengthy inspections and closed borders. Then she’ll help us understand the potential impact of the pest, including how it affects cattle, how USDA and others are monitoring its progress, and how concerns about spread might be impacted by weather conditions.

Finally, we’ll talk about how this new threat is weighing on producer decision-making for the 2026 season, and hear how industry and trade groups are encouraging ranchers to prepare for what might be ahead.