According to an analysis of federal data by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, staffing cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency at Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency offices throughout the US in 2025 continues to affect farmers in 2026. These cuts have left many county-level service offices understaffed. For example, Iowa lost nearly 19% of its Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, staff and 8% of its Farm Service Agency staff between January 2025 and January 2026. Local USDA office staff help farmers navigate the loan application process with federal programs and loans. Colorado NRCS offices lost between 35 to 38% .of staff in local offices, while some states lost nearly 50% of their staff during the DOGE cuts.
For several years, US grain farmers have argued that they face higher production costs than competitors such as Brazil while selling into the same global commodity market. A new analysis, released Tuesday by the National Corn growers Association, suggests that those concerns may be true. The study found that U.S. corn growers faced corn seed prices that averaged 68% higher than Brazil’s
Also U S corn insecticide prices averaged 87% higher, while some fungicides cost more than double what Brazilian farmers paid. Many herbicide comparisons were also found to be approaching double the price Brazilian growers have been paying for the same products. The study also found that US farmers consistently paid more than Brazilian farmers for major crop inputs for the 2023–2025 crop years.
What if farmers could get two checks for one crop? Well, Edison Rubber Company is developing rubber from sunflower leaves, with no harm caused to the seeds. This bio-based alternative to synthetic rubber unlocks new revenue for sunflower growers through collection of the leaf biomass. Rubber is used in many products and industries, and it is most commonly synthesized from petroleum-derived sources. But sunflowers naturally have a 0.5% rubber content, and a team at the company, Edison Rubber, is working to boost that content while keeping traditional sunflower seed yields as successful as possible.
Some folks consider solar farms to be a detriment to production agriculture due to their extensive use of farmland, but what if farmers were able to capitalize on the power of the sun without giving up their fields? Helical Solari has designed solar panels for use along field edges and in feedlot corners. They are rated to structurally withstand winds greater than 125 mph, and are embedded without concrete. The dual axis-articulating panels provide over 45% more power production when compared with conventional fixed solar panels. The panels have been, and are currently in research trials with feedlots in Kansas, where the cattle-proof structures offer shade to livestock, while protecting the energy investment.
American astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan wrote, “Science is a never-ending frontier, not a finished book but an open horizon."
