Harvest is underway in Iowa, but wet weather, market conditions, trade and rising input costs are creating plenty of questions for farmers. We talk with Iowa Corn and Iowa Soybean leaders about what’s happening in the fields—and what it could mean for the turkey industry.
Harvest is underway—or at least it's trying to be. After a very wet start to fall in Iowa, corn and soybean farmers are navigating delayed harvest, changing markets, trade uncertainty and continued pressure on farm margins.
On this episode of The Turkey Talk Show, we're stepping outside the turkey barn and into the corn and soybean fields. Sheila and Gretta are joined by Grant Kimberly, Nick Helland to talk about what they're seeing across Iowa agriculture and what it could mean for turkey farmers.
We talk about:
🌽 Harvest: Crop conditions, yields, harvest progress and what the wet fall could mean for farmers.
📈 Markets & the farm economy: Grain prices may have improved, but input costs and tight margins continue to create challenges.
🌧️ Weather: What are the recent rains and cooler temperatures doing to crop health—and could conditions influence 2027 planting decisions?
🌎 Trade: Why the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) matters to Iowa's corn and soybean farmers and the livestock industries that depend on them.
💧 Water quality & conservation: What's happening on the ground and how farmers are balancing productivity with environmental goals?
🌾 Fertilizer & nutrients: From commercial fertilizer to manure, how are farmers approaching nutrient management—and where does turkey manure fit into the picture?
⛽ Diesel & input costs: Are higher costs changing the way farmers operate or influencing conservation and production decisions?
🚂 Transportation: Why rail infrastructure and proposed railroad changes matter to a state that produces far more grain than it consumes.
🔥 Renewable fuels: Ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel and the evolving opportunities for corn and soybean products.
In this episode, you'll get a look at agriculture from a perspective just outside the turkey barn—but one that has a very real impact inside it.