2015 US Corn Belt Crop Tour: Michigan

Jul 21, 2015

Final state visited during 12-state tour

The 4^th annual Farms.com US Corn Belt Crop Tour made its way through the American Midwest, visiting some of the major players in corn, soybean and wheat production to get a better understanding of how each state will contribute to the national yield.

With Farms.com Risk Management’s Chief Commodity Strategist at the helm, the team started their journey in Ohio and traveled through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin before visiting the last state on the tour, Michigan.

“The corn is very short, which is amazing to me,” Agostino said standing near a cornfield. “I’m surprised to be honest with you. You get that variability because perhaps Michigan got a little too much moisture over the last couple months.”

As the tour traveled along Highway 12 near Three Oaks, Michigan, the surprises kept coming.

“The beans are looking further ahead than the corn, which again is a little bit of a surprise to me,” Agostino said.

Near Cilo, Michigan on Highway 57, the soybeans appeared to be lacking in moisture.

“Local farmers are suggesting that (the soybeans) need a drink or two – it’s been a little dry in this area and not filled out like we’ve seen,” Agostino said.

Overall, Michigan proved to be a tough state to concretely determine how it might perform over the next few weeks and months.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Agostino said. “A lot of variability, uneven corn and short beans. I’m basically going to conclude that you’ve got an average to below average crop in the state of Michigan.”

Join the conversation and tell us how you enjoyed the 2015 Farms.com US Corn Belt Crop Tour. What are some things you took away from the tour? What are some things you’d like to see in future crop tours?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.