Important Crop Insurance Information for Clients of Compeer Financial
FALL 2025
CROP TALK In this issue: 2 | Your Crop Insurance Documents Are Available Digitally Online Renewals Holiday Office Closures Sign Up for Crop Insurance Text Notifications 3 | Strengthen Coverage, Control Costs: ARC, PLC, SCO & ECO in 2026 4 | Additional Livestock Risk Protection Options Now Available 6 | New Federal Tax Law: Key Ways the OBBBA Impacts Farmers 7 | With Passage of the OBBBA, the Work for the Crop Insurance Industry Still Must Continue 8 | Crop Outlook: Weather & Risk Webinar
ECONOMIC ATMOSPHERE, WEATHER PATTERNS IMPACT COMMODITY PRICES, FARM INCOME by Cole Patrick, Director of Insurance Strategies Market Implications: Modest Adjustments, But Supplies Still Heavy
up 9% from last year and well above spring intentions. Soybean acreage ended at 81.1 million, 7% lower than 2024.
After a one-month data gap, USDA’s November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) release brought only modest changes to U.S. row-crop fundamentals.
Looking to 2026, producers may rebalance acres. Historically, when corn acres jump more than 6% in one season, acres tend to swing back toward soybeans the following year — especially true with tighter farm budgets and recent southern rust pressure.
For corn, the national yield was trimmed slightly to 186.0 bushels per acre — just 0.7 bushels per acre lower than September — while harvested area remained near 90 million acres. Production now stands at 16.75 billion bushels, still among the largest crops on record. Higher beginning stocks from September’s revisions pushed ending stocks to roughly 2.15 billion bushels. USDA raised the season-average farm price to $4.00/bushel, reflecting solid domestic use and steady exports, but overall supplies remain burdensome.
Weather challenges continued through summer. Heavy June-July rainfall was followed by a dry, warm August, causing localized stress and complicating yield forecasts. Meanwhile, climate models carry a 71% chance of La Niña developing by winter. If typical La Niña patterns trigger dryness in South America, a winter price bounce is possible as global markets react.
For soybeans, yield declined to 53.0 bushels per acre, reducing production to 4.25 billion bushels. USDA lowered exports by 50 million bushels and set ending stocks at 290 million. The average farm price rose to $10.50/bushel, indicating a somewhat tighter balance sheet than corn, yet still far from a bullish setup. Weather Impacts: Mixed Conditions Across the Corn Belt Growing-season weather varied widely. Parts of the eastern Corn Belt saw delays, contributing to shifts in prevent-plant acres. Corn preventplant dropped 32% from last year to 1.8 million acres, while soybeans rose 55% to 1.2 million. With mostly favorable early conditions and a corn-soybean ratio below the 2.5 trigger, farmers pushed corn acreage to 98.7 million,
Corn: Big Crop, Narrow Margins Despite a slight yield cut, corn supplies remain overwhelming. USDA raised exports to 3.1 billion bushels, thanks to strong movement to Mexico, Japan and Colombia. However, feed and ethanol use were unchanged, leaving demand growth minimal. Strong yields paired with flat prices emphasize the value of revenue protection and proactive marketing. Soybeans: Slightly Tighter, Still Competitive Production slipped 48 million bushels from September, and smaller beginning stocks helped balance reduced exports. The challenge is global competition. U.S. shipments to China remain well below last year, with Brazil maintaining dominance and continued on page 5 >>