Row Crops Today — May 12, 2026
The 5-minute 5 AM brief for row crop producers and ag professionals
Headline Stack
📋 Senate Ag Committee convenes Tuesday hearing on fertilizer costs as urea jumps 47%
🌽 USDA Crop Progress: corn 57% planted, soybeans 49% planted — both ahead of average
⛽ EPA finalizes record 2026–2027 RFS volumes, holds conventional ethanol at 15B gallons
🌽 House to vote this week on H.R. 1346 to make year-round E15 permanent
🌧️ Drought persists across South Dakota with 37% in severe-to-extreme conditions
Top Story
📋 Senate Ag Committee convenes Tuesday hearing on fertilizer costs as urea jumps 47%. — LINK
The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee holds a hearing Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building examining disruptions in the fertilizer industry and the impact of rising costs on American farmers and food prices. Nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen more than 30% and urea is up 47% since late February, while combined fuel and fertilizer costs have jumped 20–40%, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Witnesses include Andy Green of Center Market Strategies, Trent Kubik of the South Dakota Corn Growers, Eddie Melton of the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, Corey Rosenbusch of The Fertilizer Institute, and Joshua Westling of J. Westling & Co. "Given the worsening financial conditions on the farm, support is building for additional economic aid for farmers in any upcoming legislation to help offset economic hardships made more challenging by recent increases in fertilizer and fuel prices," the AFBF report said. Roughly 90% of Nebraska and Oklahoma are experiencing drought conditions, compounding input pressure across the Plains.
More This Week
🌽 Corn 57% planted, soybeans 49% planted as of May 10. — LINK
USDA's May 10 Crop Progress report put corn planting at 57% across the top 18 states (vs. a 52% five-year average) and soybeans at 49% (vs. 36% average), with corn emergence at 23% and soybean emergence at 20% — both ahead of pace.
"Only Michigan and North Dakota did not have emerged corn as of May 10, which is behind average pace for both states," the USDA reported.
Winter wheat condition slipped to 28% good/excellent, down from 31% the prior week and well below last year's 54% reading at the same point.
⛽ EPA finalizes record renewable fuel volumes for 2026–2027. — LINK
EPA's final Renewable Fuel Standard rule sets record Renewable Volume Obligations for 2026–2027, holding conventional ethanol at 15 billion gallons while expanding biomass-based diesel and cellulosic fuels.
"EPA sets record Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2026–2027, with growth concentrated in biomass-based diesel and advanced fuels while conventional ethanol remains at 15 billion gallons," the American Farm Bureau Federation said in its Market Intel summary of the rule.
The rule reforms small refinery exemption accounting to redistribute previously waived gallons into future obligations; EPA declined to finalize proposed import RIN restrictions, deferring those provisions to the 2028 compliance year or later.
🌽 House to vote this week on permanent year-round E15. — LINK
The House votes this week on H.R. 1346, sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) with 55 co-sponsors, which would permanently end the seasonal restriction on E15 sales — a standalone measure separate from the E15 provision that failed in the farm bill markup.
Conventional ethanol demand remains capped at 15 billion gallons under EPA's just-finalized 2026–2027 RFS rule, leaving year-round E15 as a primary lever for expanding corn-based ethanol use.
The bill would lift the Reid vapor pressure summer restriction that has historically blocked E15 sales between June 1 and September 15 in conventional gasoline markets.
🌧️ Drought persists in South Dakota as soil moisture losses accelerate. — LINK
USDA Crop Progress data show 37% of South Dakota in severe-to-extreme drought, with corn and soybean emergence at risk across the western Corn Belt as weekly soil-moisture losses accelerate.
Roughly 90% of Nebraska and Oklahoma are experiencing drought conditions, with nearly three-quarters of the U.S. cattle herd in significant drought and 48% in severe drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data.
South Dakota corn planting fell within the national pace reported in USDA's May 10 Crop Progress release, but emergence conditions on the western edge of the Corn Belt remain tied to whether forecasted rainfall materializes over the next two weeks.
Basis Watch
Colorado East Central corn firmed 10 cents on Monday, May 11, leading the day's old-crop and new-crop moves with matching gains on both the July and December contracts at the top of the range. Iowa Southeast and Iowa North Central old-crop corn improved 3 to 4 cents on the low end, while moves across Illinois locations stayed within 1 to 2 cents in either direction.
Soybeans were quieter on the surface, with Iowa Northeast, Northwest, North Central, and Southwest old-crop bids firming 2 to 4 cents and Illinois locations softening 3 cents on the top end. Iowa South Central old-crop soybeans firmed 95 cents at the top of the range, a move far outside what every other location posted Monday.
Source: USDA AMS
Combined fuel and fertilizer costs for U.S. row crop producers have jumped 20–40% since late February, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
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