Row Crops Today — June 10, 2026
The 5-minute 5 AM brief for row crop producers and ag professionals
Headline Stack
📋 USDA raises ARC/PLC payment cap to $155,000 — September 15 filing deadline
⛽ Senate begins formal talks on year-round E15 legislation
🌽 Iowa corn rated 84% good-to-excellent versus 67% national average
🏛️ Vaden says county FSA and NRCS offices unaffected by USDA reorganization
Top Story
📋 USDA raises ARC/PLC payment limit to $155,000 and broadens entity eligibility. — LINK
USDA's Farm Service Agency is raising the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage payment limit from $125,000 to $155,000 starting with the 2025 crop year, with annual inflation adjustments going forward. Beginning with the 2026 crop year, FSA will treat qualifying LLCs, S-Corps and similar entities as pass-through entities, allowing each actively engaged member to count toward expanded payments rather than capping the operation at a single limit. Farm operations structured as LLCs, S-Corps, or other qualified pass-through entities must file updated farm operating plans with FSA by September 15, 2026, for the 2026 program year. "The 2026 program year will be a monumental change for farmers and ranchers who can now structure their farm entities to benefit from the legal protections of certain business structures without limiting their access to the farm safety net," said Bill Beam, FSA Administrator. USDA also broadened the farming income definition under the $900,000 average AGI cap to include agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer sales, and certain equipment sales.
More This Week
⛽ Senate opens formal talks on year-round E15 bill. — LINK
Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) has told Brownfield a standalone nationwide year-round E15 bill has the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, with the chamber now working from the House-passed measure as a starting point.
"There is palpable energy to get E15 done this year," said Monte Shaw, Executive Director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
Shaw said the E15 issue has been debated for more than 13 years; meetings to draft Senate language are underway as lawmakers target action before the August recess.
🌽 Iowa corn rated 84% good-to-excellent, well above national pace. — LINK
The June 8 USDA Crop Progress report rated Iowa corn 84% good-to-excellent versus 67% nationally, with Iowa soybeans also ranking among the top-rated crops in the country.
The Iowa rating reflects favorable May planting conditions and adequate soil moisture across most of the state's nine crop reporting districts heading into the June reproductive window.
National corn planting reached 97% complete and soybeans 92% complete in the most recent Crop Progress release, both running ahead of the five-year average.
🏛️ Vaden: county FSA and NRCS offices unaffected by USDA reorganization. — LINK
USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden says thousands of Washington-based employees will relocate to five regional hubs — Kansas City, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City — with every mission area's plan announced by the end of June.
"They won't notice changes at their Farm Service Agency county office. They won't notice changes at their Natural Resources Conservation Service county office," Vaden said. "None of those employees are moving or even being bothered as a part of this reorganization."
Farm Production and Conservation, which houses FSA, has not yet had its hub assignment announced; Vaden said additional FPAC staff are likely to be added in Kansas City.
Basis Watch
Kansas Northwest old-crop corn basis firmed 13 cents on Tuesday, the day's largest corn move. Across the Northern Plains, North Dakota Central, East Central, North Central, and Northeast all improved 5 cents on the wider end of their ranges, with Nebraska Northeast and Kansas Southwest also picking up 5 cents. Illinois bucked the trend, with Little Egypt and North softening 3 cents on the low end.
In soybeans, Kansas Southwest old-crop basis strengthened 20 cents on the top of its range, well above the 5- to 12-cent improvements seen elsewhere. South Dakota Southeast firmed 12 cents, while Nebraska Northwest, North Dakota Central, and North Dakota North Central each improved 10 cents. Missouri Central, Northwest, and West each added 5 cents on the high end.
Source: USDA AMS
China's May soybean imports of 11.79 million metric tons were the third-highest single-month total on record, yet year-to-date arrivals of 36.94 million MT are running slightly below last year's pace with no major U.S. purchases booked.
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