Loans can be used to cover the cost of replacement equipment or livestock, the reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of some debts. The declarations cover large sections of Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as counties in other states like Maine, New Hampshire and New York.

A hotter atmosphere is causing rain to fall in harder bursts, pushing back planting seasons and drowning crops. At the same time as human-driven climate change is juicing precipitation, Corn Belt farming practices such as installing underground drainage tiles and leaving fields bare after harvest are changing how water moves across the landscape and into waterways.

USDA’s Risk Management Agency rolled out PACE earlier this year to support stewardship of fertilizer, and it will continue to be offered in select counties of Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota.

These grant programs are for farmers, ranchers, scientists, educators, institutions, organizations, and others exploring sustainable agriculture in 12 states.

For now, the agency is focused on double-crop soybeans and double-crop sorghum, though they are examining the possibility of additional other crops at some point in the future.

No-Till Farmer editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at the grower's realm from the lofty digital realm. Here is our favorite content from the past week from across the web. “No-Till Farmer's Best of the Web" is brought to you by Sound Agriculture.

Researchers found that a 1% increase in no-tillage adoption within a county can increase agricultural land value by $7.86 per acre across 12 Midwestern states covered by the OpTIS database: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Using data specific to Iowa they concluded 1% adoption of no-till at the county level increases farmland values $14.75 (and possibly more) per acre inside Iowa.

While western farmers pray for rain, heavy spring rains in Minnesota have forced some farmers away from no-till to combat wet conditions. That includes Minnesota Corn Growers President Brian Biegler, who farms near Lake Wilson, Minn.

According to the University of Minnesota, farmers are faced with the decision of whether or not to plant some of their crop or take prevent plant, plant their planned crop late, or switch to a different crop. There are many factors to consider when making these decisions and each farmer will need to evaluate what options fit best with their operation and situation.