Wheat crops damaged by drought are seen during an annual winter wheat tour, near Colby, Kansas, U.S., May 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Emily Schmall

‘Amber waves of grain’ recede in America’s heartland as wheat farmers struggle

Midwestern farmers abandoning wheat crops as profits recede, weather challenges

The Great Plains have long been celebrated for the “amber waves of grain” in the popular hymn “America the Beautiful.” The region’s states produce most of the U.S.-grown crop of hard red winter wheat, favored by bakers for bread. But with prices hovering around $5 (C$6.86) per bushel, U.S. wheat farmers have reached an inflection point, with many forced to either lose money, feed wheat to cattle or kill off the crop.






File photo of cattle in a Kansas feedlot. (BeyondImages/E+/Getty Images)

Heat, humidity kill at least 2,000 Kansas cattle, state says

Chicago | Reuters — Extreme heat and humidity killed thousands of cattle in Kansas in recent days, the state said, and sizzling temperatures continue to threaten livestock. The deaths add pain to the U.S. cattle industry as producers have reduced herds due to drought and grappled with feed costs that climbed as Russia’s invasion of […] Read more

CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans sink after Midwest rains

Wheat down on big Kansas crop outlook, export competition

Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Monday as rains boosted recently planted crops across the U.S. Midwest and as traders weighed future export demand following a flurry of corn purchases by China last week. Wheat futures also fell, sinking to the lowest level in more than a month as prospects for a […] Read more

CBOT July 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with MGEX July 2021 wheat (orange open/high/low/close) and K.C. July 2021 wheat (yellow OHLC). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-month low, soybeans three-week low

Chicago corn down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Friday, touching a one-month low on improving prospects for the crop in the U.S. Plains, traders said. Corn futures fell on a round of profit-taking after rising in three of the previous four sessions. Soybeans also closed lower, with concerns about demand outweighing a bargain-buying attempt […] Read more


CBOT July 2021 corn (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange, green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn futures rise; soybeans, wheat weak

Kansas winter wheat tour sees record yield potential

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Thursday, with strong export demand highlighting concerns about dwindling crop supplies due to harvest shortfalls in Brazil, traders said. Soybeans and wheat weakened after firming early in the session. Private exporters reported the sale of 1.224 million tonnes of corn to China for delivery in the […] Read more

(USDA.gov via Flickr)

USDA to probe surging beef prices versus falling cattle prices

Tyson says will co-operate with department's investigation

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department will investigate why a surge in beef prices because of coronavirus-related hoarding did not translate into higher cattle prices for farmers, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday. The investigation adds scrutiny on the small group of meat companies such as Tyson Foods and Cargill that dominate […] Read more