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Historical Cropping Patterns for Illinois Grain Farms

February 20, 2026

Bradley Zwilling

Over the last ten years, when we look at the costs of producing corn versus soybeans, it has been more profitable economically to produce soybeans than corn, except for 2021 and 2022. This explains the general downward trend in the percentage of corn acres in crop rotations in Illinois. Over the last 30 years, we have seen a shift to more corn acres until the 2007 to 2012 time period and since that period, the percentage of acres in the crop rotation planted to corn has decreased until about 2020.

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All Day Ag Outlook at the Beef House

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

The doors open at 7:30 a.m. central / 8:30 a.m. eastern and includes both coffee and rolls in the morning and a Beef House lunch.

Finalizing 2026 Crop Insurance Decisions – farmdoc Webinar Series

March 5th, 2026

Join the agricultural economists from the University of Illinois for their comprehensive, year-round webinar programming. Each session is crafted to provide the data and context needed to inform your operation's most critical decisions. Topics rotate seasonally to address current needs…

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Revisiting the Basis Risk when evaluating SCO and ECO

February 19, 2026

Henrique Monaco, Gary Schnitkey, Nick Paulson, Bruce Sherrick and Carl Zulauf

Higher subsidy rates for SCO and ECO in 2026 increase the attractiveness of their usage and the potential for replacing some RP coverage with county-level coverage. However, switching from farm-level to county-based coverage introduces basis risk because farm losses do not precisely mimic county losses. In regions where the basis risk is low, such as in Illinois, use of SCO and ECO with lower RP coverage levels can provide improved risk benefits at similar or lower premium cost to the farmer.

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Trends in the Operational Efficiency of the U.S. Ethanol Industry: 2025 Update

February 18, 2026

Scott Irwin

Recent trends in the operational efficiency of the U.S. ethanol industry are analyzed in this article. The picture that emerges from the analysis is one of tradeoffs in operational efficiency of dry mill ethanol plants, with more ethanol and corn oil production coming at the expense of less DDGS. The picture that emerges from the analysis is one of tradeoffs in operational efficiency of dry mill ethanol plants, with more ethanol and corn oil production coming at the expense of less DDGS.

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Comparing Crop Insurance Scenarios with SCO and ECO for 2026

February 17, 2026

Nick Paulson, Gary Schnitkey, Henrique Monaco, and Carl Zulauf

Significantly reduced farmer-paid premiums for Supplemental and Enhanced Coverage Option (SCO and ECO) policies suggest that farmers should consider using these products in their 2026 crop insurance portfolios. Adding SCO and ECO to higher coverage level farm-level plans such as Revenue Protection (RP) will increase expect returns and reduce risk, while also increasing total premium costs. Expected returns can be increased more by reducing RP’s coverage level while still using ECO and SCO.

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Off-Base, Part 5: Farm Policy Has Been Here Before; Lessons Reinforced by History

February 16, 2026

Jonathan Coppess

History of the breakdown in the 1950s and 1960s should reinforce key lessons about failing to fix fundamental flaws in farm policy. Congress, however, appears intent on repeating the problems. In the House, a recycled bill of mostly leftover programs fixes none of the problematic changes contained in the Reconciliation Farm Bill. Here again we are reminded that history’s handrails offer only help, and only if properly used.

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Prospects for Swine Feed Costs in 2026

February 13, 2026

Michael Langemeier

Average Indiana feed costs in 2025 were approximately 9% lower than feed costs in 2024 and 44% lower than feed costs in 2023. Feed costs in 2026 are expected to be like those experienced in 2025. Current projections use corn prices ranging from $4.25 to $4.50 per bushel, and soybean meal prices ranging from $275 to $325 per ton. Corn and soybean prices will be impacted by weather conditions around the world as well as other supply and demand factors.

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Off-Base, Part 4: A Fundamental Flaw in the Policy

February 12, 2026

Jonathan Coppess

Sometime in early October, USDA is expected to make nearly $16 billion in direct payments to a select group of farm operations (CBO, February 2026). Those payments are for the…

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Historical Cropping Patterns for Illinois Grain Farms

Finalizing 2026 Crop Insurance Decisions – farmdoc Webinar Series

Recent Articles - View All

Revisiting the Basis Risk when evaluating SCO and ECO

Trends in the Operational Efficiency of the U.S. Ethanol Industry: 2025 Update

Comparing Crop Insurance Scenarios with SCO and ECO for 2026

Off-Base, Part 5: Farm Policy Has Been Here Before; Lessons Reinforced by History

Prospects for Swine Feed Costs in 2026

Off-Base, Part 4: A Fundamental Flaw in the Policy

Recent Series

Ag Market Insights

US Grain Storage Capacity Growth Has Stopped

The Soybean Industry Response to the Renewable Diesel Boom, Part 3: the Value of Soybean Oil in the Soybean Crush

Corn and Soybean Markets Shrug Off Bearish USDA Figures

The Soybean Industry Response to the Renewable Diesel Boom, Part 2: Squeezing More Oil from the Soybean Crush

The Soybean Industry Response to the Renewable Diesel Boom, Part 1: the Long-Run Evolution of Oilseed Crushing

Weekly Farm Economics

Comparing Crop Insurance Scenarios with SCO and ECO for 2026

Release of Insurance Evaluator with the New SCO and ECO

SCO and ECO Choices in 2026

Expected Yields for SCO and ECO in Illinois

Projected Incomes on Owned vs Rented Farmland for 2026

Gardner Policy Series

Off-Base, Part 5: Farm Policy Has Been Here Before; Lessons Reinforced by History

Off-Base, Part 4: A Fundamental Flaw in the Policy

Has the US Crop Safety Net Become Excessive?

Off-Base, Part 3: Picking Winners & Losers with Policy

Off Base, Part 2: The View from the CBO Baseline

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