Commodity Classic 2026 offered U.S. row-crop farmers ideas to test against their own acres, cash flow and risk—not a single farm-plan formula. The clearest planning prompts were to review grain-sale timing, strengthen season-long weed control, verify the rules before considering dicamba, test yield and technology decisions locally, and account for both market uncertainty and family well-being.
Held in San Antonio, Texas, February 25–27, 2026, Commodity Classic drew more than 12,000 attendees, according to the event’s official recap, which also reported more than 30 educational sessions and the largest General Session turnout in event history. Successful Farming’s event coverage likewise reported more than 12,000 attendees and described a two-floor trade show alongside educational sessions and association policy meetings. The takeaways below are presenters’ perspectives and event reporting; they are prompts for farm-specific decisions, not controlled evidence that a practice will pay on every farm.
Is May still the best month to sell grain?
Not necessarily, according to Al Kluis, managing director of Kluis Commodity Advisors. In his event presentation, he discussed seasonal price patterns and the possibility that profitable selling windows may arrive earlier than many farmers expect. He urged farmers to review their 2025 marketing results and described incremental sales as one way to manage risk and reduce the pressure of deciding whether to store grain.
Kluis put the storage risk bluntly: “I’ve seen farmers lose way more money storing too long than selling too early.” That is his perspective, not a forecast or a universal rule. His firm’s reported recommended cash-sale and hedge percentages were tied to its own market outlook; they should not be treated as targets for another operation.
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For a 2026 plan, review when sales were made, what prices and basis were achieved, and how storage costs and cash needs affected the result. Consider how incremental sales might fit your operation, but weigh them against:
- Cash-flow timing, debt obligations and the need to fund upcoming expenses.
- Storage, drying, handling and interest costs, along with the basis available at delivery.
- Existing contracts, production risk and the amount of price risk your operation can tolerate.
Kluis said he was watching corn and soybean futures spreads, USDA acreage reports, weather forecasts and global economic reports. These are factors to monitor, not reliable signals on their own. Successful Farming’s report on his presentation has the event details.
How should a 2026 weed program fit together?
The weed-management panel treated control as a season-long system rather than a single product or rescue application. Extension weed scientist Tommy Butts, FMC technical manager Gail Stratman, and farmers Kelly Garrett and Rusty Olsen discussed resistance management, residual herbicides, early scouting, rotating modes of action, and application stewardship. They also discussed cover crops or no-till where appropriate, water quality, sprayer shutoff and precision application.
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The practical implication is to plan for weed control before weeds become large and to avoid relying on one chemistry as the whole program. A farm-specific plan can include:
- Choosing pre-emergence residuals and other control measures that fit the crop, field history and local weed pressure.
- Scouting early enough to identify escapes and make timely decisions.
- Rotating modes of action and following product labels and stewardship requirements.
- Checking spray water and application control as part of diagnosing performance.
Garrett recounted his brother-in-law’s experience with reverse-osmosis water. That anecdote does not establish a general product recommendation or guarantee better control. Likewise, any equipment savings or payback discussed by panelists should be evaluated against a farm’s own conditions rather than assumed. See the panel coverage for their discussion.
What does the 2026–27 dicamba registration mean for a farm plan?
The EPA announced a time-limited registration for over-the-top dicamba use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton for the 2026 and 2027 growing seasons. Event-context reporting described tighter limits on use and timing, volatility-reduction requirements, buffers, applicator training and recordkeeping. Those summaries are not an application recipe.
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Before making an operational decision, read the current EPA-approved product label and check applicable state requirements. Follow those requirements for the product and use in question; pesticide rules and labels can change. The EPA announcement is the primary source for the registration, and event-context coverage explains the restrictions discussed around the announcement.
Where could the next bushels come from?
Yield speakers described genetics, fertility, environment and management as interacting factors, not independent levers with guaranteed results. University of Illinois crop physiologist Fred Below, farmers Troy Uphoff and Casey Hook, and agronomist Jim Isermann discussed using on-farm trials and yield-contest plots to test ideas, connect research with local fields and identify inputs that may not pay. Below summarized the interaction this way: “They all interact with each other,” as reported by Successful Farming.
Below said a 300-bushel corn crop must take up more than 330 pounds of nitrogen, about 1.12 pounds per bushel. This is a reported crop-uptake figure, not a fertilizer-rate recommendation. Uphoff discussed maintaining nitrogen availability through the season; the appropriate approach depends on field conditions and agronomic advice.
To test whether a yield idea belongs in your plan, keep careful records and compare treatments in replicated on-farm trials where feasible. Tissue tests and yield data can help interpret results alongside field conditions, genetics and management. A result from a contest plot or another farm should not be assumed to transfer directly to yours.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can data, automation and AI earn a place in the budget?
XtremeAg farmers described using yield maps and documentation to inform fertility decisions, automation to support operating efficiency, and AI for tasks such as summarizing information, reviewing contracts and exploring scenarios. These are possible uses, not evidence of typical financial returns. Individual farmer accounts about combine efficiency or fuel use are experiences from those farms, not independent performance data.
Before buying or expanding a tool, define what result would justify its cost and how you will measure it. Consider whether it works with existing equipment and data, whether you can export and retain records, what training and workflow changes it requires, and what support is available. Run a limited trial when possible and compare results with a baseline. AI-generated summaries or scenarios need checking against original documents and trusted advice before they inform a financial, contractual or agronomic decision.
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At the event, Arkansas farmer Matt Miles described his threshold: “You’ve got to show me where it will pay. I don’t want to go spend thousands of dollars on something and not be able to realize the return.” That is a useful investment question, not a claim that a particular tool will deliver a return. The technology panel report covers the farmers’ examples.
Could new demand or diversification change the outlook?
Indiana corn grower Chris Cherry advocated for year-round E15 and broader demand channels, including sustainable aviation fuel and exports. He also described diversification on his own farm. These were his advocacy and personal experience; they do not establish that policy changes will occur or that future demand is guaranteed. Treat proposed demand growth as an uncertain possibility in financial planning, not as a committed buyer or price floor. The event retrospective is available from Successful Farming.
Why did the event include mental health in a farm-planning conversation?
Farm decisions are made by people operating under financial, workload and family pressures. A mental-health panel at Commodity Classic addressed isolation, stress, warning signs and the value of early conversations. Successful Farming quoted Trish Rivera as saying that 65% of nonmetropolitan counties had no psychiatrists and 60% of rural Americans lived in designated mental-health provider-shortage areas. Those figures are attributed to Rivera in the event coverage, not independently verified here.
AgriStress Helpline, AgriSafe, Rural Minds and community support networks were identified as sources of support. Linda Emanuel, AgriSafe agricultural health liaison, urged attention to changes in neighbors or oneself: “If you are noticing some differences in your neighbors or maybe even with yourself, there might be some signs that depression or anxiety may be starting to creep in,” she said. The panel report provides more context. Reaching out to a trusted person or support service can be a practical first step when stress or isolation becomes hard to manage.
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