Purdue Extension’s local footprint continues to grow, according to Amy Webster, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator and County Director for Purdue Extension in both Clinton and Carroll counties. Speaking during WILO’s Ag Day 2026 broadcast, Webster shared updates on major extension programs, technological advances, and a renewed push toward community education and food security.

 “We hate to say it, but sometimes extension is one of the best-kept secrets,” Webster said. “People forget about us until they need us, and then they realize how much we can help.”

Expanding Agricultural Education

Webster said training and certification remain key roles for Purdue Extension. Over the past year, the two-county program helped more than 400 people complete classes to maintain or earn pesticide applicator licenses. Those programs—often held in partnership with local agribusinesses—are continuing into 2026.

 “We’ve had great partnerships with groups like Drago for workshops,” Webster explained. “This year our implement dealers and co-ops have really jumped on board. We’ve already held four programs since January.”

Extension’s outreach also includes virtual and hybrid education. Programs such as “Fruitful Fridays” and the “Grain Marketing Navigator Series” have drawn interest from growers of all backgrounds. Online tools now allow participants to interact with university experts without leaving the county.

 “We fired up the watch party for our fruit production class and could ask live questions just like we were in the same room,” Webster said. “Technology has changed how we reach people—it’s been a huge advantage.”

Growing Food Literacy and Local Resilience: “You can grow a garden in a bucket”

Beyond traditional ag education, Webster said Purdue Extension is focusing more on home horticulture and urban gardening as tools to address food insecurity.

“People think they need a big patch of land to garden,” Webster said. “But you can grow food in a five-gallon bucket if you’ve got some sun. We’re teaching folks to start small and make it doable.”

Clinton and Carroll county extension offices are exploring collaborations with food pantries like the one in Michigantown to introduce educational programs and encourage fresh produce donations.

Webster said the Master Gardener program, last offered locally nearly a decade ago, could return soon as part of that effort. Extension is also considering new partnerships that link 4-H youth, family health programs, and food education.

Connecting Agriculture, Health, and Community

Webster emphasized that “agriculture touches everything,” from vehicle materials derived from soybeans to corn-based packaging products. That theme will be part of her presentation to fourth graders during Carroll County’s Ag Day demonstrations on poultry and byproducts.

Extension’s *Food as Medicine* series, led by Health and Human Sciences Educator Karen Jenkins, is another example of outreach that combines nutrition, wellness, and agriculture. The 12-week course shows how diet can lower A1C and improve overall health.

“It’s all connected—agriculture, youth, health,” Webster said. “We’re here to help people find the resources they need to live better and build stronger communities.”

Local residents can learn more about upcoming programs by visiting extension.purdue.edu/Clinton or extension.purdue.edu/Carroll, or by following the counties’ Purdue Extension and 4-H pages on Facebook. Both county offices are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at locations in Flora and Frankfort.

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 Melissa Miller and Adam Shanks interviewed leaders in Indiana Agriculture on WILO and Hoosierland TV from 9:30 AM to 2 PM March 18, 2026.

Skiles Electric presented Ag Day 2026 with support from Wampler’s Services Inc., The Farmers Bank, The Community Foundation, Rossville Consolidated School, and First Farmers Bank and Trust.  

Broadcast on Hoosierland TV was produced by Michael Hall. Broadcast on WILO 96.9, Boone 102.7 FM and WILO 1570 was produced by Dacen Brittain.

The post Ag Day 2026: Purdue Extension Highlights Community Impact and Future Goals first appeared on Clinton County Daily News.

Hoosier Ag Today President Eric Pfeiffer told WILO’s Ag Day audience that Indiana farmers are being squeezed by delayed federal farm policy, rising input costs, and global turmoil—even as new state protections aim to shield them from drone harassment over livestock and cropland. He also reflected on the loss of legendary farm broadcaster Orion Samuelson and described a recent ag leadership trip to Africa that he called “life changing.”

Hoosier Ag Today at 20 Years

Pfeiffer said Hoosier Ag Today will mark 20 years on the air later this year, reaching farmers through more than 70 radio signals, daily digital newsletters, and social media platforms, including content carried on WILO 96.9 FM, WILO 1570 AM, Boone 102.7 FM and Hoosierland TV in Clinton, Carroll and Boone Counties.

 “We’ve been doing it for 20 years now…bringing news, weather, market information to farmers, growers, agribusinesses, [and] politicians,”  Pfeiffer said. He added that the network focuses on conditions across all regions of Indiana, as well as national developments, because farmers “like to know what other farmers are facing” beyond their own backyards.

Pfeiffer, whose background is in radio rather than production agriculture, said he feels “incredibly blessed” that Indiana farmers and ag leaders have “taken me under their wing and taught me so much about what they do and what they fight for.” He emphasized that Hoosier Ag Today, instead of being “far left or far right”  is “far agriculture,” explaining, “I don’t care where the idea comes from. If it’s a good idea for agriculture, we’re going to cover it.”

Remembering Farm Broadcasting Icon Orion Samuelson

Pfeiffer also paid tribute to long-time WGN farm broadcaster Orion Samuelson, who died this week at age 91 after six decades on Chicago airwaves and national television. He recalled meeting Samuelson early in his own farm-broadcasting career at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention, where Samuelson encouraged him to run for leadership in the group.

“After the meeting he came up to me and he said, ‘Young man, thank you so much for doing this…If there’s absolutely anything I can do for you, let me know,’ and he handed me a small piece of paper with a cell phone number on it,” Pfeiffer said. He called Samuelson “a kind man” whose life’s work—“advocating for agriculture [and] trying to make the public aware of what agriculture means to America”—made it fitting that he passed during National Agriculture Week.

Eye-Opening Ag Leadership Trip to Africa

Pfeiffer recently returned from a two‑week international trip with Indiana’s Ag Leadership Program, organized by AgriInstitute, that took a group of 28 ag leaders and professionals to Ghana and Kenya. He said participants repeatedly described the experience as “eye‑opening,” “overwhelming,” and “emotional” as they saw widespread poverty, open sewage, and communities struggling to feed themselves.

He said government resistance to genetically modified crops is limiting food production there, even as scientific reviews have not established harm from GMO foods. “To feed that population, that’s what they’re going to need,” Pfeiffer said, noting that African officials are only now having the GMO debate that U.S. agriculture went through years ago. At the same time, he cautioned that Americans should not assume “we’ve got it all figured out,” pointing to African communities where a large share of residents are directly involved in food production, in contrast to how far removed many U.S. consumers are from farms.

Farm Bill Stalled as Costs and Conflicts Rise

On federal policy, Pfeiffer said the 2018 farm bill—intended as a four‑year law—has now been extended twice and is “double its lifespan,” leaving farmers stuck with outdated reference prices and safety net levels as inflation and costs have surged. “It’s time for this thing to get updated. It’s been time for this thing to get updated,” he said.

He noted the House Agriculture Committee, chaired by Rep. G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania, has advanced a new farm bill on a bipartisan vote, with seven Democrats supporting it, and that Indiana has two members on the panel—Reps. Jim Baird and Mark Messmer—who “are doing a great job representing agriculture.” But he warned that Senate Agriculture leaders plan to take “the next few months” to roll out their own version, likely forcing a lengthy reconciliation and another extension beyond the current Sept. 30 deadline.

Pfeiffer said he expects California’s Proposition 12, which mandates larger confinement space for hogs and has increased pork production costs and retail prices, to be a key sticking point in the Senate. He also pointed to a separate fight over allowing year‑round E‑15 gasoline, arguing that both parties should be able to agree because higher ethanol blends would support corn demand and reduce emissions compared to today’s E‑10 standard.

New Indiana Law Targets Drone Harassment

At the state level, Pfeiffer said agriculture was not a top priority in Indiana’s recent short legislative session, but farm groups focused on stopping several “bad bills” and salvaging one important protection against unauthorized drones. Language now folded into House Bill 1249—signed last week as a broader “various criminal matters” bill—creates penalties for unmanned drones that fly over cropland and livestock barns without permission.

Pfeiffer said poultry producers in northeast Indiana reported drones flying over barns and spraying an unknown substance shortly before flocks were diagnosed with avian influenza, but local sheriffs and federal regulators previously said there was no clear law they could enforce. “Now there’s a law,” Pfeiffer said, explaining that farmers can contact the sheriff’s office when they see unauthorized drones over barns or fields. He noted there are still legal questions about how the new state restrictions interact with federal aviation rules, but called it “good news for agriculture” that farmers now have “some sort of recourse.”

Hoosier Ag Today content, including coverage of these issues, is available at hoosieragtoday.com, where listeners can also sign up for a daily newsletter and find links to the network’s Facebook, X, and YouTube channels.  Hoosier Ag Today reports and commentary can be seen on Clinton County Daily News, Carroll County Daily News, Boone County Daily News and heard on WILO 96.9 FM, Boone 102.7 FM and WILO AM 1570.

The post Pfeiffer: Farm Bill Delays, Price Squeezes, Drone Threats on Farms and Global Turmoil Weigh on Hoosier Farmers first appeared on Clinton County Daily News.

Farmer confidence ticked up slightly in February, but long-term anxiety about the agricultural economy is deepening, Purdue agricultural economist Dr. Michael Langemeier told WILO’s Ag Day 2026 broadcast this week. He said tight margins, rising input costs and policy uncertainty are weighing on crop producers even as livestock producers, especially in beef, see strong returns.

Barometer up, outlook down

Langemeier explained that the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, a monthly nationwide survey of crop and livestock producers, rose from 113 in January to 116 in February, signaling slightly improved sentiment about current conditions. “The primary Ag Economy Barometer index actually increased a little bit from February to January,” he said, noting that sentiment remains well below late-2025 levels.

What concerns him most is the five-year outlook. “What’s a little bit disconcerting to me is the sentiment related to future expectations is down quite a bit,” Langemeier said, pointing out that the Future Expectations Index now stands about 45 points below its February 2025 reading. He linked that slide to producers “losing a little bit of confidence in the long-run policy environment,” including uncertainty about trade and broader U.S. agricultural policy.

Crops squeezed, beef buoyant

Roughly 70 percent of survey respondents are crop producers, and Langemeier said they are feeling “very tight returns,” especially in corn. “High input costs and low prices” have consistently ranked as farmers’ top concerns since COVID, he said.

By contrast, about one-third of respondents are livestock producers, and most of those are in beef, where conditions are much stronger. “The sector that is doing well at this phase of the beef cycle is the cow-calf,” Langemeier said, adding that elevated calf and feeder prices make backgrounding and finishing cattle “a very risky business” right now. He expects cow-calf operations to see “really good returns” for several years because rebuilding the national herd will take time.

Land values still rising, but less optimism

Despite the caution, most farmers still expect farmland values to increase over the next 12 months and five years, Langemeier said. “They’re still overwhelmingly [thinking] land values are going to go up,” he noted, but “it’s just not quite as high a percentage” as in 2025.

He added that producers continue to worry about land leaving production agriculture for uses such as solar development and urban expansion from cities like Indianapolis. “Those concerns persist across the Corn Belt,” he said.

Corn, soybeans and higher break-even costs

Langemeier highlighted a stark contrast between corn and soybeans. Corn stocks-to-use are running above average, around 13 percent versus a typical 11 percent, putting “a lid on prices” despite strong demand from feed, ethanol and exports. Soybean stocks are only slightly above average, so “any positive new news related to demand” has been boosting soybean prices this year.

He warned that recent fertilizer and fuel cost increases tied to Middle East tensions are likely to push corn break-even prices back above 5 dollars per bushel, erasing modest relief producers briefly saw. “I just don’t see our break-even prices declining any time soon,” Langemeier said, citing stubbornly high fertilizer, fuel and cash rent expenses.

Planning, storage and risk management

With margins tight, Langemeier urged farmers to sharpen both marketing and financial planning. For 2026 corn and soybean marketing, he said on-farm storage “typically pays,” with partial sales at harvest and additional sales in the spring often capturing higher prices. He also encouraged producers to consider hedging strategies and to use Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture tools on budgets, cash rent and repayment capacity.

“In this environment, it’s extremely important to have a contingency plan,” Langemeier said, advising farmers to project cash flow, test their ability to meet term debt, and decide in advance how they would respond if prices fall below expectations. “If I can’t [make payments], what would I need to do in order to make those payments?” he said, emphasizing proactive planning over waiting for problems to emerge.

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WILO and Hoosierland TV Hosts Melissa Miller and Adam Shanks interviewed leaders in Indiana Agriculture from 9:30 AM to 2 PM March 18, 2026.

Skiles Electric presented Ag Day 2026 with support from Wampler’s Services Inc., The Farmers Bank, The Community Foundation, Rossville Consolidated School, and First Farmers Bank and Trust.  

Broadcast on Hoosierland TV was produced by Michael Hall. Broadcast on WILO 96.9, Boone 102.7 FM and WILO 1570 was produced by Dacen Brittain.

The post Tight Margins, Rising Costs Cloud 2026 Ag Outlook, Langemeier Warns first appeared on Clinton County Daily News.