No guarantees have been made on whether more food grown and raised on U.S. farms will be made available for sale to Cuba, but many in the agricultural community expect the door to open at least somewhat to farmers. Speculation ranges from optimism to uncertainty. 

Corn Belt extension specialists sent a reminder to corn growers last month to start thinking about spring nitrogen (N) applications. The specialists (in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas) highlighted a free online tool to manage fertilization for corn acres in those states. 

 A decision by Russia, a leading supplier of wheat to the world, to try to keep more of its wheat at home should result in open doors for wheat growers in the United States to increase sales abroad.

A tariff of 15 percent on the value of wheat is scheduled to be imposed on Russian exports beginning Feb. 1, as incentive for exporters to sell to more buyers inside the country’s borders.