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.







lygus bug on sunflower plant in manitoba in 2024

Could trap crops help fend off lygus in faba beans?

A study explores how bracketing crops such as safflower or sunflower could help manage lygus in faba fields

The idea under study here is simple: plant something even more attractive than faba beans along the field edge, draw lygus in and hit them with an insecticide before they move on.