An active west–east storm track brings Western mountain snow and periodic rain or wintry mix across the Plains, Midwest, and East with changeable temperatures. Best multi-day fieldwork: Southwest deserts, parts of the High Plains, and California valleys. Hazards include gusty fronts, a few strong Gulf storms, and spotty frost.
Cold plasma is moving into agriculture as a chemical-free tool for seed sanitation/priming, produce surface decontamination, and plasma-activated water. 2026 advances add compact, safe, modular systems. Benefits include residue-free sanitation and lower water use, with ROI situational. Limits involve dose tuning, coverage, throughput, and regulatory variability; pilots and monitoring recommended.
Guide to tracking U.S. ag policy: monitor Congress, USDA/EPA/DOL/USTR, courts, and states. Core themes include farm bill, appropriations, input regulation, labor, climate, trade, competition, and tech. Over the next week, watch funding talks, EPA decisions, labor guidance, and court orders; verify enrollments and contingency plans for inputs and labor.
Plasma‑activated water energizes ordinary water to generate reactive species that sanitize seeds, irrigation lines, hydroponics, and postharvest washes. Deployed near point‑of‑use with ORP/pH control, it reduces biofilms, pathogens, chemicals, and downtime, with modest energy costs and minimal residues. Results depend on water chemistry; validation, materials compatibility, and safety are essential.
U.S. agriculture policy centers on farm bill talks, USDA/EPA notices, and litigation. Priorities: crop insurance, commodity reference prices, conservation funding, nutrition costs, RFS and E15 access, SPS trade frictions, H-2A rules, and state animal welfare. Watch Federal Register updates and export sales through Dec. 25.
Year-end markets ran on thin liquidity and flows, with OPEX and rebalancing dominating over new fundamentals. Investors focused on disinflation, labor signals, housing, and funding dynamics shaping the Fed path. Cross-asset moves stayed flow-driven; key catalysts include PCE, claims, housing data, and potential funding or geopolitical shocks.
December 18 repeatedly marks turning points in U.S. agriculture: 1777’s first national Thanksgiving linking gratitude and harvests; 1865’s 13th Amendment reshaping labor, ownership, and equity; and 2015’s repeal of meat COOL highlighting trade’s sway over labels—together tracing how culture, labor, and markets define the food system.
U.S. ag weather stays seasonally cold with recurring frost, especially in northern valleys. Intermittent precipitation favors the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, and northern tier; Southern Plains and Southwest trend drier. Expect foggy mornings, brief fieldwork windows, livestock wind chill; prioritize wheat moisture recharge, drainage, frost protection, and equipment maintenance.
Microbe-powered soil sensors use microbial fuel cells to harvest energy, enabling maintenance-free, duty-cycled measurements (moisture, EC, temperature, nitrates, redox) and LoRaWAN uploads. Early pilots show multi-season operation, 5–15% water and 10–20% nitrogen savings, with limits in dry/cold soils and calibration drift. Integration automates irrigation/fertigation; hybrids and improved probes are coming.
Update outlines U.S. ag policy levers shaping farm finances—appropriations, safety net, conservation/climate funds, pesticide-ESA rules, biofuels, trade, labor, water, animal health. Near-term watch: congressional schedules, agency notices, litigation, state rules. Producers should verify USDA sign-ups, labels, wages, biosecurity, export requirements. Price impacts hinge on funding, pesticide, biofuel, and trade outcomes.
US markets moved on thin year-end liquidity and Fed-easing expectations, with rates led by inflation breakevens and supply, equities rotating between growth and cyclicals, and credit steady but liquidity-sensitive. Near-term catalysts include claims, housing, PMIs, and PCE. Investors should balance soft-landing bets with duration/defensive ballast amid flow-driven risks.