As politicians continue to bicker and blame during the government shutdown, fields across the Midwest are a flurry of harvest activity. Despite daunting markets, tough growing conditions in many areas and steep input prices, the American farmer has not shut down. Far from it.

In fact, as has been engrained in this scrappy breed for generations, the massive challenges of 2025 only seem to have strengthened farmers’ resolve, tenacity and ingenuity. In the face of some of the worst corn price to fertilizer price ratios in history, Will Swope of Hope, Indiana pivoted in his corn program, and it paid off big in terms of yield, profitability and improving his soil health for the future. Swope leaned in with biological plant biostimulants in place of the corrosive, high salt load of 10-34-0 and other traditional fertilizer products and pulled in a 320-bushel per acre yield from a 1.1-acre plot. This followed up on record-setting wheat yields on the farm this summer. With the success he saw this year, Swope sees much more potential to reduce traditional, higher-cost fertilizer inputs while boosting yields.

Like many areas, the weather turned dry in late summer, but Swope’s yields held strong.

“We used a high-management approach with a racehorse hybrid to help achieve this high performance,” said Swope, a dealer for Meristem Crop Performance and Beck’s Hybrids. “We watched each key growing point throughout the season and felt like, with each step, the season and the plants were set up for a success. Mother Nature played in our favor, but setting the crop up and using the right products helped take our yield to the next level. We didn’t add any new equipment or change anything from our regular practices, add additional passes or extra work. Having a good strategy, good practices, and a good team to help guide which products will give you the best advantage helps create the results we obtained. As a farmer and a seed dealer, I feel like the right products help give me an advantage in the marketplace to boost my own farm’s yields and help create winning opportunities for my seed customers.”   

While working to produce more, America’s farmers are continually finding innovative ways to do it with less, while also being better stewards of our nation’s valuable soil resources. Across the Corn Belt there is growing understanding of soil health and its role in the future of agricultural production.

Practices including no-till/conservation tillage, planting cover crops and precision nutrient management plans are being adopted on a growing number of acres to better steward soil health, improve water quality, and reduce production costs. Kent Klingbeil, CCA, of Huxley, Iowa, is a dealer for Meristem Crop Performance, in part, because the products have been designed to work in concert with these practices and the soil biology. 

“For me, the soil health gains from balanced ratios of carbon, fungi, and bacteria are crucial — something I've honed over the past year,” said Klingbeil, owner of 2K Ag, LLC. “We're gaining real insights into soil fungi, bacterial cycles, and reintroducing carbon. This is unlocking a deeper grasp of the carbon cycle and actionable ways to revive our soils, so they can naturally cycle nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients… Boosting our soil health — that's key to unlocking higher yields and stronger farm profitability down the line."

In the heart of a nation steeped in uncertainty regarding the 2025 government shutdown, our rich agricultural fields remain in the unchanging annual rhythm of the harvest. And we can all rest assured amid the current political gridlock, that the dedication, innovation and incredible productivity of the American farmer will not be shutting down.

The Third Arc is an op-ed series from Meristem Crop Performance. Matt Reese coordinates Media & State Relations and serves as the Content Creator for Meristem Crop Performance based in Powell, Ohio. Contact him at 614-582-3641 or mreese@meristemag.com.  

About Meristem Crop Performance

Meristem® Crop Performance, Inc. helps farmers produce more bushels for less cost per bushel. Meristem is the global leader in delivering live, in-field biologicals through the patented Bio-Capsule™ technology platform. Meristem significantly reduces waste and increases productivity in crop input systems through accelerated access to innovation, improved supply chain efficiency, and advanced concentrates. Learn more at www.meristemag.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: This corn is from the 320-bushel plot harvested by Will Swope near Hope, Indiana.