Jade Newton – Preble County

Looking back on 2025, I would describe it as a year of push and pull. All season long, it felt like we were waiting for the rain to stop so we could get work done, and then hoping it would come back so the crop could keep going. Nothing about the year felt normal, and we haven’t had a normal spring, summer, or fall in a long time. Even so, we were really blessed in this part of the state. Corn yields were strong, with most people pleased and many whole-farm averages above 200. Some neighbors even hit 220 to 250. Early-planted soybeans were excellent, too.

One of the biggest surprises was that tar spot didn’t hit nearly as hard as I expected. Last year, it caused real problems, and this year, it just wasn’t that bad. The financial side of things was difficult,

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