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OMAHA (DTN) -- From New World screwworm threatening the U.S. livestock industry, to the Trump administration's mass firings at USDA and canceling grants, financial losses and labor fears testing America's farmers, and the One Big Beautiful Bill redefining taxes and farm policy, 2025 was another memorable year for agriculture.
During the past two weeks, DTN has revisited these and other big stories in our annual Top 10 Ag Stories of Year series. (See the No. 1 story, along with links to all 10, at https://www.dtnpf.com/…. Later this week, also check out a Reporter's Notebook video on them at https://www.dtnpf.com/… and Field Posts Podcast at https://www.dtnpf.com/….)
But those stories were just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond the major events that dominated the headlines were numerous other stories that, though they may not have gotten as much attention, had a significant impact on the farming and ranching community and rural America.
In recognition of the importance of these stories to agriculture, we're presenting some of them here as part of our annual "Best of the Rest" list, in no particular order -- but this year in two parts, appearing on DTN Jan. 1-2.
Welcome to Best of the Rest - 1: TV's McBee Sentenced; Cropland Values Rise; FTC, States Sue John Deere on Repair Rights; Hansen-Mueller Files for Bankruptcy; Kansas Farmers Killed in Plane Crash; DEF System Rules Eased.
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Ag Reality TV Star Steve McBee Convicted, Sentenced for Crop Insurance Fraud
Ag reality television star and Gallatin, Missouri, farmer Steve A. McBee was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution after pleading guilty to crop insurance fraud.
In the weeks following the start of his prison sentence, the U.S. government sued McBee and two of his sons, Cole and Jessie, alleging they hid assets to avoid paying court-ordered restitution. The McBees star in "The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys."
Read more about it here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
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Cropland Values Continue to Rise, Topping $5,830 Per Acre Nationally
The value of all agricultural real estate continued to increase in 2025, rising an average of 4.3% to $4,350 per acre, USDA reported at the beginning of August.
The average cropland value nationally reached $5,830 an acre, up 4.7% from 2024.
The average value of pasture was $1,920 an acre, up 4.9% from a year ago.
USDA released its annual Land Values Summary report on Aug. 1, 2025. The average value includes the value of both the land and buildings on farms.
Every state reported increases in overall farmland land value. Michigan had the highest increase in land value at 7.8%; Tennessee at 7.7%; South Dakota at 6.8%; and Ohio, Texas and Utah each at 6.1%.
Average farmland values ranged from a low of $725 an acre in New Mexico to $22,500 in Rhode Island.
Read more about it here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
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FTC, States Sue John Deere on Repair Rights
The Biden administration sued John Deere alleging the company's practices restrict farmers from the ability to seek repairs for farm equipment including tractors and have driven up repair costs.
Attorneys general in Illinois and Minnesota joined the Federal Trade Commission lawsuit and asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern Illinois to order John Deere to make available to farmers and independent repair shops the necessary diagnostic tools to make repairs. In addition, the lawsuit is seeking a permanent injunction against the company.
For more, see https://www.dtnpf.com/….
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Hansen-Mueller Fails to Pay Farmers for Crops, Files for Bankruptcy
The Nebraska Public Service Commission suspended the grain dealer license for Omaha-based Hansen-Mueller Co. in October 2025, after a group of 38 Nebraska farmers reported not being paid for grain deliveries.
Less than one month later, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors and assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million.
The company left many farmers unpaid across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Alabama and Ohio, as Hansen-Mueller moved on to sell its assets.
Read more about it here:
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Kansas Farmers Bob and Lori Schrock Killed in Plane-Helicopter Crash in DC
Kansas canola and wheat farmers Bob and Lori Schrock were among 67 people who died in January 2025 when an American Eagle flight 5342 from Wichita collided with a Blackhawk helicopter.
According to media reports, the Schrocks were on their way to visit their daughter, Ellie, who was a student at Villanova University in Philadelphia.
The Schrocks operated a farm near Kiowa, Kansas, along the Oklahoma border and into Oklahoma.
For more, see https://www.dtnpf.com/….
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Trump Administration Eases DEF System Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new guidance that allows farmers and truckers to revise software to prevent sudden speed and power losses caused by diesel exhaust fluid systems, or DEF.
The Trump administration action starts with model year 2027 trucks, requiring all new diesel on-road trucks to be engineered to avoid sudden and severe power loss after running out of DEF.
With previous regulations, when SCR technology sensors fail, vehicle operators have just four hours before a diesel engine becomes barely operable with speeds reduced to 5 miles per hour before shutting down, creating headaches for farmers.
Read more about it here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
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DTN/Progressive Farmer Content Manager Anthony Greder, DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, and DTN Environmental Editor Todd Neeley contributed to this article.
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