Farmers encountered mixed results so far this harvest, albeit with a very small portion of crops in the bin thus far. While corn harvest activity could pick up the first half of October, harvest of soybeans, particularly those planted after Memorial Day, remains weeks away for many farmers. USDA last month pegged Illinois yield averages at 180 bushels per acre for corn and 53 bushels for soybeans, down 30 and 12 bushels, respectively, from last year’s records. Many analysts believe crop yield potential could continue to slip as the season moves along, depending on weather conditions. (FarmWeekNow)

The Senate overwhelmingly cleared a bill Thursday to keep the government funded through Nov. 21 and replenish the account that USDA relies on to make trade-assistance and commodity program payments. The continuing resolution, which the Senate approved 82-15, passed the House easily last week and is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump. Going forward, USDA is required to provide Congress with estimates for its MFP payments along with an analysis of the trade damages used to calculate them. (Agri-Pulse)

Illinois farmer Kurt Wilke spent nine years fighting the government’s insistence there was a wetland on his family’s farm. He won four hearings, battled five years of litigation and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars—all to get the result that there were indeed no wetlands on his farm. Illinois Farm Bureau says the story is representative of other farmers’ struggles and why it supports AFBF’s call for reform. See Wilke’s story here. (FarmWeekNow)

Los Angeles Rep. Jimmy Gomez, one of the top Democrats negotiating for a U.S.-Mexico trade deal, argued Wednesday that the impeachment inquiry may actually help the deal get through Congress. “Fielding questions from reporters on the potentially negative impact impeachment has on the #USMCA negotiations I’m involved in,” tweeted Gomez, one of the House lawmakers that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tasked with meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in order to broker a deal. “I don’t necessarily see it that way. Impeachment might actually help.” (Washington Examiner)

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that an impeachment inquiry against him could derail congressional approval of a North America trade pact, dragging down Mexico’s peso and stock market as investors fled riskier assets. While U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he was confident the U.S-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) would come up for a vote and pass, Trump told him in front of reporters that he knows “these people” better, referring to Democrats. (Reuters)

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is pushing a new bill that would expand voluntary training for farm-facing Agriculture Department employees and promote mental health awareness through billboards, radio and TV ads, in an effort to bring down high rates of mental health problems in rural and agricultural communities. Tester, a farmer himself, told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that tough conditions in the farm economy are increasingly taking a mental toll on producers. He estimated that the legislation will cost $3 million in total. (Politico)