University of Wisconsin research is evaluating how the chemical makeup of cereal rye can affect crop development when used as a cover crop in rotations. Forage specialist Marta Kohmann says allelopathy levels in cereal rye—natural compounds that reduce emergence and growth in other plants—can be problematic. However, determining how to measure these levels could lead to varieties better suited for forage and to the development of cover crops with stronger weed-suppression capabilities.

The 2026 growing season has brought devastating losses for many grain farmers across southern and eastern Idaho, but overall damage could have been much worse, according to a University of Idaho researcher. The combination of drought stress, frost damage and elevated pest and disease pressure following an unusually warm, dry winter forced many regional farmers to mow down large acreages of fall wheat and barley rather than continue raising them. Other cereal fields, however, have recovered surprisingly well.

The Harvesting AI for Responsive, Valuable and Efficient Sustainable Technologies project, known as HARVEST, brings together more than 60 participants from 19 countries, including universities, research institutes, government organizations and scientific agencies. The network will work to transform crop and environmental data into tools that can support farmers, plant breeders and researchers responding to climate change. HARVEST will use barley as a model crop to improve how agricultural data supports crop breeding, research and farm decision-making across Europe.

As summer temperatures climb, researchers are taking a closer look at how heat stress affects sorghum during key stages of growth. New findings are helping identify traits and management strategies that can improve heat tolerance, supporting the development of more resilient sorghum varieties as growers adapt to increasingly challenging weather conditions.