Agriculture Shorts

Diesel fuel supplies fell to 103.4 million barrels for the week ending August 21 according to data from the Energy Information Administration, the lowest seasonal level ever stretching back to the early 1980s . . . Prototypes of John Deere’s 8R series ethanol-powered tractor are headed to farm fields in Nebraska this fall for testing . . . The National FFA continued its record-setting growth with another increase in membership over last year . . . According to the Daily Livestock Report, the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) all-fresh retail beef demand index trended higher in the first and second quarters of 2026. The first quarter index value was 147 and the second quarter index was 140, both the highest for the respective quarters in more than two decades . . . FarmPolicy@FarmPolicy tweeted the national average retail price for diesel hit $5.61 per gallon on August 28, up nearly $2.00 from last year and closing in on the all-time high of $5.82.