January 12, 2026
As 2025 comes to an end and the 2026 season approaches, it’s time to gear up for another year of maximizing yield, supporting crop resilience, and improving efficiency. From supply decisions to agronomic strategy and application timing, one thing is clear: efficiency isn't optional anymore; it's the strategy. Tight margins, high land costs, evolving pest threats, and continued pressure on input budgets are reshaping how growers think about every decision.
Below is Vive’s outlook on the top agronomic and economic trends shaping the 2026 growing season:
A large threat emerging for the 2026 season is the rising presence of Root-Knot Nematodes (RKN) in soybeans, particularly along the Mississippi River Valley.
Nematodes are labelled “silent killers” for a reason: they cause severe, often fatal, damage with few early-season symptoms, resulting in high yield loss before in-season management decisions are made.
What was once a localized issue is now a broader regional concern:
Expect diagnostic testing and nematode management tools, such as Vive’s Averland® FC nematicide, to play a much larger role in 2026 soybean planning.
Another strong trend heading into 2026 is a push to accelerate planting without sacrificing seed placement or stand quality.
Growers are increasingly:
With Vive solutions, growers get seamless mixing with at-plant liquid fertilizers, micronutrients, and other crop inputs. Plus, they will stay in suspension longer, allowing for simple remixing after cases of planting delays.
This strategy supports two key needs:
This “prep now, plant fast later” perspective will continue as farms chase efficiency and seek to start crops stronger from day one.
Land prices remain historically high across much of the U.S., and the financial pressure is driving a major shift in management strategy.
To justify rent or ownership costs, growers feel compelled to push for top-end yield, which often means planting:
Without robust agronomic management, these high-yielding but more vulnerable hybrids and varieties can become liabilities rather than assets. The “plant it and pray” mindset isn’t a foolproof option. Instead, this trend is driving more intensive scouting, stronger crop protection solutions, and a greater demand for season-long management tools.
The trend toward reduced phosphorus and potassium applications shows no signs of slowing, driven by years of elevated fertilizer prices and tighter budgets. But growers are now seeing the agronomic consequences, such as poor root development under drought stress and weak stalk integrity in corn acres across the Corn Belt.
Going into 2026, the conversation is shifting from “How much can I cut?” to “What does it actually cost me to cut?”
Expect renewed focus on:
Consider adding extra root protection when reducing phosphorus or potassium to prevent insects, diseases, and nematodes from damaging roots and further reducing nutrient efficiency or increasing late-season stalk cannibalization.
Another cost-driven trend gaining traction is the shift away from premium branded fungicide premixes toward generics, two- or three-way tank mixes, and lower-cost but reliable formulations.
Growers experimenting with these alternatives, like AZteroid® FC 3.3 or Phobos® FC, in 2024–2025 found that many of them delivered near-identical or even superior performance at a fraction of the cost. This mirrors a larger trend: value-based agronomy, not “cheap inputs,” but smart, cost-efficient decision-making.
Across the South, the biggest storyline is simple: cotton prices are historically low with no upside in sight.
At the same time:
To make matters worse, new and emerging pests, such as the cotton jassid, are creating added uncertainty. These pests, coupled with disease pressure and high management costs, are eroding both confidence and profitability.
Growers in the South will adjust accordingly, experimenting with alternative crops and lower-cost inputs, and pushing efficiency while minimizing risk.
The trends shaping the 2026 growing season all point toward a single conclusion: the farms that win will be the farms that manage risk better, not the farms that simply spend more.
With rising pest pressures, high land costs, weather volatility, and tight margins, growers must rethink how they run their operations, starting with planning: plan smart, simplify your program, and let Vive’s product portfolio and expert ag support team help you build your strongest season yet.
Learn more about Vive’s solutions: https://www.vivecrop.com/products.
Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Check state registrations before use. AVERLAND FC AND BIFENDER FC ARE RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDES. Allosperse®, Averland®, AZterknot®, AZteroid®, Bifender®, Phobos®, Viloprid®, and Precision Chemistry™ are trademarks of Vive Crop Protection Inc. ©2026 Vive Crop Protection Inc.