Russ Quinn

DTN Staff Reporter
Russ Quinn is a DTN editor and reporter. He was born and raised in east central Nebraska on a cow-calf and row-crop farm near Elkhorn, which he still operates with his dad.

Russ attended Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and graduated with an associate's degree in agribusiness and farm management in 1994. He then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences in 1996.

After graduating, he began working for DTN in May of 1997 in the agriculture telesales department. In May of 1998 he was promoted to his current position in the DTN ag newsroom. Over the years, Russ has had many different editing and reporting duties and currently writes original articles including the growing-season series "View From the Cab" and the weekly column "Russ' Vintage Iron."

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  • Farmers and farm workers need to be aware of heat stress and the negative effects, according to the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center. (DTN file photo)

    UMASH: Watch for Heat-Related Illnesses

    With high temperatures and high humidity this week, farmers and farm workers need to be aware of heat stress. Symptoms of heat stress can be difficult to recognize but can quickly worsen, causing illness or even death.

  • Potash is lower in price by 5% compared to last year, although slightly higher than a month ago at $481 per ton. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Average retail prices for five of the eight major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. For the sixth week in a row, no fertilizer price was considerably higher or lower. DTN designates a significant move as anything 5...

  • An aerial photo of a farm in Nebraska's fertile Platte River Valley. Nebraska ag land value decreased for the first time in six years in 2025, according to a recent report. (DTN file photo)

    NE Ag Land Falls 2% on Economic Issues

    Average agricultural land value in Nebraska decreased in 2025 for the first time in six years, according to the final report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 2024-2025 Farm Real Estate Market Survey. Ag land in the...

  • The average retail price of anhydrous was $769 per ton during the second week of July, down $4 per ton from $773 a month ago. The price of anhydrous is now 11% higher than it was a year ago. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Average retail prices for six of the eight major fertilizers were higher during the second week of July 2025 compared to last month. However, for the fifth week in a row, no fertilizer saw a significant price move in either...

  • Urea had an average price of $656 per ton, which is slightly lower compared to the prior month. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Average retail prices for five of the eight major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. For the fourth week in a row, no fertilizer prices were considerably higher or lower. DTN...

  • Extension personnel in North Dakota have been getting some reports of cyanobacteria blooms in livestock water sources. The toxin is harmful to livestock. (DTN file photo)

    Blue-Green Algae Can Kill Livestock

    Livestock producers need to keep an eye out for cyanobacteria in water sources. North Dakota State University Extension specialists have been getting some reports of blooms in livestock water sources. The toxin, also known as...

  • Russ Quinn's grandpa, John B. "Jack" Quinn, and Jack's son (Russ' uncle), James V. Quinn, were photographed in spring 1951 on Russ' grandpa's 1945 Farmall M, plowing the family farm east of Elkhorn, Nebraska. Among the vintage iron Russ would like in his shed is this long-lost tractor. (Photo courtesy of Russ Quinn)

    Russ' Vintage Iron

    DTN's Russ Quinn recently came across an interesting column on the internet titled "17 Classic Tractors We Want in Our Shed." That got him thinking: What vintage iron would he want if money and...

  • The historic Cato Soldier Creek Ranch in Wyoming is for sale. The ranch was formerly known as the PK Ranch. (Photo courtesy of Icon Global)

    Cato Soldier Creek Ranch for Sale

    Icon Global is offering for sale the historic Cato Soldier Creek Ranch located in Sheridan, Wyoming. The ranch was formerly known as PK Ranch and its homestead was a stagecoach stop along the Bozeman Trail. Businessman Wayland...

  • The average retail price of urea during the third week of June 2025 was $655 per ton, up just slightly from a month ago. However, the conflict between Israel and Iran could have an impact on the fertilizer's price. Roughly 52% of global urea exports come from the Middle East. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    For the second week in a row, average retail prices for all fertilizers saw only slight movement -- mostly to the higher side. However, according to one expert, the fertilizer market is intently watching Iran's response to the U.S...

  • DAP was above the $800-per-ton price level for the first time since the third week of July 2023. (DTN graphic)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Prices of seven of the eight major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. Just one fertilizer had a sizable price increase compared to a month earlier for the third consecutive week. Urea was 7% higher with an average...

  • Urea was 11% higher compared to last month with an average price of $662 per ton. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Seven of the eight major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. Two fertilizers (urea and UAN28) had a sizable price increase compared to last month for the third consecutive week...

  • Stevan Patterson from Castlederg in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, plowing with his 1944 Ford-Ferguson tractor. (Photo courtesy of Stevan Patterson)

    Russ' Vintage Iron

    After DTN's Russ Quinn wrote about tractor innovator Harry Ferguson, Quinn received an email from a Northern Ireland man who is campaigning for a museum be built in his country to honor Ferguson as the man who changed...

  • Urea was 13% higher compared to last month with an average price of $652 per ton. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Seven of the eight major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. Once again three fertilizers (urea, UAN28 and UAN32) had a sizable price increase compared to last month for the third consecutive week. DTN designates a...

  • Agricultural producers need to be proactive to protect their home, buildings, equipment and livestock from wildfires. (DTN file photo)

    Protect Homes, Buildings From Wildfires

    As a higher-than-average number of wildfires are already being seen in the U.S. and the Canadian Prairies, landowners should take steps now to reduce the risk for wildfires on their property. University of Missouri Extension gives...

  • The average retail price of UAN32, at $484 per ton, was 10% higher than the previous month during the first week of May 2025, according to retailers surveyed by DTN. The price of UAN32 is now 16% higher than it was a year ago. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Once again, all eight of the major fertilizers were higher compared to last month. Three fertilizers (urea, UAN28 and UAN32) had a sizable price increase from a month ago, for the second consecutive week. DTN designates a...

  • Urea was one of three fertilizers leading prices higher in the past week compared to last month at $596/ton. (DTN chart)

    DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

    Once again all eight of the major fertilizers were more expensive compared to last month. Three fertilizers (urea, UAN28 and UAN32) had a large price increase looking back to last month. DTN designates a significant move as...