As Iowa farmers prepare for another growing season, agronomists say planning ahead for disease pressure and crop management decisions can help growers stay ahead of potential problems. Jeff Osterhaus with CROPLAN says many conversations with farmers right now focus on...
This year’s Commodity Classic in San Antonio saw a record number of farmers in attendance. In many discussions throughout the event, it was clear that farmers are prepared to give this crop season their all, no matter what challenges they may face. Aaron Putze, chief...
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden is bullish on export opportunities for U.S. produced biofuels. Vaden was a speaker at this year’s USDA Ag Outlook Forum and says the potential for biofuel exports is ever expanding. Vaden says that U.S. biofuels are a key...
The House Ag farm bill markup has entered its second day, but the key stumbling block to a bipartisan bill has now come into sharp focus. The fight over SNAP versus farm programs has kept a new farm bill off the books for at least three years. Republicans got around...
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced a three-year extension of the popular, farmer-led Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Project. The extension renews program agreements in Taylor, Page, Carroll, Cherokee, Guthrie, and Ida counties through...
As farmers prepare for the 2026 growing season, managing input costs remains a top priority. With tighter margins across much of agriculture, many producers are looking for ways to improve efficiency while still protecting yield potential. Shane Brockhoff, who works...
As harvest wraps up in Brazil for the soybean crop, the safrinha corn crop is being planted right behind it. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the weather forecast looks good for both processes to continue smoothly. While progress is behind the usual pace,...
Several overdue changes are now happening for antiquated systems that farmers have relied on for many years. USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Programs Richard Fordyce talked about a new “One Farmer, One File” initiative at the agency. The USDA...
The ethanol industry now has another argument for Congress to enact legislation for year-round E15 sales as the Iran-Middle East conflict erupted last weekend. Troy Bredenkamp of the Renewable Fuels Association says that with oil and gas prices on the rise due to the...
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in a multi-species backyard flock in...
