A frequent topic of discussion among farmers is whether or not to cut back on fertilizer usage, especially in the face of increasingly tight margins. However, hasty decision making could cause farmers to face higher fertilizer prices in the spring. Instead of relying...
USDA will test the milk supply beginning with states where dairy cattle tested positive in the spring for the H5N1 bird flu virus. Bird flu is an increasing concern for USDA, amid H5N1 infections in not just poultry, but also dairy cattle. Most recently the virus was...
There are four new regional vice presidents on this year’s National FFA Leadership team. Caroline Groth of Kentucky is the new East Region Vice President, and she said that, although she did not grow up on a farm, family is a big reason for her FFA participation....
A new Q4 2024 pork report from Rabobank says improved profitability is slowing herd contractions in most regions. However, producers are taking a cautious approach to expansion. Disease pressure in parts of Europe, South Korea, and Southeast Asia are slowing...
Animals are a large investment and risk for producers. It can be a high reward if the markets and demand hold. Like crops, producers do all they can to protect their investment. You needn’t look any further than what has happened with the Pure Prairie Poultry mess to...
Relief for low crop prices in a lame-duck session is still an active topic on Capitol Hill as prospects for a new farm bill this year dwindle with the close of the 118th Congress. American Farm Bureau’s Joe Gilson has been meeting with farm lawmakers and staffers,...
Once again, the weekly export sales have been great for both corn and soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said we almost had record-setting sales in both grains. Flash sales also continued to come it at a great pace. McBride said there are a few factors...
There are four new regional vice presidents on this year’s National FFA Leadership team. One is Abigale Jacobsen, the West Region Vice President from Elk Grove, California. Jacobsen said her background, with plenty of rural and urban experience, gives her a unique...
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the formation of the Iowa Organic Advisory Council within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and appointed seven Iowans to serve on it. A similar Organic Advisory Council existed previously...
As Mother Nature forces many of us into a slowdown this week, we do have a lot to be thankful for. All in all, the conditions for harvest were ideal. Yes, we would like to see more rain, but when you need to be able to just keep plugging away, Mother Nature has...
