General farm organizations usually polarize to the left or right.National Farmers Union leans left and identifies with family farms, government guarantees and a regulatory framework that restricts growth of agribusiness. In recent years, however, they have moved into...
Ethanol has been a topic that has definitely had its share of the limelight this past year. We continued to be embroiled in debates over the Renewable Fuels Standard and small refinery exemptions. We finally received a mandate to allow E15 to be sold all year round....
Recently, we talked about the success bison is having domestically. The animal is a native to North America and has spent centuries adapting to the changes in the frontier. However, just like others in the agriculture industry, bison producers are facing challenges in...
The congressional schedule dwindles, as we approach a new year. Unfortunately, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement does not look promising after Thanksgiving break, as the House of Representatives will have their sights set on the impeachment process and...
Bison are truly the mammal of North America and the United States. Some may call them the buffalo, but according to the National Bison Association, there is no difference. However, there definitely is a difference in certain kinds of buffalo. That is one of the...
You may not realize it, but Mahindra is the world?s best-selling tractor. In the United States, we are used to seeing green, red, or blue. Mahindra?s line of utility, compact, and subcompact tractors have only been in the U.S. about 25 years, but they are filling the...
Iowa is hog, poultry and cattle country. It does have a number of sheep, primarily in small farm flocks.Sheep can make money by selling wool and lambs. However, predators love lamb and can take the profit out of a year?s work in a single night. I spoke with a Midwest...
African Swine Fever (ASF) remains outside our borders. However, animal industry experts calculate their response, in the event the foreign animal disease is exposed to United States swine.The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service...
Is it too early to talk about a 2023 Farm Bill?The person elected president next year should still be in the White House in 2023. There will be a reshuffling of Congress by then. Some say Colin Peterson, current chair of the House Agriculture Committee, will leave at...
In the last few years, we have been witness to some hard times for the dairy industry. Programs meant to protect them in the 2013 Farm Bill just weren?t enough. Dairy farms have been closing at a terrible rate for the past months and years. However, some producers are...
