It?s been a busy time here at the Farm Progress Show in Boone. Not only are we seeing the newest technology, traits, and chemistry, but we are also hearing about policy from government officials who visit the grounds. Yesterday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the show and made some announcements concerning weekly export reports and announced some grant funding as well.
The Iowa Soybean Association was pleased to learn they were one of the recipients of those grant dollars. I visited with ISA President Robb Ewoldt in Boone, and he talked about the grants and what they are for.
The funding is going to be used to support conservation funding for farmers to find more financial benefits for implementing new farming practices.
Ewoldt says the yields are proven, but there have to be incentives for getting farmers to sign up. These practices aren?t free to implement, and if the objective is for farmers to do more of these practices, they are going to need some help to get them off the ground. He says he is seeing farmers willing to start new practices.
Vilsack was at Iowa Soybean to learn more about their soybean oil-based asphalt products. Ewoldt talks about the product and the benefits it provides. It?s another use for Iowa-grown soybeans that is also giving us more environmentally friendly products.
Learn more at iasoybeans.com.
