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Greater consistency and quality for consumers and retailers
Familiar USDA grading systems, such as those for beef at your local store, are becoming more technologically advanced to ensure greater consistency and quality for consumers and retailers alike. Robert Eaton at the Agricultural Marketing Service explains how artificial intelligence is being used as a time- and cost-saving tool for meat grading. The use of this technology for grading is not limited to beef; as Eaton’s colleague Charles Parr puts it, weeks of development have made it an...
2025 ISF Super Bull contest gets a $5,000 prize bump
Enter Your Big Bull by August 1 This Is No Bull! Thanks to a generous boost from Chemorse Chemical and the Roadside Bar-and-Grill—and an enthusiastic push from 2024 Super Bull exhibitor Gary Ruebel—the first prize for this year’s Super Bull competition is now a...
New 2026 Hagie sprayers roll off line
The 2026 Hagie STS sprayers are officially here, rolling off the line just yesterday morning at the company’s Clarion, Iowa plant. The new lineup features a series of updates designed to improve comfort, efficiency, and performance. Hagie says these changes were made...
World’s first large-scale renewable butanediol starts production in Iowa
QORE, a joint venture between Cargill and German-based chemical company HELM, officially started the production of its newest product- QIRA- in Eddyville, Iowa. QIRA is the world's first large-scale renewable butanediol (BDO), which is made from locally grown yellow...
Grassley urges tariff flexibility with fertilizer costs climbing
Fertilizer to grain cost ratios are hitting historic levels and leading to calls for the White House to help protect farmers with flexibility on fertilizer tariffs. United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says fertilizer costs are burdening Iowa’s farmers....
AFBF seeking nominations for Farm Dog of the Year
The American Farm Bureau Federation, in cooperation with Nestlé Purina PetCare, is looking for the country’s best four-legged farmhand. Terri Moore, vice president of communications for AFBF, said the Farm Dog of the Year contest is a unique opportunity to showcase...
Beef prices hit record highs in June
Ground beef prices continue hitting record-high levels. Newsweek says that’s despite still shrinking cattle herds and import restrictions set to push costs even higher. Government data says the average price of a pound of 100 percent ground beef rose to $6.12 in June,...
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More Ag News
Strong yields & weak margins: Financial pressures mount on farmers
The 2025 season has been defined by both resilience and strain in the farm economy. Strong yields in many regions helped keep optimism alive, but they were tempered by financial pressures that have made every decision more critical. Interest rates remain historically...
Dry Iowa weather can make harvest more complicated
Combines are rolling across much of the state, and the dry weather has allowed harvest to continue mostly uninterrupted. However, that dryness can bring with it a whole different slate of issues. Southwest Iowa Beck’s Agronomist Nate Meyer said corn yields might seem...
Turkey inventory squeezed as Thanksgiving approaches
As the weather turns cooler across the US, many shoppers are beginning to plan holiday meals. American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Bernt Nelson said USDA’s latest Turkeys Raised Report gives us some important insight on the size of the U.S. flock ahead of...
Farm bankruptcies on the rise in 2025
The latest data from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shows farm bankruptcies increasing year over year. Joe Peiffer, an attorney with Ag & Business Legal Strategies in Hiawatha Iowa, says the numbers are disturbing. Peiffer says the...
Iowa Corn Growers congratulate California on approval of E15
Yesterday in California, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 30, which legalizes the sale of E15, a fuel blend made with 15% corn ethanol that is cleaner-burning, homegrown and more affordable than ordinary fuels. With the addition of California, it is now legal in...
