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USDA says Iowa near major weather boundary
Weather conditions across the United States continue to show a sharp contrast between wet and dry regions, and USDA Chief Meteorologist Brad Rippey says Iowa is sitting near the center of that dividing line. Speaking during a discussion in Washington, D.C., Rippey said drought conditions still dominate much of the country, even as parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes region have dealt with flooding and severe storms. Rippey, who authors the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor and contributes weather...
Low cattle inventory brings higher beef prices
USDA’s biannual Cattle Inventory report showed the nation’s cattle herd at 87.2 million head, down roughly two percent from last year. This is the lowest herd size in 73 years, and it means that we could be seeing record beef prices in the grocery store soon. American...
What to expect in the February WASDE report
The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) are released each month by the USDA and provide annual forecasts for supply and use of both U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton. The January report is typically thought of as a...
Secretary Naig encourages applications for century and heritage farm recognition
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible Iowa farm owners to apply for Century or Heritage Farm recognition as part of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Century and Heritage Farm Program. The program was created by the...
Iowa agriculture mourns the loss of Bill Northey
It came across social media and the agriculture information chain like a lightning bolt, yesterday. Bill Northey, former Iowa Agriculture Secretary and Former USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation passed away at the age of 64. Northey was a Spirit...
Building trust with consumers through quality practices
Pork certification programs are designed to help the farmers who raise pigs and also those who transport pigs to continually improve practices. Stephanie Wetter, the director of animal welfare for the National Pork Board, tells the IARN that the two main certification...
Crop insurance reference prices projected to be lower than last year
February is when reference prices are set for crop insurance, so it’s a very important time of year. Deadlines are approaching in just over a month, so it’s important to pay attention now and not let it sneak up on you. Pat Swanson, District 9 director of the Iowa...
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ISU studying HPAI in raw milk
A recent study at Iowa State University investigated how Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is being detected in raw milk. Dr. Rahul Nelli of the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory talked with us about the collaboration that went into this project. Nelli gave...
Holding old crop grain could be “playing with fire”
We are unofficially halfway through the growing season, and we will be harvesting before we know it. Before we start, there are a few decisions that must be made. One is dealing with any old crop grain you still have in the bin. The quarterly grain stocks report at...
Climatological answers for a sudden and rapid derecho
A seemingly random derecho- along with a few tornadoes- tore through the Midwest earlier this week, but was it even random at all? As always, there are answers to that in the observed climate patterns. Iowa’s State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan said a heat dome...
U.S. Export Sales Report (7-18-24)
The export sales numbers flipped the script this week, with a rather normal week in corn and some optimism in the soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest report from the USDA. The fairer market weather in the soybeans was...
Soybean prices facing downward pressure
USDA analysts are examining soybean planted acreage and other data in hopes of determining the size of the upcoming soybean crop. USDA Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski. That is less than a 1% increase over last year’s crop. USDA Outlook Board Chairman Mark...
