Top Stories
Prop 12 repeal rides with Farm Bill to House floor
As the House prepares to take up the Farm Bill this week, pork producers are watching closely to see if Congress will finally address California’s Proposition 12. The National Pork Producers Council has made repeal of Prop 12 one of its top priorities, and Todd Marotz, vice president of NPPC, says keeping that language in the House version of the Farm Bill is critical for producers across the country. Prop 12 sets production standards for pork sold in California, requiring producers in other...
Secretary Naig announces expansion for NW Iowa water quality project
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that a successful Water Quality Initiative (WQI) project in Plymouth, Sioux, O’Brien and Cherokee Counties is expanding into a larger territory while beginning a new phase that includes an added focus on...
U.S. Export Sales Report (12-14-23)
This week’s export sales were neutral on the marketplace, but the sales were actually still very good for this time of year in the corn and wheat markets. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest export numbers from the USDA. McBride said...
Study shows that U.S. farming is still a family business
Despite cries against so-called “factory farming,” the Farms and Ranches at a Glance Report shows U.S. farming is still a family business. Betty Resnick, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist, said the report is a project of USDA’s Economic Research Service and...
There are more casualties without a Farm Bill
We have spent a lot of time these past few weeks lamenting the fact that a new Farm Bill was not passed, nor are we even close to having a new one. Work started almost two years ago, and thanks to political gridlock, nothing was accomplished. Farmers rely on...
Cattlemen’s Beef Board telling real stories of real producers
The cattle industry is often targeted by activists who seek to ruin it, which is why advocacy is so incredibly important. If we don’t tell our story, someone else will tell their version of it. The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is one of the organizations that seeks to...
Proper range and pasture management makes a difference
It is easy to see how range and pasture management could get put on the back burner of a cattle operation. After all, as long as Mother Nature is not in a bad mood, your pasture ground is going to fill out with grasses for forage on its own. However, that only tells a...
Video
More Ag News
Farm Credit offers industry-leading expertise for swine producers
Swine producers are coming off of some of the roughest market conditions in the last quarter of a century, but there’s some optimism for this year. Regardless, there will always be some risk to navigate in order to market your product. Chris Ford, vice president of...
Mexico’s new President vows commitment to USMCA
Mexico has a new president, and that could have implications for U.S. farm trade and the number one foreign market for exports. On Monday Claudia Sheinbaum was elected president of Mexico, she is the first woman president in Mexico’s history. Claudia Sheinbaum is the...
Groups respond positively to new USDA rule on competition
Several agricultural groups responded positively to USDA’s release of the Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems proposed rule. The National Farmers Union says the rule addresses abuses by the poultry industry of broiler chicken producers under...
U.S. Wheat harvest off to early start
When we have been looking at the markets that have had the strongest runs lately, wheat is at the top of that list. The volatility has been very interesting to watch as many outside factors are weighing on the markets. A lot of it is linked to Mother Nature. Whether...
AFBF Young Farmer and Rancher Chair stresses need for farm bill
An American Farm Bureau Federation young farmer testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee on commodities, risk management and trade. Kevin Lussier, Chair of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer and Rancher Committee, says he spoke...
