Top Stories
High diesel prices bite into Food Bank of Iowa’s budget
Gas prices have hit the highest level in four years, and with no end to the Iran war in sight, the impacts of these elevated prices will be felt for the foreseeable future. Diesel prices in particular have increased even more quickly, surging up 45% since the beginning of the war at the end of February. While the pain is hurting consumers nationwide, rising fuel costs are hitting the Food Bank of Iowa especially hard. With a truck fleet that drives 270,000 miles a year, there is little they...
Ethanol will be center stage at Iowa’s first NASCAR race
Iowa Corn is the entitlement sponsor of the first ever NASCAR race in Iowa and the race now has an official name. The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol will take the track at Iowa Speedway in Newton on Sunday June 16th. Stan Nelson, a farmer from Middletown and the...
Secretary Naig announces SE Iowa water quality project expansion
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that a successful Water Quality Initiative (WQI) project in Wapello, Mahaska, Keokuk, and Jefferson Counties is expanding in territory while beginning a new phase that includes an added focus on edge-of-field...
Iowa Deputy Ag Secretary promotes Iowa commodities in Colombia
As we look for ways to bolster demand for our Iowa-produced ag products, we need to send officials to different countries to share the story of our goods and the quality we produce. Colombia has become a larger trading partner than many of us would have guessed a...
South American Weather and Crop Update (12-5-23)
Argentina and some parts of Brazil are seeing nice rains in the nearby forecasts, but there are still large sections of Brazil that are fairly dry. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the current weather conditions. However, McBride said there...
Making necessary farming changes
Focusing on sustainability practices as the pillar of a farming operation. That may mean a dramatic change for yours and it requires a daily focus on how to improve: “Working ag retail actually really brought me onto the sustainability journey that I've been on, and...
Farm production expenses rise again, net cash income drops
Farm production expenses are up again, and net cash farm income is down. However, there is still some good economic news as 2023 moves towards the finish line. Farm production costs are forecast to jump another three-and-a-half percent this year, with interest and...
Video
More Ag News
American agriculture is an “export powerhouse”
While the debate continues in Washington D.C. over whether the Biden administration should be doing more to create new trade opportunities, one fact remains. It’s no secret in U.S. agriculture how valuable trade is to multiple sectors. Daniel Whitley, administrator of...
South American Weather and Crop Update (5-29-24)
The weather forecast in South America has opened up and is now very dry for the next couple of weeks. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest conditions. Harvest in Brazil is mostly wrapped up, and Argentina is making good progress on...
House Ag Committee makes progress on Farm Bill process
After almost 13 hours, the House Agriculture Committee sent their version of the farm bill from Committee Chair GT Thompson to the full House for a vote. Joe Gilson, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau, says it was quite a process to get the...
HPAI detected in commercial chicken flock in Sioux County
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Sioux County, Iowa. The affected site...
Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul seeing catastrophic flooding
Last year, when I had the opportunity to go to Brazil, I spent the first days in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It’s in the Southern part of Brazil, still many hours from the ports along the ocean. While there, I saw some of the lushest regions of agriculture...
