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House farm bill and E15 legislation survives stall over debate rule
The quest to pass a new farm bill with legislation for year-round E15 hit another temporary roadblock on Wednesday in the U.S. House. Several Republicans joined the Democrats to initially deny the simple majority to bring up the farm bill, year-round E15, and several other controversial bills for debate. Ag Committee Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was one of the most vocal Democrats against the farm bill and said it would not accomplish what farmers need it to do. Rep. Austin Scott...
Iowa Corn sponsors first NASCAR cup race in the state
The Iowa Corn Growers Association is proud to be a partner for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in the state. The “Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol” will showcase ethanol’s performance at the fastest short track on the planet, which is surrounded by corn fields....
Propane supplies highest in half a decade
We have talked at length about the warm weather and the long fall, and the benefits it has given us for getting crops out of the field and fertilizers applied for next spring. One of the other aspects of the weather that is benefitting us is the lower demand for...
Butcher shop program promotes U.S. red meat in Colombia
With support from USDA, the National Pork Board and the Beef Checkoff Program, the U.S. Meat Export Federation helps Colombian butcher shops more effectively merchandise U.S. red meat. USMEF Latin America Representative Homero Recio said the butcher shops play a key...
Confluence of factors has led to frustrating year for hog producers
2023 has not been smooth sailing for anyone in the hog production industry. From increased production costs, to demand factors still affected by the lingering effects of the Covid pandemic, and policy decisions that mandate how hogs are raised there have been a lot of...
What’s real in regard to Iowa Land Values?
Some eye popping sale prices for land in the State of Iowa, no question about that, including a record set above $30,000. Yet what’s the average and how does that impacts most of us in a more realistic situation? Great question, so I asked it of Fallon Savage with...
Lower corn price pressuring farmers
The University of Illinois Farm Policy News website says the price of corn recently hit a three-year low mark. Supplies from Brazil and the U.S. surged while demand stagnated because of the high prices. Corn has traded around $4.50 a bushel recently after reaching...
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Bullish Cattle on Feed report creates market optimism
Just before the Memorial Day Weekend, the livestock markets got some homework in the form of the latest Cattle on Feed report. There was plenty of time for the markets to digest the neutral numbers, and today both live and feeder cattle climbed higher. Even though the...
Biobased products key to the future of agriculture
Biobased products, including fuels, lubricants, construction materials, and more are the future, and were the subject of several House farm bill amendments last week. Iowa’s Zach Nunn offered and withdrew his biobased products amendment after Chair Glenn Thompson...
Determining the profitability of cover crops on livestock operations
A recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service studied whether incorporating cover crops into livestock systems is more profitable than livestock operations that do not use cover crops. Maria Bowman, research ag economist with...
Looking at the volatility in cattle
Last week the U.S. Meat Export Federation held their annual meeting in Kansas City, MO. It came when livestock markets were in a state of heavy fluctuations. The Cattle market is seeing a little more of the volatility than the hogs are. There have been some erratic...
Livestock groups welcome farm bill markup
Livestock groups welcomed the House Agriculture Committee's action to markup the Farm Bill. The National Pork Producers Council says the bill supports all pork producer's farm bill requests, including a federal fix to the host of Prop. 12 issues plaguing producers and...
