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Secretary Naig thanks Iowa Senate for unanimous passage of Iowa Farm Act
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today thanked the Iowa Senate for its unanimous passage of the Iowa Farm Act, Senate File 2465, by a vote of 47-0. “I appreciate members of the Iowa Senate for their support in advancing the Iowa Farm Act with a strong bi-partisan vote. Thank you to Sen. Annette Sweeney and Sen. Tom Shipley for managing the bill through the process, Sen. Dawn Driscoll for her leadership of the Agriculture Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh for his work to...
Preparing for updated Salmonella standards in swine
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) is updating the performance standards for Salmonella in raw pork. Since Salmonella has many different serotypes, which are groups of microorganisms that share distinctive surface...
Ag economy barometer lists input prices as primary concern
The Purdue University Ag Economy Barometer was started in 2015. It’s a monthly survey of 400 different farmers every month. Dr. James Mintert of Purdue says the most recent survey showed a slight improvement in overall producer sentiment. Mintert says that of all the...
Credit conditions soften with farm economy
Agricultural credit conditions in the Kansas City Fed’s Tenth District softened during the third quarter of 2023. Farm income and loan repayment rates were lower than a year ago for the second straight quarter. The moderation was more pronounced in areas hit hardest...
Efforts continue on a new five year Farm Bill
Advocating for Iowa Agriculture on Capitol Hill. Now that the 2018 Farm Bill has officially been extended for another year, Mark Hayes with the Farm Credit Council, who is doing a great job representing us in Washington DC, says the march for a permanent, long-term...
Growth Energy concerned over lack of E15 decisions
Ethanol has had quite a rollercoaster ride these past few years. Whether it has been the battle to get access year-round, or the fiasco after we finally got it, and the courts overturned it. Now, we are battling once again with an administration that promised to do...
Ag chemical marketplace friendly to growers right now
Farmers Business Network was first designed as a farmer driven information source to help farmers make the best agronomic decisions. FBN co-founder Charles Baron says that once again the sharing of data from FBN members has helped to highlight more affordable prices...
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Grassley and Ernst lead Iowa delegation in asking for federal aid
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) led the state’s delegation in calling on USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to swiftly approve Iowa’s request for federal assistance. Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig made the request on...
School breakfast programs start to incorporate meat again
When it comes to creating a marketplace for our products, we tend to put a lot of focus on developing international markets. That is good because we produce far more food than we hope to consume. However, we cannot afford to overlook the demand we can create here at...
Grassley wary of Chinese response to increased tariffs
On Tuesday President Biden announced a surge of increased tariffs on imported Chinese products under Section 301 of 1974’s Trade Act. The tariff hikes will be applied to $18 billion worth of imports from China including electric vehicle batteries and computer chips....
Hog prices much more stable now than a year ago
After soaring to yearly highs recently, the hog prices, along with the rest of the livestock, have come back down to earth. While we would’ve liked to maintain those higher levels, it’s important to remember that hog prices were considerably worse just a year ago....
Deadline approaching for century and heritage farm applications
The June 1 deadline for eligible Iowa farm owners to apply for Century or Heritage Farm recognition is quickly approaching, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is encouraging farm families to apply today. The program, which was created in...
