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AFBF applauds grazing MOU between USDA and Department of Interior
The Departments of Agriculture and Interior have recently announced plans to formalize collaboration between the two agencies when it comes to grazing on public lands. Shelby Hagenauer, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau, said these plans were announced via a memorandum of understanding. Hagenauer said public lands grazing is a valuable partnership between ranchers and federal agencies to manage millions of acres of Western lands. Hagenauer said the next step...
South American Weather and Crop Update (6-6-23)
Clear skies continue to be the story for the weather in South America. This is great news for Brazilian farmers who have just started harvesting second crop corn. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided an update on the latest weather conditions.McBride said...
MOUs with equipment manufacturers will reduce downtime
The American Farm Bureau Federation recently signed two more right to repair MOUs, this time with AGCO and Kubota. Emily Buckman, AFBF Government Affairs Director, says combined with MOUs from John Deere and CNH Industrial, the four agreements cover roughly 70 percent...
Iowa planting all but wrapped up, but moisture is in short supply
We are now in the first full week of June, and from the looks of things, planting is all but wrapped up in the state of Iowa. The latest weekly crop progress report had this to say.?Farmers were still planting some corn and soybeans this week, however nearly all...
EPA still considering eRINS in RVO rule, Grassley opposed
The Biden administration?s Environmental Protection Agency is still considering including eRINS in its final Renewable Volume rule the agency is required by court order to issue by the middle of the month. But two Senators are leading the charge to stop that from...
Mixed bag in recent USDA Ag Trade Outlook
USDA?s June Ag Trade Outlook showed a significant drop in U.S. exports from the February report. U.S. ag exports are forecast at $181 billion for fiscal year 2023, down $3.5 billion from expectations in the February forecast. Veronica Nigh, senior economist with the...
West Coast labor dispute slows port operations
Contract negotiations between West Coast longshoremen and container terminal operators faced a breakdown Friday as work stoppages effectively closed the Port of Oakland and slowed operations up and down the coast. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said the...
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U.S., Brazil competitive balance in soybeans
The U.S. and Brazil are major competitors when it comes to exporting soybeans around the world. USDA’s Economic Research Service did a comparison study to figure out how changes in factors underlying production, marketing costs, and infrastructure might affect export...
A year-end message from Secretary Naig
As we take stock of 2023, there are things to be proud of. There are those moments where we persevered through adversity in weather, trade, markets, and the Federal Government’s lethargy. There are things that the farmers in Iowa can be proud of, like the strides we...
Wrapping up the ag markets at the end of 2023
The final two weeks of the calendar year are always quiet in the ag marketplace, and that was no different this year. Bill Moore, senior account executive with The PRICE Futures Group, said many traders have used the opportunity to even themselves out for the new...
Pork industry facing uncertainty as Prop 12 takes effect in 2024
California’s Prop 12 goes into effect with the new year on January 1. It becomes California state law during a time of already great uncertainty in the pork market. American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Bernt Nelson said that’s on top of some already bearish pork...
Finding the benefits of lower nitrogen usage
One of the obvious benefits of lower synthetic nitrogen usage is, of course, lower input costs, but there are environmental benefits as well. Jim Kelly, Director of Business Development with Pivot Bio, said their N-OVATOR program helps to measure that impact and...
