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Farmers get less than six cents of every dollar spent on food
Data from the U.S. Economic Research Service’s Food Dollar Series provides a clear picture of how consumer food spending is distributed across the U.S. food supply chain. The latest estimates show that crop producers capture about 2.5 cents of every food dollar, down from 2.9 cents in 2023. Livestock producers receive about 3.3 cents, up from three cents a year earlier. Combined, U.S. farmers and ranchers account for about 5.8 cents of the total value added in the food system, down from 5.9...
NMPF: FDA proposal highlights need for Dairy PRIDE Act
For years now the Dairy industry has been pushing for standards about labeling dairy products versus products that offer plant-based dairy alternatives. The market has been using the term ?milk? for drinks made from food items like soy, almonds, oats, and cashews. The...
South American Weather and Crop Update (3-7-23)
The weather is much of the same down in South America. Brazil?s not seeing any major problems, and, well, Argentina is seeing all of the major problems. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided a breakdown of the latest weather conditions in the two...
Reference prices for ARC/PLC payments need updating
Reference prices that trigger PLC and ARC county payments to producers need updating, according to the American Farm Bureau, which will require a bigger farm bill funding baseline. Reference prices at $3.70 for corn, $8.40 for soybeans, and $5.50 for wheat are simply...
Grassley comments on USTR technical consultations with Mexico
On Monday the USDA published a report titled Promoting Fair Competition and Innovation in Seeds and Other Agricultural Input Industries. The report says that the USDA plans to immediately act in three areas.According to the release,?To deliver on its recommendations,...
USTR requests consultations with Mexico, Vilsack responds
The U.S. Trade Representative?s Office Monday requested technical consultations with the Government of Mexico under the U.S.?Mexico?Canada Agreement. The consultations, as part of the USMCA Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter, are aimed at Mexico?s ban on...
Cattle handlers need continuing education for respiratory disease recognition
Just like when we are not feeling well, our livestock shows signs of not being 100%. However, the biggest difference between animals and humans is that humans can communicate what is wrong. Animals can only give us body language cues to tell us something isn?t...
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More Ag News
Corn and soybean harvest ahead of schedule
Despite the wet weather, good progress was made harvest wise here in the State of Iowa last week. According to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service Upper Midwest Regional office’s weekly Harvest Progress report, Statistician Rebecca Alter says 23% of the...
Grassley says House Speaker won’t greatly impact farm bill
As the United States House of Representatives attempts to vote on the next Speaker of the House, United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says that the next Speaker will ultimately have little sway over the farm bill process this year. As the House plays politics...
Secretary Naig announces grant funding opportunity through Choose Iowa
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is once again offering Choose Iowa value-added grants to expand the availability of Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made foods, beverages, and other...
Insect populations thriving after drought and long switch to autumn
As the weather turns cooler, we start to look forward to a few things. Probably one of the best things about cold weather is that the bugs die. However, we aren’t quite there yet. They are also making their winter preparations, or they are trying to hitch a ride into...
Global meat industry leaders gather in the Netherlands
Representatives of the meat industry from around the globe gathered in the Netherlands last week for the World Meat Congress, a function of the International Meat Secretariat (IMS). The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) was represented at the event by President and...
