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Giving crops a strong start is more important than ever
Every year brings its own unique set of challenges for farmers, and last year was no different. As farmers are making their final decisions for the 2026 crop season, their plans should be changing to adapt to the latest issues. Logan Dinkla, agronomic service representative at Syngenta, said 2025 had a few defining factors. Farmer budgets are getting tighter every year due to the rising costs of inputs and narrowing profit margins. While it may be tempting to cut back on herbicide...
Record gas prices and its effects on ethanol
If you?ve travelled anywhere within the last week or visited the gas station anytime soon you probably have noticed that gas prices have rapidly gone up, and the money in your wallet has rapidly gone down. While the almost daily rise in prices is affecting consumer?s...
South American Weather and Crop Update (6-7-22)
Both Brazil and Argentina have dry weather in the current forecast, which will help them work on harvest. However, Argentina will likely see some rains in the next 6-10 days, which would obviously hinder them a bit. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided a...
Rep. Axne leads letter urging Commerce Dept. to prioritize rural America
Members of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) were led by Rep. Cindy Axne, along with fellow NDC Rural Reinvestment Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Cheri Bustos, in writing to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to urge the Department of Commerce to ensure rural America is a...
Planting is wrapped up… now what?
I know that the title is not a question to ask a farmer. They usually know what is next on the list of tasks required to successfully grow a crop. However, each year does present a different list of challenges and that is what we need to consider when we ask what is...
Gov. Reynolds and Secretary Naig maintaining rivalry for Governor?s Charity Steer Show
May 27th marked the start of the fundraising effort for this year?s Governor?s Charity Steer Show (GCSS), and, with this year marking the 40th anniversary of the event, the competition has never been stiffer. Recently, there?s been a bit of a rivalry between Governor...
Inflation and its impact on the ag marketplace
Farmers find themselves in a back-and-forth battle with their wallets as inflation and markets are both on the rise. While higher commodity prices are good for their wallets, the increasing consumer good prices are not. So, what does this mean for farmers on a...
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U.S. Export Sales Report (3-2-23)
This week?s export sales were uneventful. This is to be expected since we have been going through option expirations. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided a breakdown of the latest U.S. Export Sales Report.For a while, export demand was low since U.S....
Farmers, INREC, ISU and Google collaborate to develop innovative farming tools
The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC), Iowa State University (ISU)'s Department of Agronomy along with support from Google.org held a three-day design sprint this week in Clive to work on new tool that will help farmers with nitrogen fertilizer rate...
Weather and labor continue to challenge railways
One of the main metrics for railway service quality is unfilled grain car orders, the number of cars a shipper ordered but didn?t receive. Danny Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist, said the data shows shippers are waiting a long time to get the grain...
Fertilizer prices look to be coming down for now
Farmers have been dealing with higher input costs not long after the market for their grains got better. Fertilizer was the main concern as it jumped over 300% at one time. The essential nutrients were causing economic hardships to producers who claimed that too much...
World Pork Expo set for milestone 35th anniversary celebration
The 2023 World Pork Expo returns to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 7 through 9. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the annual event focusing on education, innovation and networking within the pork industry. National Pork Producers...
