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USDA efforts to ensure pigs don’t fly this holiday season
USDA is working hard to ensure that pigs don’t fly this holiday season, by encouraging international travelers not to bring pork products back with them to the U.S. Fernando Lugo of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service explains. USDA is working to keep African Swine Fever, which would threaten the U.S. pork industry if an outbreak were to occur, from entering the United States. Lugo says that travelers returning from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands should be especially...
Will EPA back rural America or Big Oil?
As the push for higher ethanol blends accelerates, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says some of the most important decisions still ahead rest with the Environmental Protection Agency. She says the way EPA handles small refinery exemptions, reallocation, and long-term...
Food Bank of Iowa receives fourth annual Meat the Need donation
This morning, Fareway Stores and the Iowa Farm Bureau delivered 25,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank of Iowa for the fourth consecutive year of the Meat the Need initiative. The donation will provide 100,000 servings of high-quality protein to Iowans who are food...
Applications open for 2025 America First Trade Promotion Program
USDA announced it is now accepting applications for the 2025 America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP). U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Dan Halstrom said the program, first announced by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in late September, was authorized...
Nationwide E15 legislation could be on the table in near future
As we approach the tail end of the year, little opposition remains to year-round E15 sales. The biggest issue holding back legislation at the federal level is an opportunity to move an E15 bill through Congress says the Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO...
USDA to provide $7 million for advanced biofuel production
USDA announced Friday that it is making $7 million available nationwide to advanced biofuel producers through the Advanced Biofuel Producer Payment Program, Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said. The funding, authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill, will support...
Producers urged to rethink screwworm wound risks
Producers have received plenty of updates from USDA about New World Screwworm, most of which focus on border surveillance, wildlife movement, and federal protocols. But the greatest threat to livestock may not be at the border at all. It may be on the farm, where...
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Soybean demand can still grow in livestock industry
The United Soybean Board (USB) is looking at every opportunity to expand demand for U.S. soybeans. And even though the livestock industry is currently the biggest customer for soybeans, there is still plenty of room for growth. USB Chair Philip Good said the dairy...
Tariff aid expected this week or next
With farm margins under pressure, USDA is expected to roll out long anticipated tariff assistance soon. That’s Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce during his Senate confirmation hearing this year. Fordyce says USDA is adding up farm...
USTR holding public hearing on USMCA
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will hold a public hearing this week on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The hearing is in anticipation of a scheduled review of the trade pact set for next year. A keynote session of the U.S. Meat Export...
Secretary Naig welcomes applications for Choose Iowa value-added grants
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting applications for the next round of Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants. The highly competitive cost-share grant expands access to Iowa-grown,...
Why animal movement matters in screwworm control
Last week, we focused on the on-farm threats posed by New World Screwworm and the small wounds that can serve as entry points for the fly. But the effort to keep the pest out of U.S. herds goes far beyond the pasture. There is an even bigger challenge tied to the...
