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How will food prices affect holiday meals in 2025?
The holidays bring large increases in food spending for both food at home and food away from home. Consumers’ decisions during this season can have important implications for farmers and ranchers. Farmdoc, at the University of Illinois, said persistent inflation has impacted consumer food decisions in recent years, including their holiday meals. This year, estimates of Thanksgiving meal costs showed prices were slightly lower than in previous years. A survey showed 69 percent of respondents...
Calls grow louder for Washington to deliver a Farm Bill
It’s been another week of reminders that Washington still hasn’t delivered on one of agriculture’s most basic needs: a new Farm Bill. Earlier this week, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig said that agriculture craves certainty, and that’s something producers haven’t had in a...
IPPA and Fareway donate ground pork to Food Bank of Iowa
Over the past two days, the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and Fareway Stores made a donation of $20,000 worth of ground pork to six regional food banks across Iowa and western Nebraska. The donations were made as part of an ongoing effort to fight food...
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing attempts to address high input costs
A Senate Judiciary hearing was held on Tuesday to attempt to address high input costs for farmers from seed prices to fertilizer costs. American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland told Judiciary lawmakers some recommendations for driving down fertilizer...
Helena highlights ag innovation on screen and in classrooms with new documentary series
Helena Agri-Enterprises announced today the documentary series Innovation Never Stops at the 98th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. Thousands of teachers and students received an advance look at the nine-part video series debuting next week,...
Iowa Farm Bureau member testifies in front of Senate Judiciary Committee
As rising input costs continue to burden rural America, lawmakers are finally taking notice. An Iowa Farm Bureau member was able to share his perspective at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the high costs of inputs. Noah Coppess, who farms near Stanwood,...
China’s return offers hope but little market movement
There is finally some good news for U.S. soybean growers as China has stepped back into the market. The purchase is not a large one, but it marks the first notable move in months and offers a small sign of progress in a strained trade relationship. For many farmers,...
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Fall brings carbon credit opportunities for farmers
As combines start cooling down and planners begin thinking ahead to 2026, it’s also a good time to look at new ways to add value on the farm. One area getting plenty of attention lately is the carbon credit market and how it could fit into long-term management plans...
Previewing the first WASDE report since the government shutdown
After not getting a WASDE report in October due to the government shutdown, the USDA announced that there will be a WASDE report this month regardless of whether or not the shutdown has ended. This has the commodity markets very excited, as there has not been much...
Women in Ag Study highlights contributions of women in rural America
The United Nations is recognizing 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, with hopes of spotlighting the contributions of women in agriculture and agribusiness. Lisa Wherry, a Pennsylvania farmer and member of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership...
Chaos in the cattle complex
After a sustained run of lofty prices, we have seen a substantial selloff in the cattle complex in recent weeks. Commodity broker Eric Relph of Commstock Investments says that we have seen multiple limit down moves in recent trading days. Relph says traders are now...
Secretary Naig invites Iowa-based livestock vaccine developers to apply for research grant
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the availability of the Livestock Protection Innovation Grant to support an Iowa-based company working to develop vaccines that help protect livestock from foreign animal diseases. The Iowa Department of...
