Top Stories
Farmer bridge assistance enrollment period begins
During the keynote speech at USDA’s Ag Outlook Forum last Friday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the applications for the farmer bridge assistance program would open ahead of schedule. The application process is now open as of Monday February 23rd, says Rollins. Pre-filled applications will be available online for farmers who filed 2025 crop acreage reports for eligible commodities and have a Login.gov account. Growers have until April 17th to submit completed farmer bridge...
Secretary Naig recognizes conservation leaders at 2026 Iowa Agribusiness Showcase
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today presented Tyson Miller and Adam Millikin with Eldon C. Stutsman Inc. and the entire team at Premier Crop Systems with the Secretary’s Ag Leader Award for Conservation. The awards recognize leaders who are helping...
Iowa Agribusiness Association Showcase highlights industry policy conversations
Agribusiness leaders from across the state gathered in Des Moines these past two days for the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Showcase, an annual event that brings together agronomists, retailers, and industry partners to discuss the challenges shaping Iowa...
February WASDE report was as uneventful as expected
After experiencing a very surprising January WASDE report, this month’s report was as quiet as expected. Overall, there really wasn’t much for the markets to react to. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an analysis of this month’s report. The report was so...
Increasing farm bankruptcies highlight economic challenges
New data from U.S. court filings indicate farm bankruptcy has risen again. This is yet another indicator that we are experiencing a struggling farm economy. Samantha Ayoub, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the data paints a stark picture of...
Adoption of precision dairy technologies
Most row crop farmers are very aware of and knowledgeable about precision agriculture technology. However, animal agriculture is quickly adopting more precision agriculture technology and that extends into the dairy industry. USDA research economist Johnathan McFadden...
Farm bankruptcies continued climbing in 2025
A new American Farm Bureau Market Intel Report said Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies increased for the second year in a row, reaching 315 filings in 2025, a 46 percent increase from 2024. The Midwest and Southeast filed 121 and 105 Chapter 12 cases, respectively, far...
Video
More Ag News
Iowa regulators highlight changes to pesticide guidance
New federal pesticide decisions and evolving endangered species requirements are expected to bring more field-specific guidance for Iowa applicators heading into the growing season. Conversations following the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Showcase highlighted how...
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-12-26)
Heading into this week’s export sales report, the markets were expecting to see negative corn sales and positive soybean sales. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the report turned out to be the complete opposite from those estimates. Flash sales were active...
Demand is shifting for U.S. farmland
Farmland values have been resilient and even robust in past several years. However, those prices are entering a new phase as profit margins continue to change. Colton Lacina, the senior vice president of real estate operations for the Farmers National Company, said...
Dietary guidelines implementation updates
Secretaries for the Agriculture and Health and Human Services Departments Wednesday provided an update on implementation progress for the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That was USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. The guidelines provide guidance for federal food...
Smaller cattle herd means market volatility
It’s well-known that the U.S. cattle herd continues to shrink. The January U.S. Cattle Inventory report showed the total inventory at 86.2 million head on January 1. That was down 300,000 head from last year. American Farm Bureau analysis showed the combination of...
