Top Stories
USDA announces $1.8 billion in 2026 conservation program payments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today it is issuing approximately $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to agricultural producers and landowners for their participation in key conservation programs for 2026. These payments include Grassland CRP payments that play an important role in the Trump Administration’s Ranchers First Initiative announced by USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins that includes sweeping actions focused on rebuilding the Great American...
Naig urges safety as harvest impatience grows
Rain has kept many Iowa combines parked as farmers wait for fields to dry, and with October approaching, the desire to finally get harvest underway continues to build. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said that anticipation is evident as he travels across the...
Details from September Cattle on Feed Report
USDA published the September Cattle on Feed Report on Friday September 18th, and the report shows another increase in cattle and calves on feed. That’s according to USDA livestock analyst Anthony Fischer. However, Fischer says that when examining cattle that were...
Long-term effects of data centers must be considered
As the development of large-scale data centers continues to be pushed in rural areas, many communities across the nation have one major question: what is the long-term impact on the local environment? University of Illinois environmental science student Bruce Beam...
Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling advances with Senate farm bill
Mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef moved closer to returning after the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the 2026 farm bill. The legislation includes an amendment tied to the American Beef Labeling Act that would restore mandatory...
USMEF holds seminars to grow demand in Saudi Arabia
For over a decade, U.S. beef faced technical barriers in Saudi Arabia that left only a small fraction of U.S. production eligible for the market. With those obstacles now removed, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) – with support from USDA and the Beef Checkoff...
Technology and value added ag guide ISU priorities
Iowa State University President David Cook is spending his first year on the job looking at where the university can have the greatest impact in the years ahead, and agriculture remains a major part of that conversation. Cook has been traveling across Iowa during his...
Video
More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (9-24-26)
A disappointing U.S. export sales report added to the negative tone in the markets as the ag industry waits to hear about the U.S.-China trade meeting. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn exports continue to be behind pace for the new marketing year....
National Pork Board encourages farmers to take care during harvest
Woven into the We Care® Ethical Principles, One Health connects human health, animal health, and the health of the environment. Discussion topics during this week’s National Farm Safety and Health Week fit right into this, including mental well-being as a priority....
Rain makes grain but also halts combines
A stubborn high-pressure ridge has brought excessive moisture to areas of the United States, including the Great Plains and Midwest this summer. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that the rain was welcome at first, but too much rain has become a problem in some...
Environmental group sues EPA for dicamba records
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. The suit claims the EPA failed to release records the group requested under the Freedom of Information Act about...
Heavy rains reveal both water quality progress and needs
Heavy rains can put Iowa’s water quality challenges under a microscope. When water starts moving across farm fields, erosion and nutrient loss can become much easier to see. But those same conditions can also highlight the progress being made on farms where...
