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EPA grants most small refinery exemption requests
EPA has granted most of the small refinery exemption requests it considered for the 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard compliance year. The agency announced decisions Monday on 34 petitions from individual refineries seeking relief from their biofuel blending obligations. EPA granted full exemptions to 18 refineries and partial, 50 percent exemptions to another 11. Three petitions were denied, while two were deemed ineligible. The decisions come as soybean and biofuel groups have warned that...
Thompson says SAWA could help Iowa livestock farms
Finding enough workers remains a challenge across agriculture. Still, House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson says the federal guest worker program has not kept pace with the changing needs of farms and livestock operations. Thompson is pushing the Securing...
Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest brings farmers and fairgoers together
The annual Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest is one of the most delicious and best-smelling contests of each Iowa State Fair. While the focus is certainly on the food, it also serves as a great opportunity to connect fairgoers with the farming families that raise the...
Big Bad Joe shatters previous record to win 2026 ISF Big Ram Competition
"Big Bad Joe," the Suffolk ram shown by Jim Fisher of Mercer, MO, is the 2026 Iowa State Fair Big Ram Competition winner weighing in at 568 pounds. Big Bad Joe shattered the previous Iowa State Fair record of 507.5 pounds which was set in 2014. Owner Jim Fisher says...
Major expansion of Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program underway
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, alongside Bryan Whaley, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, announced the second phase of the Cattle and Conservation Working Lands program, which debuted in 2016. This second phase expands to 22 counties within the...
Fertilizer prices expected to stay elevated through 2028
Fertilizer prices are expected to remain above pre-Iran war levels through 2028, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. Farmers and agricultural retailers continue to face higher costs as conflicts and supply disruptions affect global fertilizer...
Grassley, Thompson discuss Farm Bill path at Iowa State Fair
The Farm Bill remains unfinished in the Senate, but two lawmakers closely involved in the process say there is still a path to completing a new five-year bill this year. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson both discussed...
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Beef supporters turned crisis into lasting impact
What started as an effort to recognize young livestock exhibitors during a canceled Iowa State Fair has grown into an organization that has raised $1.3 million in just a few years. The Iowa State Fair Beef Champions Supporters formed in 2020 after the COVID pandemic...
Senator Grassley discusses negotiations with Canada and USMCA review
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says that tough negotiating with Canada seems to be making progress with longstanding issues over dairy trade. Grassley says that some of the biggest hurdles in the way of renewing the USMCA have centered around dairy....
Iowa Farm Bureau promoting farm conservation practices
The Iowa State Fair brings hundreds of thousands of people to the fairgrounds each day of the fair- many of whom are several generations removed from the farm. This provides a fantastic opportunity to educate more people on the practices farmers use across the state...
514 Iowa Century and Heritage farm families honored at the 2026 Iowa State Fair
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Brent Johnson today honored 514 Iowa farm families with Century or Heritage Farm designations during ceremonies at the 2026 Iowa State Fair. The annual recognition celebrates families...
Several changes to U.S. pork production in August WASDE
The August WASDE report lowered its estimate for 2026 U.S. pork production by 79 million pounds to 27.876 billion pounds as a result of slower slaughter speeds and lighter third-quarter carcass weights. Pork exports were also reduced to 7.175 billion pounds, while...
