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Farmers reaching limits of fertilizer efficiency
Farmers are being asked to do more with less, especially with fertilizer. With input costs remaining a concern and profit margins already stretched thin, producers are looking for every possible way to save money. But there is a limit to how much you can cut before those savings start affecting production. It's like wringing out a dish rag. Eventually, you cannot squeeze another drop from it, yet you're still expected to keep washing with a rag you cannot re-wet. That is the challenge facing...
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...
BASF pleased with herbicide weed control in 2026
This crop season has been defined by heavy rains across much of Iowa, especially as we get into harvest. Mid-season rains made weed control more difficult, but BASF has heard a lot of good feedback about the performances of their herbicide portfolio. Kurt Maertens of...
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NPPC says a Prop 12 fix is still within reach
The National Pork Producers Council continues pushing lawmakers to address California's Proposition 12 through the next farm bill debate. NPPC President Rob Brenneman, who is also an Iowa pork producer himself, said the organization believes a fix would benefit both...
NASS reports corn ending stocks 35% higher than last year
Higher than expected corn production numbers were negative for the grain markets today and implied lower demand. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), old crop corn stocks on hand as of September 1st, 2026,...
The future of the farm bill could be decided by November elections
The future of the farm bill may be decided by what happens when voters head to the polls in November. Lawmakers have left Washington for a month of campaigning without passing a new five-year bill, leaving producers facing more uncertainty after the third extension of...
Clean Fuels applauds effort to extend biodiesel producer credit
This week, U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation to extend availability of the Small Agri-Biodiesel Producer Credit through 2029. U.S. companies that produce up to 60 million gallons of biodiesel per year using...
Iowa farmers juggle two crop year decisions
Iowa farmers will soon find themselves making ARC and PLC decisions for two different crop years at nearly the same time. As we reported Tuesday, USDA has opened an unusual enrollment period for the 2026 crop that runs through December 11. That signup was delayed as...
