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County fairs teach lessons beyond the ribbon
County fairs are underway across Iowa, bringing communities together to celebrate agriculture while giving thousands of young people an opportunity to showcase months of hard work and preparation. While livestock shows and exhibits often draw the most attention, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the greatest value of county fairs can be found in the lessons they teach. Naig said county fairs provide young people with opportunities to develop responsibility, perseverance, and confidence...
USMCA biotech corn dispute settled in U.S. favor
After almost two years of back and forth between the parties, a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Dispute Settlement Panel recently announced its ruling on a U.S. challenge of Mexico’s ban of U.S. biotech corn imports. In a March 2023 senate hearing, Under Secretary for...
Bird flu driving egg costs higher
Shoppers were buying more eggs to bake Christmas treats ahead of the holiday season at the same time U.S. wholesale egg prices were up 150 percent from last year. Reuters says the average retail price of a dozen eggs surpassed $3.60 in November, $2.50 higher than the...
NPB recaps 2024 for the holidays
As 2024 draws to a close, the National Pork Board wants to take a moment to look back on the work that they Pork Checkoff accomplished this year based on producer priorities. One primary initiative is the 15-member producer-led Board of Directors allocated a large...
Holidays can intensify rural mental health challenges
For the 46 million people living in rural America, the holiday season can present added pressures to an already stressful time of year. In addition to higher rates of depression, suicide rates among people in rural areas are 64 to 68 percent higher compared to people...
Christmastime is here
“Christmastime is here.” Those are the opening words to one of my favorite holiday tunes and the theme of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. It is one of my favorite specials of the season. I will be watching it here today as I celebrate the day. Also, one of the...
Lock in prices now for next year’s crop products
At this time of year, many farmers are making financial plans for the next crop season. It’s a good time to lock in some prices on inputs, especially since we can see some volatility in the global marketplace. Vince Restucci, market segment manager with Valent, said...
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More Ag News
Integrating livestock into row crop management practices
Diversified agriculture provides many opportunities for improvements to efficiency and sustainability. But with so many factors to consider, it can be difficult to take everything into account when making management decisions. Austin Knight, technical advisor of...
Tips to reduce stress during planting season
Planting season is one of the busiest times of the year for farmers. Growers are building a plan for the growing season and then implementing that plan with many hours spent getting inputs and seed into the soil. With all the hard work of planting season putting a...
South American Weather and Crop Update (4-15-25)
The skies are still rainy down in Brazil, and dry conditions are persisting in Argentina. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest conditions in South America. McBride said harvest in Brazil has continued to move along nicely. The dry...
Governors ask EPA for more renewable fuels
Four state governors sent a letter to Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, asking him to set higher Renewable Volume Obligation levels. “Over the past several years, the biofuels industry made significant investments to expand domestic...
Fighting tar spot with early action and solutions
Farmers must stay vigilant to protect their crops from a variety of diseases that threaten yield and quality. One persistent challenge is tar spot, a fungal disease that has become a recurring concern in many corn-growing regions. As it continues to spread,...
