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Boozman defends excluding Prop 12 from farm bill
Senate Ag Chair John Boozman shares reasons for his decision not to limit the out-of-state reach of California’s Prop 12 restriction on extreme animal confinement in his farm bill draft. Boozman says although Republicans are ready to vote to restrict California’s animal confinement standards, the same can’t be said about Democrats. For Bozeman, without Democrats' votes, there is not much that can be done. He concludes with what is needed for something concrete to happen. California represents...
Fish and Wildlife Service proposes ESA listing for monarch butterflies
A new species might be added to the Endangered Species list, with a threatened designation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced a proposal to list the Monarch Butterfly. Shelby Hagenaur, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm...
A plan to resume Mexican live cattle imports into the U.S.
The United States-Mexico border was closed for the importation of Mexican cattle into the U.S. in late November, after a case of New World Screwworm was detected in Mexico. Import restrictions on live cattle imported into the U.S. were put in place out of an...
U.S. corn, soy oil exports outdo previous forecasts
The USDA recently had to significantly boost its 2024-2025 export outlooks thanks to better-than-expected export sales for corn and soybeans. Last Tuesday’s WASDE shows record-low stocks to use for U.S. soybean oil. There was also a surprising number in corn ending...
Hemmes reflects on time on United Soybean Board (Part 2)
On Friday, we started talking with April Hemmes, a Hampton, Iowa farmer who had spent the better part of a decade working with the United Soybean Board (USB) and has now stepped down. We talked about the growth she had seen and the improvements made both to innovation...
Iowa Cattlemen continuing to push for better farm bill
At this point, it is very likely that the 2018 farm bill will get extended for another year. This is not what the ag industry was hoping for, but that doesn't mean that the battle is over. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association CEO Bryan Whaley said the ag industry needs to...
Informing the influencers of pork consumers
Pork producers are great at telling their stories to each other, but the focus needs to be on the consumer. The National Pork Board recently invited a social media influencer and avid cook from Los Angeles to a farm to see how pigs are raised. Morgan Wonderly, NPB...
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More Ag News
Preparing to tackle weed pressure in 2025
Spring is the season of change, and that means new products from the companies farmers depend on year after year. Brady Spangenberg, marketing director of U.S. crop protection at BASF, said they have several products that they are excited to offer in 2025. Spangenberg...
February pork and beef exports below year-ago levels
February exports of U.S. pork were moderately lower than a year ago, despite continued success in Mexico and Central America, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). February beef exports were also below last year...
March delivered needed moisture to many corn and soybean growing areas
The month of March delivered beneficial rainfall to many United States corn and soybean growing areas in need of moisture. The rainfall has led to shrinking drought coverage in corn and bean growing regions in the latest drought monitor says USDA meteorologist Brad...
Ag groups call for swift trade resolution
U.S. agriculture groups are responding to the reciprocal tariffs announced by President Donald Trump by calling for a swift resolution to the trade conflict. “Approximately 15 percent of the U.S. corn crop is exported every year, and international markets are critical...
Pure Prairie Poultry producers still waiting as promises go unfulfilled
In late September 2024, Pure Prairie Poultry, Inc., based in Fairfax, Minnesota, filed for bankruptcy, leaving numerous poultry producers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin without essential resources to feed their broiler chickens. The company's financial collapse...
