Top Stories
U.S. Export Sales Report (6-29-26)
Last week’s export sales held a couple of surprises, particularly in the corn exports. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn sales may look disappointing, but they were actually good compared to the 5-year average. McBride said the soybean sales were good this week this well, but that pattern needs to continue. McBride said there were also some flash sales, which was nice to see since any flash sales are good sales at this time of year. The team at Allendale can be reached by...
John Deere pleased with S7 combine performance this year
At Commodity Classic in March, we talked to Bergen Nelson at John Deere about their new S7 combines. These combines take the technology of the X9 and bring it to a smaller scale for smaller farming operations. Now, this fall, we have caught up with Bergen for his...
CLAAS innovating its forage technology to celebrate 50 years
This year marks 50 years of the CLAAS JAGUAR forage harvester, and they have spent the year celebrating by continuing to innovate. Next year will bring even more improvements, with an earlage adapter and an enhanced chopping drum. Daryl Theis, head of sales and...
How long will this time of low crop profit margins continue?
USDA is projecting that 2024 will be the second straight year of falling crop prices and slim profits. How long should farmers expect this trend to continue? USDA Chief economist Seth Meyer says that to break out of this negative pattern, the United States ag markets...
John Deere announces more Iowa layoffs
John Deere has another round of layoffs scheduled at its plant in Iowa. The facility in Waterloo Works, Iowa, is the company’s largest plant. The state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, website says the company will lay off more than 100...
House hearing focuses on improper labeling of dairy products
The Food and Drug Administration performs the critical task of providing consumers with clear nutritional information by enforcing labeling standards, but there is still work to be done on the misuse of terms on labels. Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin said she’s...
Settling into a long-term period of low commodity prices
It’s no surprise to you that market prices for grains are low. They’re nowhere near what we enjoyed a few years ago. Many factors are driving this situation, but understanding them doesn’t necessarily make it any easier. The main question I Have been hearing farmers...
Video
More Ag News
Secretary Naig Presents 2025 Ag Leader Awards
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig this week recognized three organizations and one business that have made exceptional contributions to the continued success of Iowa agriculture. The honorees received awards during the 13th Annual Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner held on...
Secretary Rollins talks trade at Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made her inaugural visit to Iowa on Monday, engaging with local farmers and agricultural leaders throughout the state. Her tour culminated in a keynote address at the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner in Ankeny, where she emphasized the...
March ends like a lamb with mild USDA reports
There’s an old saying that says March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. With today bringing two major USDA reports, it was looking like the month might end more like a lion instead. However, that wasn’t necessarily the case, as both the Quarterly Grain...
Proposed port service fees would hurt red meat exports
The office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) held hearings this week on a proposal to impose a service fee for each U.S. port call of a Chinese-operated ship, or a per-net-ton service fee applied on the ship’s carrying capacity. While they do support the overall...
Recapping the winter weather season
For the most part, the 2024-2025 winter season in Iowa was mild with warmer temperatures and not much precipitation to help replenish soil moisture levels. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says that the final numbers from the winter months of December, January, and...
