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Pork industry is optimistic despite trade limitations from pseudorabies
Strong export sales, particularly in Latin America, are contributing about $67 in value per every hog slaughtered and accounting for more than 30% of all U.S. pork production. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Vice President of Economic Analysis Erin Borror said there was optimism among producers and industry leaders at World Pork Expo in Des Moines last week. Pork Expo also gave an opportunity to highlight current export restrictions placed on some offal products following the finding of...
Food safety important for July 4th cookout
As we get ready to celebrate our independence this Thursday, there will be lots of fun activities. We think of the fireworks displays and the safety required to take care of those involved, but what about something as simple as the July 4th cookout? Have you thought...
Corn acreage and storage numbers send market price lower
The USDA published the Acreage and quarterly Grain Stocks reports on Friday and several factors combined to send the corn price in the ag marketplace to the downside. On Friday the ag marketplace reacted with a double digit drop in the corn price after the USDA...
Smithfield Foods delivers 34,000 pounds of protein to NW Iowa
Smithfield Foods delivered 34,000 pounds of protein to Rock Valley, Iowa, to provide free, restaurant-quality hot meals to victims, first responders and volunteers impacted by severe flooding across Northwest Iowa. As a local employer with more than 600 employees in...
Real Pork Scholar Program invests in the future of the pork industry
The Real Pork Scholar Program is one way the Pork Checkoff is establishing a firm foundation for the future of the U.S. pork industry. Hailey Schweke, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota and a Real Pork Scholar, said this program is focused on...
USMEF takes deep dive into Mexican market at U.S. Red Meat Symposium
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently held its inaugural U.S. Red Meat Symposium in Mexico City as U.S. red meat exports are hitting record levels in Mexico. With support from USDA, the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board, the symposium...
Converting melon waste into bioplastics
Farmers and the Ag industry are always looking for innovation; both to drive demand, find ways to reduce waste products, and help the environment. We may focus a lot on things like biofuels, aviation fuels, and other products for which our corn and soybeans are used....
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More Ag News
Talking with the EPA Part 1
Last week, I attended the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual convention in Kansas City. With so many broadcasters from all over the country, the convention was a hotbed of topics that were both regional and national in nature. One organization that would...
Food Bank of Iowa receives third annual “Meat the Need” donation
Food insecurity continues to be a problem across the state of Iowa, which means that many Iowans- some of whom might even be your neighbors- don’t have the proper access to nutritious food. As the top ag state in the country, Iowa is naturally poised to be able to...
South American Weather and Crop Update (11-19-24)
The weather is shifting slightly drier in Brazil, but it’s not enough to raise any concerns yet. Argentina is still seeing great rains. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest conditions in South America. McBride said planting progress...
Senate Democrats’ 2024 Farm Bill text fails to address Prop 12
On Monday U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released the Senate Democrats’ 2024 Farm Bill text. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) issued the following statement in a press release in response to the unveiling of the text of...
Secretary Naig celebrates the closing of Iowa’s last remaining ag drainage wells
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today celebrated the closing of the state’s last remaining Agricultural Drainage Wells (ADWs), concluding a more than quarter-century of sustained effort to close 195 of these drainage structures. ADWs were drilled into...
