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Iowa livestock producers should be tracking NWS cases
Recently, New World Screwworm (NWS) was officially confirmed in the U.S. after it made its way closer to the border through Mexico. Now that it is in the U.S. cattle herd, we have also seen our first case of NWS in a different mammal- a dog in Lea County, New Mexico. This is not a surprise, as NWS is not picky, but it proves that all animal owners need to be cautious of this pest. Dr. Lisa Becton, associate director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), said tracking and monitoring...
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....
REAP funds available for rural renewable energy projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing $145 million in funding for 700 loan and grant awards through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and...
Bearish Quarterly Grain Stocks and Acreage Reports stunts grain markets
The Quarterly Grain Stocks Report had a bearish tilt to it today, as most of the numbers came in higher than expected. The Acreage Report had an even greater bear effect to the grains, as both corn and beans came in differently than what was predicted. Allendale...
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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...
After bird flu was found in pigs; now what?
Bird flu, or H5N1, jumped the species barrier twice this spring. It infected dairy cattle and humans. Given the physiological similarities between humans and hogs, we said it was probably no longer a matter of “if” but “when” hogs got caught up in the mix as well....
