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USMEF says African Growth and Opportunity Act could help create trade access
The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), which was created to incentivize two-way trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries, allows the president to offer duty-free access to certain nations. However, some of the countries benefitting from AGOA have prohibitive restrictions on U.S. beef and pork imports. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Director of Export Services Jim Remcheck said the USMEF sent a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining several...
National Milk Producers Federation talks H5N1 security
Whether you call it H5N1, HPAI, or Bird Flu; the fact of the matter remains that we have an issue on our hands that is testing the resolve of our animal disease contingency plans on a minor level. We talked for years about “what if?”, and we were presented with that...
South American Weather and Crop Update (5-7-24)
Much like it is up here, rain is causing issues down in South America. Southern Brazil is getting especially heavy rains, which could start damaging the crops. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest weather. McBride said planting progress...
Rainfall slowing planting progress across the Corn Belt
Rainfall and wet conditions are slowing planting progress in the Midwest. Betty Resnick, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said a lot of the slowdown is taking place in the Corn Belt. Resnick said we’re still early in the planting season for major...
Innovation and technology helping farmers reach sustainability goals
The mission of the U.S. Grains Council is to develop markets, enable trade, and improve lives. Carlos Suarez is the manager of sustainability, policy, and innovation for the U.S. Grains Council and says that sustainability is becoming more of a central focus across...
Iowa crop progress and condition report
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and...
Senator Ernst reacts to Stabenow’s version of Farm Bill
Last week, the respective Chairpeople of the House & Senate Ag Committees released their visions for a Farm Bill. While House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, released a framework for legislation that he wants to mark up by May 23rd,...
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Dry weather forecasted to stick around in Iowa
While the temperatures have been enjoyable lately, the lack of rainfall has been anything but. After experiencing the driest September on record, drought and fire dangers have increased. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for Iowa, said that the drought monitor has...
Dairy market volatility not that surprising
It’s been an up and down ride for the dairy markets lately. Mike North of Ever.ag says there are a lot of reasons behind the price volatility. North says price volatility is not unusual to see at this point in the calendar. He says demand for dairy tends to spike...
East and Gulf Coast ports reopen as strike temporarily ends
On Thursday, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) released a joint statement announcing a temporary end to the work stoppage that shut down the East and Gulf Coast ports earlier in the week. U.S. Meat Export...
Lame duck session seen as last chance to save farm bill
The legislation that would set food and farm policy for the next five years is in limbo, waiting for lawmakers to decide its fate after the election. The latest deadline for the Farm Bill passed unceremoniously at midnight on Sept. 30, without a push from lawmakers to...
2025 Farmer’s Almanac has something for everyone
We have seen it on shelves in various stores for years. The Farmer’s Almanac has a devoted following of people who read it and take its information to heart. Many believe that the information contained is the best estimate of what we can expect throughout the year. It...
