Top Stories
Farmers want to sell their crops, not collect payments
As Iowa farmers look back on 2025 and begin planning for the year ahead, trade remains one of the biggest issues shaping the future of agriculture. It has been a year marked by disruption, uncertainty, and tight margins, leaving many producers searching for stability rather than short-term relief. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says there is no denying the challenges farmers faced in 2025, particularly in terms of trade. Tariffs and shifting policies created uncertainty, but Naig...
Tyson Foods to close Perry pork packing plant
Tyson Foods has signaled that it will permanently close its pork packing plant in Perry in late June. Tyson is the biggest employer in the city of Perry and the closing of the facility will leave 1,276 plant workers without jobs. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining...
USDA finalizes “Product of the USA” labeling rule
The Department of Agriculture this week finalized a rule related to voluntary labeling claims of ‘Product of the USA.’ USDA’s final ‘Product of the USA’ rule will allow farmers to label meat, poultry, and egg products when they are born, raised, and processed in the...
Crop insurance deadline nears
Farmers not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2024 crop year have until March 15, 2024, to revise elections and sign contracts. Both safety net programs, delivered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, support to farmers...
Effects from cattle losses in Texas wildfire could be felt for a while
Wildfires in Texas have been burning for some time. Even with the fire reported to be over 70% contained, the loss of property and life is terrible. Cattle spread across both of those spectrums. While they are livestock property of ranches, they are also lives being...
PFI’s Labor4Learning program offers hands-on experience for new farmers
Applications for paid on-farm jobs are now open for Practical Farmers of Iowa’s Labor4Learning program, which provides an opportunity for beginning farmers to train with experienced farmers across the state who are committed to developing the next generation of...
Giving growers the most options to select the right seed
When selecting seed for the upcoming growing season a grower should be striving to select the right seed for their operation and the right seed for each field. More options allow for more opportunities to make the correct choice. Syngenta Seeds offers three brands and...
Video
More Ag News
How high can steer prices climb?
Despite very low overall numbers of beef cattle in the country, United States beef producers have continued to produce more beef than analysts expected. Here is USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer. That contraction taking place from 2024 to 2025. Meyer continues by saying...
Pork producers make a big impact in international markets
The U.S. Red Meat Symposium took place in Mexico City last month. Pat Bane, board member of the National Pork Board, said they toured different types of consumer markets. Bane visited Mexico City to represent U.S. Pork at the US Meat Export Federation inaugural event....
EIA: SAF production capacity will continue to grow
The Energy Information Administration is predicting the production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel in the U.S. to increase from 2,000 barrels a day to 30,000 barrels a day this year. That’s if all announced capacity additions manage to successfully come online....
ISU studying HPAI in raw milk
A recent study at Iowa State University investigated how Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is being detected in raw milk. Dr. Rahul Nelli of the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory talked with us about the collaboration that went into this project. Nelli gave...
Holding old crop grain could be “playing with fire”
We are unofficially halfway through the growing season, and we will be harvesting before we know it. Before we start, there are a few decisions that must be made. One is dealing with any old crop grain you still have in the bin. The quarterly grain stocks report at...
