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ICA heading into 2026 with plenty of optimism
Cattle producers from across the state recently gathered in Altoona for the annual Iowa Cattle Industry Convention. This year’s gathering had one of the highest attendance numbers from both producers and industry-leading companies. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association CEO Bryan Whaley said there was a lot of optimism at this year’s meeting. Whaley said the Trump administration has allowed for producers to have nearly unprecedented access to speak up at the White House. Whaley said they will be paying...
U.S. milk production to grow slower in 2024
The good news is U.S. milk production is expected to grow in 2024. Michael McConnel of the USDA’s Chief Economist Office says the bad news is the growth rate will slow compared to last year. The good news for U.S. dairy farmers is it will cost less to feed their...
Brazil soybean exports double U.S. shipments
Brazil’s 2023 soybean exports reached a record 3.74 billion bushels, 29 percent higher than the previous year as Brazilian production hit record levels. Meanwhile, U.S. shipments dropped 14 percent to 1.78 billion bushels in the same period. The two countries are...
Farm loan repayments are beginning to slip
After a couple of years of great prices and good profit margins, we have seen the ag profit forecasts start to dip lower year by year. However, we had been consistently reassured that the ag economy was holding its own. Several indicators are considered when these...
BoviJet helping producers gather more data on cattle
As labor becomes more difficult to find, cattle producers can take advantage of new technologies to ease the labor requirements for taking care of their cattle. Dakota Belling, co-founder of BoviJet, talked about their innovative automatic pour-on medicine applicator...
Getting equipment properly set up for planting
Getting equipment ready for the rush of spring planting can be a big chore. Greg Jones, global field engineering manager for Firestone Ag, says it’s important that farmers properly set up their tractors. Jones talks about when farmers should check out or change their...
New herbicide features wide application window to help fight troublesome weeds
A new crop protection product can take up to eight to ten years and millions of dollars to research, test, develop, and register. Surtain™ corn herbicide from BASF has reached that final stage with the product being approved by the EPA and now awaiting state by state...
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More Ag News
Abnormally wet weather creates difficult nitrogen decisions
The excessive rainfall in the Midwest, which is on top of an already mild winter, is increasing the risk of nitrogen and other nutrients leaching through the soil before the crops- specifically corn- can use them. As such, farmers must decide if they need to stick...
Public Lands Council accepting rolling submissions for research funding
The Public Lands Council (PLC) this week announced a rolling notice of funding availability that accompanies the existing grant funding process for Fiscal Year 2025. This two-track process allows individuals and organizations to submit proposals at any point during...
Grassley calls for common sense on SAF tax credits
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says the next version of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel tax credit needs common sense, something he says is lacking in this year’s credit that’s due to run out in December. Senator Grassley says the 45Z tax credit due by the...
U.S. hog inventory up one percent
The U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 74.5 million head. USDA says that was up one percent from June 1, 2023, and up slightly from March 1, 2024. Breeding inventory, at 6.01 million head, was down three percent from last year and down slightly from the...
Keep your sprayers in tip-top shape
As the wet weather has us thinking about fungicides, and we plan for late-season herbicides and insecticides; it is good to make sure you are doing everything you can to keep your sprayer running efficiently. Your bottom line is going to heavily weigh on this...
