Top Stories
Lending a trusted ear to farmer mental health struggles
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and that’s especially important in rural areas, where suicide rates are roughly 1.5 times higher than urban areas. A lack of rural mental health care options and a negative stigma against discussing mental health have contributed heavily to this issue. Fortunately, a new project in the Midwest is aiming to make it easier to access mental health care and to talk about mental health struggles. Easton Kuboushek, lead volunteer with Farm Dog, said he...
Grassley says farm bill markup possible next week even without McConnell
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says that the Senate Ag Committee could still mark up a farm bill next week before the August recess without sidelined Mitch McConnell and a GOP majority. Senator Grassley says Ag Chair John Boozman still hopes to take up...
Markets react to July USDA cattle reports
The USDA released two important reports last week that each had a direct impact on the U.S. cattle industry: the July Cattle Inventory and July Cattle on Feed Reports. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the two reports offer a...
ICA lead on CRP reform at NCBA summer business meeting
The Iowa Cattlemen's Association (ICA) continues to deliver results for Iowa cattle producers, both in Iowa and across the nation. At the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Summer Business Meeting held in Denver, Colorado, earlier this month, ICA led...
Naig: Heat, timely rain shaping Iowa crops
Iowa farmers have faced a little bit of everything this summer. Extended stretches of heat have increased stress on crops and livestock, while scattered thunderstorms have brought much-needed rainfall to some areas and flooding, hail, and damaging winds to others....
TQA builds trust through consistent training
Transportation Quality Assurance® (TQA®), the pork industry’s certification program, provides science-based training for animal handlers and professional transporters who are responsible for moving pigs from farms to other facilities. Stephanie Wetter, director of...
Farm production costs mixed last year, soaring in 2026
Farm production costs were mixed last year but are up significantly in 2026. USDA Chief Economist Justin Benevidez provides the specifics from 2025. Benevidez says the largest increase occurred in livestock and poultry production. However, the latest farm expenditure...
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More Ag News
Weather forecast keeping pressure on corn and soybean marketplace
While there are a lot of factors that are exerting influence on the grains in the ag marketplace, including the crude oil price and the stock market, the main influence remains the weather forecast. While the forecast is positive in terms of crop conditions and...
Record ethanol blend rate lowers fuel costs for drivers
The average ethanol content in U.S. gasoline reached a record 11.29 percent in May, according to new data from the Energy Information Administration. The Renewable Fuels Association says the increase was driven by strong blending economics as ethanol sold at a...
Tight margins make financial analysis critical
As many farmers continue to navigate a difficult economic environment, understanding the financial health of their operations has become increasingly important. While many producers complete financial statements to satisfy their lenders, one agricultural attorney says...
South American Weather and Crop Update (8-4-26)
As harvest continues to progress in South America, the weather is staying mostly the same. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the current forecast is pretty much a carbon copy of what they have seen recently. With the amount of rain they have seen, McBride...
Build-out continues on state-of-the-art animal disease lab
The Plum Island Animal Disease Center is being replaced by a brand-new facility in Kansas. The federal government continues relocating the animal disease laboratory from Plum Island, New York, to the new National Bio and Agro Defense Facility, or NBAF, in Manhattan,...
